"I'm sorry I hurt you…?"

"Marcus."

"Oh. Right. I'm Seth."

They got lost in the other's eyes for several hours without either of them knowing. Seth rested himself into Marcus' arms, his face buried in the vampire's intoxicatingly luscious-smelling neck. Marcus was playing with Seth's fingers and hair. Seth grinned brightly into Marcus' neck, then pulled away.

"Yes?"

"Take me with you?"

~~~RECAP OVER.~~~

Marcus blinked at the younger man, not willing to let himself feel hope, just to get burned again. Seth flushed darkly, escaping to the kitchen to "make dinner". Marcus, once he'd stuffed all hopes of being "with" Seth back down, entered the kitchen.

"What…?"

"I- nothing."

"It's not nothing," Marcus said too low for Seth to hear. "I want to repaint my rooms, but so far, I haven't found a painter…"

"Oh!"

The shifter perked up.

"I know lots of people! What style are you looking for?"

Marcus snorted, which had Seth pouting adorably.

"I was thinking of doing a mural or two, maybe a fresco on the ceiling?"

Seth's eyes smoldered with passion. He almost purred.

"That would be really, really cool! I love it!"

Marcus' lips twitched upwards.

"But, as I can't pick just anyone- Aro would freak if I did- I was hoping you could…?"

He looked at the wolf out of the corner of his eye, who made a strangled sound.

"M-me?"

He made a show of admiring Seth's painting of him. "I could always hire someone in Italy…"

"What? No! I'll do it!"

Marcus, unable to stay on his side of the room, kissed Seth's nose, whose eyes followed the movement.

"I'll be waiting."

Seth, alone in the house, blushed darkly. "Damn him." He packed his paintings and necessities, then wrote a note: "Mom, Charlie, and Leah, I'm going to Italy for a job! I don't know when I'll be back, but I promise I'll be good! Love you. Seth". He ran like a banshee to his car, tripping down the stairs on his way. He floored it all the way to the airport, then realized with horror that he hadn't brought any money.

"Two tickets to Florence, please."

"Yes, Sir."

"Make it First Class."

"Of course, Sir. Please go to Gate 13."

Marcus just hefted the larger-than-life suitcase and led Seth to their gate.

"First Class? You vampires really know how to splurge, don't you?"

Marcus avoided the incredulous stare, gesturing to his picture.

"It was the only way I could bring this and not have it ruined."

"You could've shipped it."

"And let it face the elements?"

"Oh."

Marcus smiled, then breathed for the first time in, well, a very long time. He wasn't disappointed. He leaned closer, playing with Seth's hair with his free hand. Seth flushed, moaning embarrassingly. Marcus kissed his neck, which had the 23-year-old gasping softly.

"I missed you."

Seth melted into the older man's side weakly, his ear pressed against the vampire's neck.

"Now boarding Flight 2095, Seattle to Florence, Italy."

They stood up as one, then laughed softly at the other before hurrying along, the suitcase rolling behind them.

"The thing has wheels?"

Seth laughed hysterically all the way to his seat. Marcus stared in shock at the "rolling elephant", which had Seth laughing harder.

"It is not an elephant! It's an armadillo!"

He snorted.

"Anaconda. The thing veers wildly."

It was Seth's turn to snort.

"It does not, and you know it! Don't knock my stuff!"

Unable to resist, Marcus nudged the bag with his foot.

"I still say it's an anaconda."

They debated lightheartedly for the rest of the flight. By the time they'd landed, "it" was affectionately called a "bearded lizard".

"Have a nice night."

"Thank you. Seth, wait here while I go get us a car."

"Do you even know how to hail a taxi?"

"I- hail? What does snow have to do with finding a car? And what is this 'taxi' thing? Is that a person?"

"Oh my god, you are so out of touch!"

"How can someone 'touch out' something? I'm confused."

Seth snickered to himself, then got in the stolen car, still laughing too hard to see the man shaking his fist at them as they sped away, past the speed limit. Soon enough, they were in the parking garage of Castle Volterra.

"Let's get the bearded lizard before it dies of the horror of whatever you've stuffed inside."

"Hey! My stuff is not horrible!"

"Oh? Mind if I look?"

"What? No!"

Marcus made a show of unzipping the "bearded lizard" before Seth snatched it back, hugging it protectively to his chest.

"Someone's getting defensive!"

"Am not!"

Marcus laughed all the way to the throne room, which he ran into, Seth not far behind. Aro gaped incredulously at Seth.

"You brought home a snack?"

Marcus threw the bag at an astonished Aro's face. Caius howled with insane laughter, Jane's lips twitching upwards at her "Father's" antics. Felix hooted when the still-mostly-unzipped bag's innards were spread around the room. Seth shrieked in mortification, rushing around to gather everything up before it was discovered. Aro, happy to have his "brother" back, snatched the boxers off Marcus' head and stretched them wide, marveling at the "stretchy, mystery fabric". All of the vampires- including Marcus- tried desperately to stifle their laughter in the face of Seth's "admonishing" glare that just looked cute.

"Sorry."

"Whatever! Don't talk to me!"

Alec desperately tried to get Jane to stop laughing. Aro smiled, offering a hand to a very pissed-off shifter.

"What?"

"What are these used for, young one?"

He held up another pair of boxers. Seth paled, then snatched them up and stuffed them into the "belly" of the "bearded lizard".

"Nothing!"

"Master, those are used to cover one's ass."

"Ah! But, I thought only young women had those things…?"

The implications hit Seth full force.

"I do not have a menstrual cycle, you pervert!"

"Oh! Then, are you male?"

"Of course, you prick!"

"What is pricking me?"

The human threw his hands up exasperatedly, forgetting the behemoth suitcase until it crashed into his still-bare foot.

"Ouch! Damn it!"

Aro smiled kindly.

"Is something pricking you, dear one?"

"What the fuck?"

Marcus adhered himself to the man's lips. Seth moaned, deepening the kiss. When the vampire started to rip his favorite pants off, however, the younger man gave a strangled cry and shoved Marcus away as best as he could.

"What? Didn't you tell me to fuck you just now? I don't understand."

The guards in the room fell over, laughing hysterically, Jane shouting, "Go, Marcus, go," which had Alec rolling on the floor, screaming hysterically. Seth huffed.

"Will you get with it?"

"Get what in bed with me?"

"Shut the hell up!"

"What is this 'hell' I keep hearing about? I would very much like to study it!"

Seth stormed out, Marcus a step behind.

"Go away!"

"Why? So you can get lost?"

"Shut it!"

"The windows don't have any glass, so there's nothing to shut! Why are you angry with me?"

"Where's my goddamn room?"

"Oh! I'll take you to the empty room next to Demetri's."

Once he'd settled in, Seth decided to go to sleep.