Merda.

He thought to himself as the oldest Auditore son cornered him in a dead end street. The man had come out of nowhere; one second there was only Vieri, and then Federico had appeared almost as though he could move through shadows unseen.

"Don't come any closer," Vieri snarled and blinked the rain out of his eyes, putting his hand on his sheathed sword. He was shaking, but only because he was cold! He'd been out in the rain all day and was soaked through.

Federico ignored his words and continued to step closer, "If I were here to kill you, you would be dead by now." He shrugged as if speaking to an old friend and smirked at the Pazzi as the anger in his face intensified, "I am not trying to insult you, bello."

Vieri scoffed and rolled his eyes, "It sounded like an insult, stronzo!" He drew his sword and pointed it at the other man, as if daring him with the sharpened blade. Federico simply chuckled and continued in his advances, earning a growl from Vieri.

Federico suddenly lunged forward playfully, but still with the deadly grace of an Auditore. Vieri aimed his sword at a vital point and swung, squeezing his eyes shut as his body threw all his might into the action. The taller man dodged by jumping to the side and in the same move grabbed onto Vieri's wrist, twisting until he was forced to drop the blade. It hit the ground and Federico kicked it away; Vieri watched his only weapon glisten in the faint light and then disappear in the shadows.

"I simply meant that if it were someone other than me following you, such as someone out for your head, you would've been killed." Federico lightened his grip on the others wrist so that he was cupping the warm palm in his, "You are distracted tonight; you can usually pick up on me right away."

Vieri's lip curled back in a snarl and leaned his head away from him. The Auditore enjoyed following him, it was his favorite game. Vieri would never admit that he enjoyed the games, though, because when he caught Federico it gave him an ego boost. Tonight was different, he had forgotten to keep an eye open for him because he had his head elsewhere; thoughts of his father were clouding his senses.

"It is none of your business!" He glared at the taller man and tried to put some distance between their bodies.

"I didn't ask to know, Vieri." Federico smiled at him softly and hooked an arm around his waist, causing Vieri's cheeks to turn red, "I will, however, offer to help you take your mind of whatever it is. What do you say, mio amore?" He released Vieri's hand and pushed a wet strand of hair away from his flushed face.

Vieri's eyes were wide as they shifted to scan the area; if someone saw them… He smacked Federico's hand away and twisted out of the arm around his waist, immediately turning and heading in the other direction.

He didn't get far before a hand clamped over his mouth and the arm returned around his waist, lifting him off his feet so the taller of the two could force him into the nearest building. Vieri struggled; pushing, kicking, yelling, and even attempting to bite the hand over his mouth. All his efforts went to waste as Federico just laughed.

Then Vieri was released when Federico had to lock the door; leaving his back open to the angry man. Vieri swung to punch the gleeful smirk off his face when he turned around, but Federico was expecting it and countered the blow. Federico chuckled and herded Vieri further into the room until the back of his knees hit the edge of a couch and he fell backwards onto the cushions with a curse.

Vieri was fuming; this wasn't the first time Federico had done this. The other times that he managed to avoid being detected he would take his reward; usually by softening Vieri up with hot touches and kisses to his neck and jaw. Vieri clenched his fists and glared as Federico towered over him.

Federico reached down and ran his knuckles over his lovers' cheek as a smile formed on his face; Vieri was adorable when he looked so stormy and confused. Federico practically purred, "That blush is very fitting for you, mio amore."

Vieri frowned and averted his eyes, the words only making his blush darker, "Stai zitto…"

Federico knelt down so that he could be closer to eye level with Vieri and nudged his legs apart to lean against the couch between them. The new position put Federico lower than Vieri so that his damp hair dripped rain onto his face. He reached up with one hand to brush the dark locks back before cautiously reaching for Vieri's hat.

Vieri watched the hand touching him as though it could burn him at any moment, and when it moved to his hat he snarled like a wolf. "Remove your hand before I remove it from your body."

"I was just going to hang your hat up to dry," Federico cooed soothingly and pulled his hand back to resume petting the dark hair. When Vieri didn't say or do anything to stop him, Federico lifted the soaked hat off the shorter man's head.

Vieri sighed in defeat and watched as Federico hung his hat over a nearby chair; when the hat left, so did his pride. He clasped his hands in his lap and began twisting his shirt between his fingers. A shudder went through him as his exhausted body began to lose heat; when was the last time he slept through the night?

The shudder didn't go unnoticed by Federico, who stood up and quickly went to the other side of the room. He opened the door on a wardrobe closet and pulled out a few things before heading back to Vieri, snatching up a blanket along the way. He placed his armful of fabric on the couch beside his soaked companion and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, "I will light a fire, amore. Get out of those wet clothes before you catch your death."

Vieri grumbled and weakly swatted at the other as he kissed him, but he couldn't go against the clothes offering. He was numb to everything but the cold and he could feel his body's defenses weakening, making the possibility of pneumonia higher every minute.

