Playtime
[The Limão no Coco Hotel, Rio Brazil 2:45pm]
The agents arrived at their long awaited luxury hotel room, dressed in smart casual suited to the climate and more importantly- their civilian cover.
Evan wore blue knee-length shorts with a black and white patterned belt. His upper torso sported a well fitted white t-shirt and a multi-layered black cord necklace replaced his usual dog tags. Meanwhile, his right arm equipped a sports compression sleeve and a motorcycle glove to hide a myriad of impressive scars which drew too much attention. "You look like the guy who both started and ended the bar fight." He had been told jokingly in the communal training room showers.
Giorgio typically opted for a more formal look. He wore a salmon-red collared shirt with its sleeves rolled up, pale chinos and of course, Italian black dress shoes.
"Well it didn't turn out to be such a big deal after all." Stated Evan as he flopped onto the luxurious suite couch which was even more comfortable than his own apartment bed somehow. "I still can't believe Keith and Robert turned all this luxury down just because they're too scared to hug a little."
[VSSE Headquarters, Director's Office 8:21pm- 2 Days Earlier]
The VSSE Chief was sitting at a small dining table in his office playing poker with Richard Miller, and the resident psychologist Dr Fine. That is to say, they had been playing poker, but after the sixth round of drinks it had devolved into strip poker.
The doctor had only removed her green blazer- but only because she was getting a little stuffy, she had not lost any of her hands yet.
Richard let out a puff of air he was holding in, as he dropped the cards he was holding onto the table. He removed his signature red t-shirt showing his tan, chiselled body to everyone.
The Chief let out a jolly laugh as he removed a sock. He had one more sock left before he was down to just his boxers...
The Special Operations Agents on the other hand, were happily drinking around the coffee table.
"Come on guys, what's your problem with each other?" Evan asked with a rum and cola in his hand.
Keith and Robert were technically the winning pair for the Rio Mission, but upon learning that the mission brief called for them to pose as an affectionate couple, the two had turned it down- forfeiting it to the runner up pair.
His own partner gave an amused scoff, mocktail in hand. After being knocked out by a Propofol dart for a few hours, Giorgio had finally come to in time for the drinks party. Although alcohol was a big no-no for another 18 hours or so because of the tranquiliser still in his system, messing with the senior pair was always a big yes for him.
Wesley took a break from his Long-island tea to chide the winning pair. "Really, for senior agents no less, to be unable to run a standard cover for infiltration missions."
He wasn't wrong. Unless there was a blood relation, it was actually standard for pairs conducting infiltration missions to pose as couples. It helped to ensure unrelated civilians did make any moves on active field agents, because when it did happen, it never ended well for anyone.
A famous incident among the VSSE's European division involved a female agent, codenamed Minerva. During an undercover mission involving a bar, a sleazy patron responded to "No, go away." as a challenge rather than a rejection. After he decided groping her would somehow win her over, she promptly shanked him in the side with a twirly cocktail straw. Minerva was suspended from active duty for a couple of months and given mandatory anger management classes by the HR Department.
Finishing a gulp of his pina-colada. Alan egged Keith and Robert to demonstrate they were able to pose as a couple. "C'mon! The youngest one here isn't impressed with you guys, show him how it's done!"
The other agents whooped in encouragement. And the harassed pair found power in the liquid courage they had been drinking all night. From an arm's length away, Robert shakily extended his arm… and put a hand to rest on Keith's shoulder.
"Wait... that's it?" Asked Wesley.
The duo was met with boos from their spectators.
"WEAAAAK." Alan hollered.
"We can go no further." Stated Keith.
"Hold him like a real man!" Evan criticized Robert.
"Hey shut up!" Robert lashed out. "You two are European, you guys look gay without even trying!"
Everyone laughed at his outburst.
Setting his drink aside, Evan decided to try his hand at coaching his senior. "Ok, ok. I- who hails from the city of love, will teach you the uncultured hick, how to romance your dearest partner. Soon, you will be able to share secret plans right in front of the enemy, who only suspect whispers of sweet nothings." Evan sat down beside Giorgio leaving no gap, and made a hand motion for the senior team to do the same.
"Class is now in session." Alan giggled to his own partner.
