#smokecut

barrett and christopher have been coming to this club rather frequently the last few weeks. it was chris’ spot first, and, when he first brought bear, the younger man wasn’t particularly enthused, didn’t think it was his scene, but then someone caught his eye, and he’s been enthusiastically coming back since.

it’s been a long time since bear has tried his luck with someone actively on the clock. yeah, he’ll flirt, but he doesn’t really shoot his shot because plenty of other opportunities arise (and, to be perfectly honest, he gets approached enough that he doesn’t have to do the approaching). but this guy’s just too damn delectable to not chase.

so, bear’s been playing a little game, meeting the head of security’s eyes, trying to feel him out, gauge if he’s even interested, because the man’s a hard read. finally, he gets up the gumption, slams down his third (or fifth?) whiskey, and approaches the guy.

“does anything ever happen here?” he asks, because he’s not seen one ruffian get thrown out, not seen one patron act out of line. “or are you so intimidating that everyone falls into line?” it’s asked with a charming smile and a glimmer in the younger man’s eye.

Elisia was one damn lucky woman - after the horrific fire that caught onto the apartment complex she lived in where electrical installations got all wacked up and caused a massive fire, her apartment was caught in it as well. In all of that mess she got knocked over, hit her head and next thing she knew she was going in and out of consciousness as one of the firefighters brought her out and handed her straight to the medics. She remembered hearing him being scolded for being so reckless, the fire was so wild, many were at risk, but he went in and saved her at the very last moment.

Next she remembered was the hospital, the check ups, CT done of her head, and stitches being done to her forehead. And finally she learned the name of the firefighter who was her hero after he came to check up on her, Dimitri Volkov. Elisia was told to rest a lot, and she also required a bit of rehab for her lungs after inhaling some smoke, and during that time she texted and talked a lot with Dima. And once she felt good enough and brave, too, Elisia went to the fire station after learning he would be in the second shift.

She showed up at the main entrance, seeing a few guys out there by the truck doing something on it. She wore a royal blue dress that reached just above her knees, and a bit of high heels - even though the doctor advised her to walk in flats for the time being, she just couldn't do it, she was the heels kind of girl so Elisia compromised with a much smaller pair, making her look shorter than usual. Carrying a large basket with bunch of muffins in it, since Elisia wasn't the best cook but a decent baker she wanted to thank the guys in some way, and food seemed like the right thing to do, she approached the men and flashed them a smile as they looked her up and down. "Hey there. I'm looking for Dimitri Volkov. Is he around?"she asked with a pleasant smile.

The meeting was meant to be the gang’s way of reasserting their territory. Some of the newer criminals thought they could get away with doing what they wanted, when they wanted, wherever they wanted, and of course, that wouldn’t fly with Vincent and his crew. Eve thought they were generous enough to invite them over for a civilized talk, and so far, it mostly was.

Except for the extra table in the room, the very table she’d planted her cute butt on even before the meeting started. Now, she was being railed on it by one of her boyfriends, his chest already slick with sweat, and her thighs pressed against the sides of his waist.

"Well done today," Tom said as he approached the young woman, hands on his hips and a smug look upon his face. There was a selective warm tone in his voice, letting her think she's an exception. Because Tom Waaler didn't really mean what he said. She'd found a photograph of something that resembled him exciting a scene where an alleged suspect had been lasts seen. It was him, of course, but he couldn't afford to let that be known. So what other choice did he have, than to use his charm on her, making her forget all about that little piece of evidence?

"But look… I get it. First decent lead, you want it to mean something." He leaned against her desk, crossing his arms over his chest. "We've all been there. But if you chase every little inconsistency, you’ll burn yourself out before you ever make detective." Slowly, he closed the file in front of her, set it aside as if it already was decided.

It was rare they were alone, but even when they weren't she was the only one who caught his eye. He had played the long game, but he knew she was playing too. There was no reason for her have stuck around with her current beau otherwise. She had twice the brains and charisma he could ever have. All he had was brute force.

they'd been doing this sneaking around for a few weeks now. after that first night in his office, they decided they needed more from each other. she was all too happy to oblige him, honestly. he had a meeting after work, so she just went home and got on with her evening. she'd had a couple glasses of wine when she heard a knock at her door. she hummed and furrowed her brow for a moment before pushing herself off of her couch and walking over. the moment she opened her door, her eyes widened as soon as she saw him standing there, "well, hi."

Blood would be shed.

It had been a dark promise from Chip when he and her husband had met. A promise that, clearly, Enzo had been more than happy to meet and exceed. Considering the kind of resources that the Moretti family had at their disposal, it was almost laughable that he thought he would win against them.

Maybe Enzo did it just to see if he would back off.

Or maybe, he just wanted to have some fun.

Either way, the news in Gotham the day after it all ended was full of nothing but Chip Schrek's death. The last of a promising dynasty gone, leaving his father's legacy in nothing but a pool of blood.

Meanwhile, Selina had greeted her husband with a warm bath and an even warmer embrace, the aftermath of which had her lying on her belly as the TV continued blaring reports of the aftermath. And, in the room next to theirs, a sleepy Salvatore was fussing in his bed.

Dorian considered himself an extremely lucky guy. Born into wealth and inheriting the family business, he was raised from a young age to take over certain parts of work and eventually most of it when his father retired. And he did everything as one should - went to school, graduated, got married, had children, with many others in their plans. He always tried to be the best boyfriend and then husband, as she was his perfect match from the start. Everything about Cesca screamed mob wife, and there was no doubt in his mind that one day she'd carry his last name.

Living a life with a man like him wasn't for the weak, it wasn't for any kind of woman out there. Cesca handled it, but Dorian knew he also put her through a lot. Growing up in a big family and following in his father footsteps, he admired how his mother handled the whole situation but he could see that their marriage required a lot of work to actually be that good. Dorian always dreamed of having something like that one day and his dream did come true.

His sisters had Cesca for the night, going out for some pampering at the spa, which was all a well-thought-out plan of Dorians. He made sure the kids were at the grandparents' house, and he decorated the dining room of their home to be romantic and intimate. A light jazz tune played in the background as he circled around the open kitchen, preparing her favorite meal for their dinner. They could have went somewhere, which he did like, he loved showing off his beautiful wife and dining at the finest, most expensive restaurants. But tonight he wanted it to be just them, in the comfort of their home.

As he heard the front door open, a big smirk stretched across his lips as he heard her footsteps. He was putting away some dishes, a kitchen towel in his hands as he turned around to face her. "There you are, gorgeous, just in time - dinner is ready."he annouced with the smile. "And before you ask, kids are at my parents home, already sleeping, everything is alright. It's just us tonight."