[C] A Butterfly Kiss

It was rare Alyosha acted like he was trusted within the Mafia.

He did grunt work. He collected debts, he beat people up and sometimes he killed. It was rough, dirty work and it got him the money he wanted. He enjoyed doing it.

Alyosha was a man that liked feeling hot blood on his knuckles and the cold bite of gunmetal in his hand.

So he wondered why he was here.

He sat sprawled on a plush leather couch, toying idly with his favourite butterfly knife, flicking it open and having it play over his fingers before flipping it closed and repeating the gesture over and over, staring at one man in particular in the large, nearly empty bar.

Sometimes Alyosha forgot that he had such a high standing within this group. With all the grunt work he did, and at the young age of just twenty one, he forgot that he had greater trust here than some people twice his age.

So when he had been summoned here, he almost didn't show up, in fear that it was a ruse to get him in a place where he could be killed off quickly.

"Your partner will be here soon," crooned the slick voice of the Boss. A tattooed hand twitched and reached for a glass of hot toddy.

Alyosha hated the fact that Maks was also trusted here. "I can't do this alone?"

The Boss cut sharp black eyes to him. Uh-oh. He had asked a stupid question. "Aleksey-" That was a name that he hadn't been called in a long time. It was something only a few people had ever called him. It made one brow jump upwards in a curious sort of shock. "You're important to me, boy. I wont be negligent enough to lose you when I know I have the chance not to. You and Maksim are strong together. You'll protect each other."

That was the truth if he had ever heard one. He would protect Maks to his dying breath and he knew Maks would do the same.

Being summoned by the boss anywhere was rarely a good thing, let alone in a place like this.

It would be stupid of him to fully trust the mafia, he knew they would be safe as along as they were in good standing and were still useful, but he knew well enough that your favor with the boss could turn quickly.

As he was ushered inside his gaze took in his surroundings in sharp detail, when his eyes landed on Alyosha his body relaxed, if he was getting put-down he knew they wouldn't do it when he and Alyosha were together, they'd have a hell of a lot of trouble on their hands if they tried that.

"Evening."

He called out with a smile as he flopped down on the couch, seemingly relaxed and carefree.

Maks never showed his inner worries or stress, it was better not to let people know if he was rattled'

"Ah, Maksimka, you're here. Good." The Boss was ripe with lavish petnames tonight. Lyo didn't know if that was good or bad. Petnames meant you were trusted. Was being trusted a good thing for them?

Lyo glanced at his boyfriend as he flopped down before returning his sharp icy gaze to the Boss.

"With Moscow so busy, I'm finding it hard to leave the city." There were no mincing words now everyone was present. "I'm needed in Novosibirsk, but I can't be in two places at one time. You two are going in my stead."

Lyo's jaws clenched together and he paused in playing with his knife at the wrong time. The blade cut into his thumb as he gave himself an accidental butterfly kiss. No one moved to tend to the cut. Not even Alyosha.

Novosibirsk was a long way away. It would take two days just to get there. He didn't even want to know what sort of trouble they could get into when they were in the city. Alyosha didn't like this at all.

Blood dripped onto his light-wash jeans, staining and ruining them. It wasn't the first pair of jeans he'd ruined in this way and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"What are we doing there?"

Maks wasn't one for petnames, he was only spoken to by his full name when Alyosha was scolding him.

He rested his arm over the back of the couch, his wrist softly pressing against Alyosha's broad shoulders, he always felt more at ease when he was touching the man, in some form.

"Sounds important."

He added, that probably wasn't a good thing, there was less room for error.

Lyo had to agree with Maks. It sounded important.

Too important for Lyo's liking. If so much money wasn't riding on this job, Alyosha would have told the Boss where to shove it. But the money...

They'd take this. Alyosha just wouldn't be happy with it.

"We need to come to an agreement with our brothers back east. You are going to negotiate. I want them as allies."

"What's our guarantee that we won't be shot down on sight?" They were going into what is currently enemy territory. Just the two of them without backup.

"They've been told that you two are coming, naturally. And, of course, there'll be some help on our side, too. I don't suppose you'll be opposed to a little more ink on your skin?"

Alyosha tensed up a little more. His hand clenched around the handle of his knife. Drip. Drip. Drip.

The Boss meant to brand them.

"What's one more in the collection?" His voice sounded more casual than his tense body suggested he was feeling.

They were going to be negotiators? Great, freaking great.

That meant they were leaving themselves wide open, they'd rock up, probably be unarmed and try to convince a bunch of violent gunweilders to join them.

How could that possibly go wrong?

"Not like we are already covered in it."

He wasn't a fan of the forced tats, lyo and himself spent weeks designing their tattoos and their bodies were getting covered in other people's marks.

"Are we going in armed or what?"

He wasn't going to feel right without their guns and knives.

"Naturally. As I told Aleksey, I won't be negligent with the two of you. You show the most promise of any man in my army. You two won't be sacrificed for negligence on my part."

Alyosha's gaze turned to Maksim. Would he make the connection with his name? Or would he pass over it in light of the pressing matter of the situation.

