Who: Alex and Ezio. What: Tacos and weapons. When: 2/13. Where: Alex's apartment. Rating/Warnings: PG-13. Status: Complete!
Ezio had promised he would go see Alex that night, and he’d cleared his schedule in order to do so. Frankly, he felt bad that he didn’t see her as often as he would like - but patients called late, and bounties appeared when one least expected them. Still. He’d brought food and also his little dream present, lightly kicking her door to be let in.
Alex had just showered, and as such, her hair was still a little damp when she answered the door. “Hey, you.” She immediately took the food out of his hands since it seemed he was overburdened. “Let me get that for you. Want a beer?”
“Thank you. And if it’s that Czech lager you had last time, yes, per l’amore de Dio.” He waited until his hands were free and kissed her. “Mm. How are you?”
She kissed him right back, grinning. “Better now.” Moving to the kitchen she put the food down and busied herself with the task of popping tops and pouring into glasses. “How about you? You look exhausted.”
“I feel it. Yesterday, it was not so good on my heart.” Ezio gratefully took his lager once it was poured, draining a third of it in one go. “I had a patient ... well, let us say that the police needed to be called.” He’d only had that experience once before, and that had been in Italy with a man who was obviously on drugs. This man had simply come into the office with a weapon and quiet desperation. He’d told Ezio right at the beginning that he would not harm him at all, but he’d wanted a witness to his own act of suicide.
“Are you okay?” Alex wrapped her arms around him from the side, biting her lower lip and looking up at him. “Do you need anything? Fuck, you’re at least getting your shoulders rubbed out. You feel like you’re made out of iron right now, and not in the sexy built way. In the dear god knots way.”
“I have alcohol and your company, and I had some time alone, which helped.” He smiled a little. “He swore not to harm me, but when someone wishes to harm themselves, I am law-bound to inform others.” It had mostly just made him feel sad.
“Is he all right?” Alex knew she couldn’t get specifics, but hell, she hoped whoever it was was okay. That was what mattered. Tiptoeing up, she kissed his cheek, chuckling as his stubble tickled her chin. “You’re such a softie. I like it.”
“I think he may be.” Ezio hoped. He smiled a little when she kissed his cheek. “Seeing you helps,” he told her. “You are very strong and sure. The last person in the world to go to pieces.” Dreams notwithstanding. “You like Mexican food, yes?”
“That’s about right. Even in the dreams, I freak the fuck out, panic, then remember to cast my spell that helps me get more calm.” Sanity restore was a must have. Sniffing the air, Alex’s stomach growled. “I love Mexican. I’ll get plates.”
“Are the dreams still happening?” Ezio raised an eyebrow. “You have not mentioned them to me. Only that you got something from them? Is that right?” He had as well, of course. It was up his sleeve.
Alex nodded, moving toward her bedroom. “Wanna see?” She couldn’t help but grin. “Just repeats of the other dreams so far, but I did wake up with a gift.”
“I did as well.” Ezio smiled a little; at least she seemed excited about this gift. He’d been both amused and somewhat unnerved by his. “But yes, I would like to see it. It is not something to do with the elder god, is it?” That might be bad.
“No. No, I just have the book so far to help me commune with the elder gods. See, when I dream, I’m not always me. Sometimes I dream about other people who found the book, other fighters to save humanity. The first person I dreamed of was an idiot of a Roman centurion. He’s serving Xel’o’tath right now in the dreams. But I got this.” She returned from her room with a gladius, sharp as the day it had been forged.
Ezio knew what it was. “This has to be Roman.” He said softly, looking at it in her hands. “The pattern of the woodwork in the handle. It is actually very beautiful, Alex.” He’d been taught too much Roman history not to make the connection. “From your centurion?”
She nodded and smiled. “Pious Augustus. He’s a dick, but he had a nice weapon.” She lazily moved her wrist so the sword slipped over and into her grip. “Is it weird I know how to use the damn thing?”
“From the dreams? I would say not.” Ezio had to laugh. Seeing her blink at him, he explained. “I also received a little gift from the dreams. Stand back.” When she did so, he simply let the blades out, hearing the thwick sound that was by now familiar.
That made Alex grin. “That’s so cool,” she exclaimed, moving closer. The gladius moved to the coffee table, ignored for the moment. “They go around your wrist, yeah?”
“Yes. My father in the dreams called them Hidden Blades.” Ezio held out one arm for her to examine the blade, trying not to move it. “Apparently they were designed by some of the first Assassins.” It felt odd to even say the word. Assassin. He was an Assassin.
Alex crouched down to examine the blade, grinning. “That’s genius. You could poison people in lots of various ways without hurting yourself. I assume it doesn’t hurt you to draw them?” As a bounty hunter, she appreciated a nice weapon as much as the next girl.
“You are quite correct.” He hadn’t actually thought of that. “But no, it doesn’t harm me to draw them. Apparently my ancestor who designed them had to remove his finger to draw them - I do not know where the design was updated, but thank God that it was.”
“Thank god for me too,” Alex winked. She stood up, wincing at the crick in her knees she was slowly starting to develop. She moved back to the food and the beer. “Did it scare you, or are you itching to use ‘em like I am with my sword?”
He retracted the blades, making sure the safety was on before following her. “They frightened me at first - but when I realized I knew how to use them, it grew less intimidating. I believe that to be a fairly standard reaction.” Once he’d realized he wouldn’t cut himself to ribbons, the hidden blades had become more fascinating. And much more fun.
“It’s ... more about being empowered while I’m awake. Like if I bring the nightmare shit through with me, I can keep us safe.” Alex paused mid-sip, reflecting. “Like if one of the horrors comes through - big monster, three heads - I can patch us up and cut it down. I believe in me.”