Robert and Keith reluctantly sat next to each other.
"Close the gap." Giorgio critiqued dryly. "Any further and you'll need to convey your fondness for each other with love letters".
With a groan, the other pair shuffled closer slowly.
"Now." Said Evan as he leaned on Giorgio. "It's super easy, you just give him a hug. Not even a two handed one." He explained as he curled an arm around his partner's waist, letting his hand rest on the brunette's hip.
The senior duo made faces as if they had eaten lemons, skin and all. Robert hesitantly raised an arm to snake it around Keith's waist like he was shown. Deciding it was too much, he went for the shoulders instead.
"Always a killjoy." Wesley commented shaking his head to a silently laughing Alan.
Evan continued, much to the learning pair's dismay, as he reached for a lock of Giorgio's hair to twirl with a finger. "See guys? Super easy. I do this all the time when I'm bored in group meetings."
Giorgio nodded knowingly. In every group meeting, about halfway in, Evan's interest would falter- and the brunette would feel a lock of hair from the back of his head being twirled and released repeatedly.
Taking instruction from the young blonde, Robert threads his fingers through Keith's hair. Though it more resembles someone reluctantly sacrificing a hand to a paper shredder. Keith tries not to recoil at the touch too much, but his reaction reminds Giorgio of his own convulsing from the time a Terror Bite managed to jump on him.
Alan and Wesley's shoulders are shaking violently as they struggled to contain their laughter.
"As you know already, we greet with a kiss on the cheek. Very standard." Said Evan.
"Shit, there's more." Robert growled.
Keith groaned as if he was suffering from a bullet wound in the thigh.
Cradling his partner's chin with his thumb and index finger, Evan tilted Giorgio's chin up and gave him a long kiss on the cheek.
"UNNNGGHHH." Keith groaned covering his face with his hands.
Robert put his hands up in defeat. "Screw this! I'm out!" He took the beer he had set aside and started chugging.
The sound of the other agents' laughter could be heard by curious staff outside the office, all the way down the hallway.
[The Limão no Coco Hotel. Rio, Brazil 2:46pm]
Giorgio shrugged his shoulders at Evan's disbelief of the senior pair passing the mission on to them. "Their loss."
Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted everyone's thoughts, and was followed by a heavy Brazilian accent. "Pardon me, room service here."
"Bonjour! Come in!" Evan happily ordered.
Giorgio rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless. They had eaten lunch already on the VSSE jet a couple of hours earlier, but Evan was excited to abuse the room service privileges the company had given them. I suppose we can push dinner back two or three hours...
A neatly uniformed bellhop came in with a trolley. "Good afternoon Sirs. Today I have the 'Dulce luxury tea menu'. This is our proud national 'yerba mate' known in English as 'friendship tea'." He said winking as he poured cups full of the tea for the duo. After setting small plates in front of them, he took a large ornate platter and set it in the middle. Lifting the cloche, a collection of finger-sized desserts were revealed underneath.
After the bellhop had given a quick run-down of the sweets and left, a painting on the adjacent wall flickered to reveal it was actually a digital screen. "Good afternoon gentlemen! I trust you've both settled into this fine luxury." Asked their handler's voice rhetorically. Before the duo had even entered the room, the IT crew disguised as cleaners, had replaced a wall painting and the coffee table as VSSE tech for the mission's duration.
"Bonjour Sarah!" Beamed Evan.
"Buona sera, mi amici. [Good afternoon, my friend.]" Purred Giorgio as he brought his tea cup to his lips. The tea had an earthy, mildly sweet taste and he noted that the leaves did not come from the standard tea plant.
"So!" Begun their handler. "Nicolai Vladof is an international arms dealer, our intel has found that his clients have expanded into terrorist groups- which has put him on the naughty list of the VSSE. As you already know, your cover has been tailored to suit the target- who by the way just oozes insecurity.
Evan raised an eyebrow, perplexed. "Hang on, isn't his girlfriend an up and coming model? And I heard he has a few 'side pieces' as well."
"Oh, but my French friend, his narcissism is his downfall. Our spies have observed that his penthouse parties have a common trend. Only people who are considered not to pose a threat to his female attention are invited." Sarah explained.