The Boss tipped his head and the young woman sat in the corner of the bar raised her hand. She already had her tattoo gun set up.

The Boss was so cock-sure. Lyo pushed himself to stand and dropped his knife in place on his vacated spot on the leather seat.

Get it over with quickly.

Maksim was under the assumption that the boss was simply mispronouncing Alyosha's name. After all, he had known the man since they were in primary school and his name had always been Alyosha.

That was somewhat comforting, they were still useful so they wouldn't be lambs to the slaughter, as long as they didn't fuck up.

Maks nearly snorted when the woman lifted her tattoo gun, the boss really was sure of them doing this job.

Lyo dropped himself into the seat opposite the tattooist. She'd tattooed him plenty of times before. His forearms were covered in her brands in varying shades of grey-blue and brown.

She jumped straight into work.

As the needle pierced the skin of the flesh between his thumb and index finger, he reached out with his right hand, flicking his wrist in a silent order. Blood spattered against the ground with the movement.

It was time to try and staunch the blood flowing from the cut.

Maks rolled his eyes and Lyo splattered blood everywhere, of course he had cut himself again.

"I don't know how you can be so good with a knife and still cut yourself."

He turned and he went behind the bar to grab him a hand towel while he looked for a medical kit.

It wasn't uncommon for them to keep superglue around the house to quickly seal up any nasty cuts.

"I reacted badly to some news. Can you blame me?"

It wasn't the first time someone had told him something bad hile he'd been playing with his knife and he had cut himself. He knew it wouldnt be the last, either.

People seemed to wait until he had a dangerous weapon in his hand to tell him the worst news they had.

Maks gave a chuckle and shook his head.
"You're too easy to rile up."

If Lyo didn't let bad news get to him then maybe he wouldn't cut himself as much.

Maks made his way around and placed the towel in Lyos hand for him to squeeze while he found the liquid stitches.

"One day you'll lose a finger and I'm gonna laugh my ass off."

Even with the boss still in the room he wasn't above taking jabs at Lyo.

His hand clenched around the towel when it was dropped into his hand.

"I won't lose a finger." He was confident about that. No matter how angry he got or what damage he did to his hand because of his knife, he absolutely would not lose a finger.

"Are you done yet? I'm getting bored."

"I hope not, it'll be one less finger for me to enjoy."

Maks muttered softly as he walked over with the med kit, a smirk curling at his lips.

"Let me have a look at it."

Even with the boss here he doubted many other people would be brave enough to handle a bleeding Alyosha.

Maks got the liquid stitches ready to seal up the cut.

"Maybe until this heals, I wont let you enjoy any fingers, huh, Maksim?"

He left his hand hovering in mid-air for Maks to work in it while his attention turned to the tattoo artist. "Well? I asked you a question."

"It'll be done when it's done. So shut up and suck it the fuck up," she snapped back, not lifting her gaze from the brand she was tattooing onto his hand.

Maks gaze narrowed as he took Lyo's finger and gave it a overly firm squeeze as reprimand for that threat before gluing the wound shut and holding the sliced skin together.

"Just you try it."

He replied before blowing on the wound to dry the glue faster.

Once it dried he wrapped it and tossed the bloodied towel in the bin.

"I might just. What are you gonna do about it?"

Lyo arched a brow in challenge and a dark grin split his lips. This smirk clearly said that he would indeed withhold pleasure, just to be a dick.

He flexed his hand when Maks finished wrapping it.

"Well then, I might just need to get forceful."

He wasn't above trapping Lyo, pinning him down and having his way with the man.

If there was one thing he hated it was being left unsatisfied.

He'd take what he wanted from the man and leave him yearning if Lyo was going to withhold pleasure from him.

"Might'n you?"

Their back and forth teasing and threats always went on like this and they both loved playing this game.

"There, you're done. Now get teh fuck out of my chair so your boyfriend can have his turn."

"Might do."

He replied with a smirk, perching himself in Lyo's lap when the woman told him to get out of the chair.

"It's cool, he's extra cushioning."

Maks replied with a smirk, this woman was always so edgy.

"And extra distracting. Him I can trust to stay still while being distracted. You twitch around like a spastic fly."

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Either you sit down on an actual chair to get this tattoo, or I'll send you east without it."

Maks rolled his eyes at the woman and lifted his ass so Lyo could get out from under him before sitting back down on the chair.

"You're no fun."

He added, pouting at her as he sat back and offered up his hand.

Lyo stood when Maks lifted himself up and leant against the wall behind his partner.

"Oh no, however will I survive such a harsh insult to my character?" came her dull reply as she leant back over the table.

Needles pierced flesh without any warning.

Maks was tempted to make a retort to her reply but thought it best to just shut up for a few moments, knowing her he would ended up with a dick drawn up his arm if he irritated her further.

His lips pursed as the needles pierced his skin, he wasn't too thrilled about these tattoos, though he never was.

"Pouting already? Are you going to cry next?" came the sharp jab from their favourite tattoo artist.

Lyo grinned.

"This is the quietest he's been in a long time. Will you be free for his next tattoo?"