He peeled of his shirt and dropped it on the floor with a wet plop. When he removed his boots he had to pour out some water and he felt like his feet were beyond drying. His pants were the last to go; he struggled with the tight fabric as it clung to his wet form. Eventually he got them off and turned to the pile of clothes, shivering violently.

The new clothes were a couple of sizes too big for him, but he didn't care at that point as long as they were warm. Once he had them on he practically flew under the covers and tucked his icy feet beneath him. His jaw was clenched painfully as he tried to keep his teeth from chattering; it only made his head twitch and shake instead.

He tried to distract himself by watching Federico as he knelt before the fireplace; the long muscled body arched as he slouched and his arms flexed when he moved around the wood. There was smoke flowing steadily up into the chimney and the smell was spreading through the room, promising warmth.

A flame gradually grew and made the shadows in the room grow; it also turned Federico's eyes into the color of melted chocolate with specks of gold. Federico leaned back on his heels and stood, catching Vieri's eyes and smiling.

Crap; he'd been caught staring. Vieri tore his eyes away to stare down at his hands, which were balled into fists so tightly that his knuckles were white. At least he wasn't as cold anymore, not when the blood was rushing to his face.

Federico settled in beside him; cuddling up against Vieri despite the protests he gave. He simply laughed at the shorter man and his awkward anger, but made sure to make his laughter light and not offensive. Vieri was uncomfortable enough as it was.

"Will you share the blanket with me? I can help to keep you warm," Federico snaked an arm around Vieri's shoulders and tugged him close to steal a kiss.

Vieri's grumbled "no" was smothered against Federico's mouth. He would've bitten him if it weren't for the fact that every kiss he shared with Federico left him breathless and blanked his mind. That was one thing he could enjoy because when his mind was blank he didn't have to worry about anything in his life; no fighting for rank, no pretending to be someone he wasn't to appeal to his father, and no hiding the fact that he felt something for Federico. This only lasted for a heartbeat longer than the kiss itself, but it was enough to lighten his mood a little.

He shifted the blanket so that it would lay over Federico and him evenly, "Fine."

Federico accepted the blanket and moved Vieri a little so that his dark and still damp hair rested against his shoulder, "Grazie." He kept his arm around him and lay his head against the dark locks, inhaling the scent that was uniquely Vieri and intense from the water. He could've easily slept like that with Vieri. "Are expected to be anywhere tonight?"

Vieri sighed contently; Federico's body heat was sinking into him and warming him better than any fire could. At the question he frowned; he did have to be home or his father would get upset, but then again, wasn't he always upset anyway? Hell, Vieri was taking vacation time for this. "I can spare some time."

He could feel as the other smiled against his hair, "I am glad you can spare time for me, amore." Vieri nodded in response and closed his eyes, covering a yawn with the back of his hand.

Federico noticed and shifted to look at him, taking in the dark circles and exhausted fog in his eyes. He'd seen drunks look more aware. "Vieri, you should sleep."

A second yawn overcame him and he relaxed against Federico, barely awake and feeling like his tongue was swelling in his mouth. "I'm fine, stop fussing. You sound like a woman."

Federico chuckled and reached into his pocket, "Would a woman bring you gifts, bello?"

Vieri straightened and his eyes traveled to Federico's hand, concealed in his pocket; gifts? His curiosity peaked and he looked at him expectantly, "You got me something?" Why? Federico made a soft noise in response and nuzzled his lips against Vieri's cheek.

"Si," He said and pulled a simple box out of his pocket that was roughly the size of a wine bottle. He hadn't had enough time to wrap it before he left to follow Vieri, but then again, it wasn't the presentation that mattered. Anxiety swelled in him as he handed it off to the other; would he like it?

Vieri examined the box and weighed it in his hands; it was too heavy to be anything small, yet the box was too small to be anything big. He lifted the lid and revealed a dagger in a dark leather sheath; he drew the dagger out of its holder to get a better look at it, causing the fire to glow orange on the blade and reflect against the wall.

The dagger was made out of some kind of dark metal and the handle was obviously crafted by a talented hand. He held it up to examine the design on the handle and noticed that the blade itself had designs carved into it as well. This was a special one of a kind dagger, and it was probably worth a hefty price.

"Dio mio! Where did you get this?" Vieri asked and ran his fingertips over the cool metal with a look of absolute delight on his face.

Federico was smiling ear to ear while he watched Vieri, "I had it specially made for you." He placed his hand delicately over Vieri's to turn the blade, "It has your name on it." Right on the blade, above where handle met metal, Vieri was carved in swirly letters.

Vieri was glowing and his cheeks hurt from smiling so wide; it was a wonderful gift and he loved it. He turned his attention to Federico and felt his heart flutter, "Why would you go through such trouble to give me a gift?"

Federico tucked a strand of hair away from Vieri's face to see as much of his joy as possible and rest their foreheads together. He drank in the happiness and pressed their lips together for a moment. When Vieri was happy and all his troubles were forgotten, it was easier to see the love that shown through his eyes. There was no need for him to say he loved Federico in these moments; his eyes spoke a thousand words for him.

"To see you smile." To see that you do love me as much as I love you.