not a saint / .

@kaycebishop location: Wolfchella notes: ur a long way from the tire shop kiddo

"What? Not a fan of popping the whole thing in your mouth?" There was that same old stupid grin that fitted itself to his lips. Everything could be made into a joke around Kayce, in some way or fashion. Which was particularly needed in the moment, given all that would happen and all that had happened. "Guess so," the humor had been eased from his own tone, his gaze shifted around the area they stood in. "Been spending most of my free time here anyway, so it seemed easier." His gaze shifted back to Atlas, a brow peaked, "Not a fan?"

@kaycebishop location: Lupercalia notes: kiss kiss, oiling Kayce up for his greasy alpha fight

Brows remained knitted together as Alek relinquished some supposed sage advice. Something in the back of Kayce's brain told him that he probably shouldn't be listening to the other, regardless of the status that he had once held. There was also something about being slathered in olive oil that felt odd. "You know, I'm starting to wonder if you having won alpha before was a fluke," he stated, even though the grin settled on his lips all the same.

a starter for @kaycebishop, note: er ma god it's diesel gaines where: wolfchella bestie

It wouldn't be the first person that he had seen from his past, but it was another that had known him before this alias. Before fate had found him scurrying off into a new city with a new name and a new lifestyle. So to say that a small dose of fear seized the pit of his stomach would be an understatement. If Milena had shown up in Rome of all places, what were the odds against another one? But the feeling had been pushed down, stamped out as the grin slipped across his lips. That ever present shit-eating grin, "You mean, I'm still as handsome as ever? Move over David Beckham, someone else is stealing England's sexist man alive." Was that even a thing? It didn't particularly matter, because Kayce would simply make the hashtag himself.

There wasn't much that Kayce could truly say in the moment. Given that before he'd owned the garage, he'd never actually had any sort of job that would be considered conventional. Since he'd been young, he'd always been on the wrong side of the law, so to speak. Petty criminal turned actual criminal. So who was he to argue with what Alek wanted to do as a job. "As long as it gets you out of the house," he retorted, same old grin slid into place. One arm dangled off the side of the couch, while the other rested against his chest. His gaze lifted to the ceiling, traced patterns that weren't even there, "Seeing as how I'll be the next alpha, I think it's you that's lucky."

"Yeah, you'll see. We're gonna be rich someday." Alek bragged about it but the empty cupboards and bottles of beer instead of milk in the fridge said his priorities were a bit skewed. Whatever, he was happy, if keeping Kayce happy meant scraping together some kind of pay cheque then he could do that. He could provide, a bit fucked up that he even had to consider everything he'd been to but realistically the ol'brain surgery excuse wasn't going to work forever.

"You're such a hardass." Alek sighed before folding an arm behind his head, the other wound snugly around the mechanic. "I can be a scrapper, maybe rummage through some of the abandoned houses in the old Arno territory; there's probably a fuck ton of copper wire in there." That was an idea; now he was getting somewhere, he'd be an entrepreneur again (petty criminal), and he could be his own boss (unemployed). Maybe he'd see if anyone else he knew was working there, Serkan had two fucking businesses already so he was probably too busy. Alek really needed more friends, but he didn't like anyone. "You're damn lucky I love you."

There wasn't much that Kayce could truly say in the moment. Given that before he'd owned the garage, he'd never actually had any sort of job that would be considered conventional. Since he'd been young, he'd always been on the wrong side of the law, so to speak. Petty criminal turned actual criminal. So who was he to argue with what Alek wanted to do as a job. "As long as it gets you out of the house," he retorted, same old grin slid into place. One arm dangled off the side of the couch, while the other rested against his chest. His gaze lifted to the ceiling, traced patterns that weren't even there, "Seeing as how I'll be the next alpha, I think it's you that's lucky."

He asked her directly and she can't help the sideways smile that bloomed, she knows Alek will be okay, she'd rather take him as a gamer boy than the wolf that cried for violence at every turn. "Whenever I think about it.. that ol' line from Spiderman comes to me, some are born with greatness, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. When my Alpha died and we lost.. so much." A heavy breath as those days were dark and they were stripped of everything. "The pack that I knew had heart, I was so scared of losing them completely and becoming violent like the Arno had a reputation of being. I was willing to become Alpha because I would have done anything to keep my family together, I feared the position. I want it so badly this time around that losing scares me, it's different. The wolves of Rome are finally together and I want to help bring us into a kinder future, I feel like we've all been through hell and back that we deserve good."

Well, damn. Kayce hadn't exactly been certain of what he expected the answer to be. Maybe a simple yes, maybe a denial of wanting it. There had been any number of responses that had slipped through his thoughts. But the answer that she had given, he almost couldn't help the grin that spread across his lips. He'd heard the speeches voiced by Alek, after he'd won the title. And the many that had followed it. Each one had sent a shiver down his spine, even after all the years that he had come accustomed to violence. Death had followed at nearly every turn, yet maybe he had grown soft in the years he'd spent in hiding, in Rome. So hearing Flora's words brought on something of a relief. A relief that maybe he'd be able to experience what it was to be a lycan without having a war breathing down his neck. "I know there's no real voting in this, but for what it's worth, you've got mine."

"You want me to go back there?" That was so out of pocket, a follow-up appointment? Absolutely not. "I'm sure it's fine. You just gotta be patient. Takes a long time to heal from brain surgery or something; gonna be a long, long, long time before I'm back on my feet again." Until then, the government could keep those unemployment cheques coming. "Don't worry, I'll kiss it better." Alek tilted Kayce's jaw as the lycan grinned before he planted one on him.