“This does make sense as well, in my opinion.” Ezio nodded. “You are very self-reliant, bella donna. You would not want me to be your protector, even if you needed me to be.” He smiled, coming back into the kitchen. “Oh, food will be very good.”
She looked up at him, smiling. “It’s like you know me or something,” she murmured fondly. Before she handed him food, she took a moment to kiss him slowly, indulgently. Sometimes she didn’t want to be as brave as she seemed. She hoped he knew that.
He sort of guessed, but he didn’t want to say so. She might hit him. Ezio just smiled, resting one hand on her waist as he kissed her back. “I am here if you need me,” he said, “but only if you need me.”
“I appreciate that,” she murmured. “But okay, tacos.” She grinned, kissing him once more before moving to set things on plates.
“Si, tacos.” Ezio grinned. He unbuckled the blade, setting it aside on an end table. “Just in case.” He went into the fridge to get condiments, amused by everything she had in there. “What is this?” he asked, holding up an odd, squat vegetable-looking orb.
“That? That’s a sunchoke, I was gonna make mashed ones tomorrow to go with some pork loin I’m marinating.” She smiled at him, amused that he was constantly learning and somewhat impressed by her fridge.
“Sunchoke,” Ezio repeated. “Like an artichoke?” He dug into his taco, purring in satisfaction. He very much liked Alex’s cooking, but sometimes takeout fit the bill just fine.
“Yeah, it’s their tropical cousin.” Alex put some extra sour cream on her own taco before tucking in, eyes closed in contentment. “Unf, sometimes you just need tacos.”
“This is true.” Ezio sighed, sitting down and enjoying the sensations. “Bless you, good woman, for this.” He’d had a completely terrible day, and being able to just sit down and eat with his lady friend was invigorating.
She smiled and squeezed his hand. “You had a bad day. Anything I can do to help, right?” She smiled at him, taking in his eyes. “I really care about you, you know.”
“It means a lot.” Ezio smiled a little more softly at her, teasing gently. “Somewhere, I am sure my mamma is resting easier.”
That made Alex laugh. “What, knowing you’ve got an American girl at your beck and call?”
“Knowing there is a woman who quite likes me.” Ezio corrected, chuckling himself. “She used to tell me to do this, not do that, smarten up, everything. ‘No woman will have you, Ezio,’ she would say. ‘No woman will have you, Ezio, if you are not polite, and educated, and a good cook.’” He laughed. “I would like to think I am polite and educated, but I have no ability in the kitchen. I bring shame upon la mia famiglia. E 'molto triste.” He bowed his head, jokingly covering his face.
“Well, you can tell your mother there’s a girl in the States who kinda has a crush on you, then you can spend twenty minutes explaining what that means.” Alex smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“True, true.” Ezio kissed her lightly again. “Mamma would not understand that idiom. But she would be happy to know that I have a girlfriend who can cook. That is how Italian women are raised.”
Alex couldn’t help but grin. “You have a girlfriend?” She had to tease him; they’d not called each other by that title before.
Ezio blinked. “Why, yes.” He laughed. “I have used that word when I speak about you with my patients.” He hadn’t done that very often, but he had done it.
That made Alex Roivas go pink. She never went pink, but she did then. “Seriously? And here I was telling people that you were a really good friend who I wanted to date seriously but didn’t know if you liked me or not.”
“You may use the word.” Ezio laughed softly, kissing her, taco breath and all.
Taco breath didn’t matter when both people had it. Alex tiptoed up to kiss him back, suddenly less concerned about food. “Thanks,” she murmured, rather pleased with how things had ended up altogether.
Ezio was starting to feel the same way, but his stomach was growling. “I shall eat quickly,” he promised her. “Otherwise you would hear the growls at a most inopportune time.”
“Well, we should probably digest after we eat, don’t you think?” Alex laughed. “I wanted to rub out your shoulders, I’ll do that for you once we finish food.” She smiled, squeezing his hand before returning to her own tacos. God, the normalcy would’ve normally set her off, but on him, it was really nice.
“Being utterly honest, that will get me in the mood.” Ezio grinned. Her back rubs were something approaching heaven. He took another bite of taco.
“Aww, you’re sweet,” Alex smirked. “It’s just because I have strong hands.” She munched her own taco and sipped her beer, relishing the comfortable silence between them. Holy shit. She had a boyfriend.
“Still.” He liked the comfortable feeling between them as well; it was one of the reasons he was fine with the exclusive label. He dated people who made him feel mellow, and safe.
They ate for a while longer, and when his plate was empty, he looked over at hers. “Would it be possible to get this shoulder rub I dream of so longingly?”
Alex chuckled and moved to clear up the plates. “Go take your shirt off and lay down, silly man.” She squeezed his hand as she tidied up, humming contentedly to herself.
“Si, bella donna.” Ezio chuckled, obediently shedding his shirt and heading for her bedroom. He was already feeling more relaxed, feeling the day slip away off his shoulders.
Alex’s room was all dark wood and dark blues, her sanctuary from the world. She moved to light a candle, knowing the soft vanilla would relax her. Carrying it to her room, she moved to get some lotion, warming it between her hands and leaving the bottle on her bed. Straddling Ezio’s back, she started to rub his neck carefully.
Ezio might have whimpered. Really whimpered. “Magic hands.”
She leaned forward to kiss his neck, smiling and nibbling his ear a little. “You’re welcome, Doc. I sure am fond of you.”
“I am very fond of you.” Ezio mumbled into the pillow. “Very very.” And he’d show her as soon as he could move.