Evan poked the coffee table which had also become a screen, and read out the target's psychological profile. "Members of his posse share one of two traits if they are not women. They are either considered physically unattractive to ensure he appears desirable by comparison; or they are homosexual and therefore are not seen as threats to his female attention."
"What a pathetic guy." Commented Giorgio as he sipped more tea.
"Well at the very least he's not homophobic." Drawled Sarah in agreement.
Evan, who had finished swallowing a bite from a cinnamon-sugar covered banana fritter, looked at his partner with concern. "Come on Giorgio, you haven't even started on any of the bon bons [sweets], here have some of this!"
Giorgio opened his mouth to decline, but Evan took the opportunity to stuff the banana fritter he was eating into his partner's mouth. "Mmph!-" The brunette narrowed his eyes at his cheeky partner and begrudgingly chewed. After a while he slowed down and brought a hand to his mouth.
Seeing his partner's tells for being impressed with the morsel, Evan grinned. "It's stuffed with 'dulche de leche'- which is a kind of caramel made from condensed milk. Also, I got some on your whiskers, my bad."
Giorgio narrowed his eyes at his cheeky partner and accepted the napkin.
Sarah sighed. "Ughhh Evan I hate you, I'm ordering a platter for my room too." The handler was a few floors down in an opposing east-facing room in case she needed to survey outside movement. "Anyway, you both need to make contact with him, acquire the information for his future weapons trades, and then dispose of him quietly so his clients don't know that we're on to them."
"He slipped and fell off the balcony." Said Evan confidently.
"Hmm, not bad. But let's leave that as a last resort. One of our informants works in management here... Let's avoid anything that can be blamed on the hotel."
"There goes poisoning his food." Mumbled Giorgio as he dabbed caramel out of his moustache with a napkin. Dammit Evan.
"We push him down a flight of stairs after getting him drunk!" Evan tried again enthusiastically.
"Public security cameras." Corrected Sarah.
Giorgio rolled his eyes. "We force him to drink a tub of dulche de leche until it clogs up his airways and fills his lungs." He sarcastically suggested.
"The consistency of dulche de leche is too thick for drowning, he'd just cough it back up." The handler explained without missing a beat.
"Dammit!"
Evan let out the laughter he had been containing from the suggestion. "Ahahahah! Let's go water board that asshole with dulche de leche!" After the blonde had finished his bout of laughter he wiped a tear away. "...Wow. Eliminating a target without shooting them in the face is actually kinda hard."
"Right." Giorgio agreed. "Taking out the Hamelin Battalion was more straightforward than this."
"No it wasn't! That was LITERALLY an army of trained soldiers! You two just need to take out ONE guy!" Sarah exclaimed. S-class agents were weird. Why were they so weird? She then suggested that they plan the target's elimination after, as it wasn't of the greatest urgency at this stage.
Sarah had given the duo the perfect time to enter the elevator. After descending a couple of floors, the doors opened and their mark stepped in.
Evan leaned on the support rail with an arm around Giorgio's shoulders possessively. "So mon chéri, do you think we should head to the party of that rapper tonight? I heard it's the most exclusive party in the hotel."
Giorgio leaned his head back lazily onto Evan's arm. "I'm all for the best this hotel has to offer- mio caro." He added to the end of his line as a tongue in cheek response.
Nicolai peaked towards them, interest taken away from his mobile phone.
Time to sweeten the bait with dulche de leche to attract the cockroach. Giorgio thought. "If it's any good, I'll invite Alexis- you know models. Always looking for the biggest party, and the biggest man."
Nicolai could not resist the urge to intrude and butted in. "Woah bros, bros, brooooos. That wannabe rapper ain't the most exclusive…..." He paused for dramatic effect for far too long, and then with both his hands in a strange, made up gang sign, pointed to himself. "I am."
The agents turned to look at each other and smiled.
Author's Note:
-It's finally happened! Hope you enjoyed it finally being released :3 I'm now doing the smart thing like Lilium00 and June Ellie and releasing a smaller scale fic in between the waits for The Rio Mission, which setting wise- is an absolute unit.
-I felt as though there needed to be banter from the aftermath from the Versus fic to tie things up.
-I am putting [these in] for subtitles!
-The Hotel is completely fictional, it's actually a song reference XD