"Patient? I can give you three and a half days before I'm going to start charging you," for what? Kayce hadn't the slightest idea. Maybe a tax for how long the indent from Alek's ass remained in the couch. Or a dollar in the jar for every kid he made cry during one of those games. The cigarette was pulled from his lips, before it was snubbed out and discarded on the ground. He'd have to remember to throw it out later. If he remembered, as fingers pressed into his jaw before lips pressed against his own, "Good, cause I'm feeling well kicked around already."

@kaycebishop Location: the bottom's Shop

Zagreus had been the only one within the friend group that Kayce had relinquished his prior name to. And in that moment, he realized what a mistake it had been. Then again, if it was what the other needed to ease whatever was on his mind, Kayce would let it happen. So long as he didn't go spreading it around town. "Me? Cry?" There was shock in his voice, almost disbelief, for Kayce didn't cry. Well, so long as it wasn't Marley and Me, or A Dog's Journey. He hadn't even bothered with watching the sequels, because there was no way he was going to let anyone make him sit through that again. "You want to talk about it? Or... not talk about it, and find some kind of distraction?"

"I knew it." Alek said with a nod as he rifled around to try and find the pack of smokes he'd neglected somewhere, almost pushing Kayce off the couch again as he did. He needed another. "Serkan?" Alek laughed at that, despite the fact that the former alpha had thrown him around in the ring recently, Serkan was still a bottom. "I could kick that guy's ass with both hands tied behind my back and he'd still ask for another. You got this."

They definitely needed a bigger couch. How many times now had Alek nearly shoved him right off it? "So did they take out the whole thing? Or am I supposed to call that doctor for you. You know, for a follow up," because how did Alek come to the conclusion that Kayce had this? Sure, he'd held his own once upon a time. But that had always been against other humans. Kayce hadn't gone toe to toe with another lycan, not in this sort of capacity. "Fuck it, I'll give it a go. But when I get my ass kicked, you're gonna have a lot of making up to do," the grin was now only stifled by the cigarette he placed back between his lips.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

What the hell had Kayce gotten himself into? He made the immediate mental note to drag Rawlins back into the shop, because there was no way in hell he was going to handle any more encounters like this on his own. The vampire practically nutted at the sight of some well worn and extremely greased clothes. Not to mention the fact that he stripped out of his own clothes just to test them out. Maybe Kayce would take another much needed vacation. "Yeah, don't mention it," really, because he didn't know what kind of friends this one had. And he didn't need a whole line of vampires or whatever the hell else outside his shop begging for some second hand clothes. "Well, seeing as how I'm the one getting pile driven by another lycan, while we live in a lycan city, I'd say it doesn't really bother either of us too much."

"All I'm hearing is you're gonna take me shoe shopping," Alek joked, velcro shoes or barefoot, the lycan didn't care a lot about what he put on his feet. If anything. "you complain about the fact that you're a shoo-in for alpha, yet here you are trying to make an honest trophy husband out of me." That was the dream; imagine if all he had to do all day was fuck Kayce and chuck rocks at shit? Alek remembered what happened last year, what he'd done to that other lycan. He didn't really wanna go anywhere near Lupercalia but Alek was Alek so he'd be there with the crowd.

"Right, right; wouldn't want to ruin everyone's night by showing them all up," as if that would be possibly, but it didn't stop the serious look from now taking roots within his features. For a moment, before that lopsided grin fitted itself right back into place. Kayce could very likely take some of the younger ones, definitely any human that crossed his path, but the rest of them? "Oh, I absolutely would have. This city would've started ghost stories all about me," there was a playful hint within his tone, but that didn't stop him from realizing that it'd been a while since they'd sat down and talked. Then again, it hadn't been all that common before. Since most of the time it had been Kayce dragging Wade to some party or club or some other drinking spot. "Yeah, I did join the pack. And kind of moved in with the alpha. Or... ex-alpha now."

Kayce fussed with his cigarette, and while he did, Alek's lips moved playfully at the side of Kayce's neck. He was affectionate and lazy before he settled with his abused head on the side of the couch. "Didn't you hear?" Alek said, the wolfish smirk that lifted at the corner of his lips was evident in his tone before he reached forward and plucked Kayce's smoke from him. Alek took a drag and exhaled over the other's head before he passed it back. "I just had brain surgery, I can't be alpha," Alek tapped his knuckles on the side of his head, "one wrong hit and it's over for me."

There was a moment of consideration to how long Alek would milk the whole brain surgery thing. Another month? Maybe several? Or would they be old and grey, with Alek reminding him of that time he had brain surgery. Twice. "Maybe we should get you some velcro shoes. Ya'know, wouldn't want you tripping over your shoelaces and --," here, he made a sound akin to a splat, before the laugh trickled out. The cigarette was placed back between his lips, another inhale before the smoke slipped from the corners of his mouth. "Are you trying to push me into alpha so you don't have to work? This your way of trying to become a trophy husband?"

Alek chuckled lightly as he squished between Kayce and the back of the couch, pushing the other off the side. His arm snaked around Kayce's waist to keep him in place though as Alek's breathing slowly began to steady, the afterglow of his orgasm washed over him and between them. The rise and fall of his chest lifted against Kayce's side as Alek's grin was plastered clear as day. "C'mon, you can do it. You're scrappy, being Alpha's a pretty sweet deal, you're strong as fuck, everyone has to do what you say." Alek clipped the other's chin between his thumb and forefinger. "You won't have to work."