Chapter 33: Chaotic [III]

Third POV

It was past nine in the evening when Tony and James finally stirred from their sleep. The apartment felt entirely still as they left the bedroom and made their way down the short hallway. Tony walked slightly ahead, rubbing the back of his neck, expecting the usual noise that came with this particular duo. But when he stepped into the living room, he paused.

Marco and Elia were both there, seated on entirely separate sofas. For once, there was actual quiet with the two of them occupying the exact same room. No shouting, no throwing things, no petty insults. Marco was sprawled out on the larger sofa, his eyes closed and an earpiece tucked into his ear. He was taking a nap.

Tony stared at him for a second. The sight of Marco looking so peaceful was slightly irritating to him. Without a second thought, Tony walked over to the sofa, pulled his hand back, and delivered a hard, flat slap right onto Marco’s stomach.

A loud smack echoed in the room. Marco groaned sharply, his eyes flying open. The sleep vanished from his face, immediately replaced by a dark scowl as he glared up at Tony.

Tony did not even flinch. He simply pushed his way into Marco’s personal space on the sofa and sat down right there, forcing the larger man to shift.

Marco sat up, yanking the earpiece out of his ear. His voice was thick with sleep and heavy with irritation. "What the fuck, man? Do you want to kill me?"

Tony turned his head, glaring right back at Marco without an ounce of remorse. "You bet. I’ll even bury you myself."

From the other side of the room, Elia’s voice floated over, casual and completely serious. "I’ll help with the digging."

Marco snapped his head toward the other sofa, throwing a glare at Elia. Elia simply rolled his eyes at the threat, completely unfazed. He then looked past Marco, his expression softening into a welcoming look as he caught Tony’s eye. He smiled and said, "Hi, Tony."

Tony smiled back.

"Hi."

He was already bored of bothering Marco, so he stood up, walked away from the glaring man, and headed over to where Elia was curled up on his sofa. Elia was staring intently at his phone screen.

Tony sat down beside him, leaning over slightly to get a better view. "What are you watching?"

Elia tilted the screen so Tony could see it clearly. "It’s called How to Seduce Your Cold CEO Husband," Elia said, his eyes glued to the screen. "It’s a short drama. Pretty good."

Tony nodded, his interest immediately piqued by the visual playing out on the small screen. In the short drama, there was a guy sitting in a bathtub. The tub was full of water, but the man still had his clothes on. His white shirt was entirely soaked, clinging tightly to his skin. It was completely unbuttoned at the top, slipping down to leave one of his shoulders entirely exposed to the cold air. The man in the tub was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, making wet, dirty sounds that felt entirely too intimate for the living room, but neither Elia nor Tony looked away.

Then, the camera angle shifted. Another man appeared on the screen. He was dressed sharply in a black shirt and tailored dark pants, and he wore thin silver glasses that gave him a strict, calculating look. The man in black walked slowly over to the bathtub, his footsteps heavy and deliberate. He squatted down right beside the edge of the tub, looking down at the wet, trembling man.

The man in glasses spoke, his voice low and commanding. "Say it, and I’ll help you."

The man inside the tub looked up, his eyes glassy and desperate. He let out a strained, restrained moan as he bit hard on his own lower lip. He reached out with shaking fingers, looking right into the other man’s eyes. "Please... Leo... I need you. Please."

That was all it took. The man in the black shirt reached down, grabbed the wet man by the jaw, and smashed their lips together in a fierce, bruising kiss.

Suddenly, the audio coming from the phone escalated. Moans and deep groans filled the quiet atmosphere of the living room. The sounds were so hot, so loud, and so intense that they echoed off the walls. Tony and Elia watched, entirely invested in the scene, until a hand suddenly reached down and snatched the phone right out of Elia’s hands.

It was Marco.

He stood towering over the sofa. He quickly pressed the side button on the phone, turning down the volume of the heavy breathing until the room fell silent again. Marco glared down at Elia, his face twisted in absolute disapproval.

"What things are you watching?" Marco demanded.

Elia sat there for a second in total disbelief. He stared at his empty hands, completely stupefied. Then, the shock melted away, and a bright red flush of pure anger took over his face. He scrambled to his knees on the cushions.

"What the hell do you want from me?" Elia barked, his voice cracking with rage. "Give me back my phone!"

Elia lunged forward, trying to grab the device back. But Marco simply took a step back and raised his hand high into the air. Since Elia was significantly shorter, his desperate jumping and grabbing efforts were completely in vain. His fingers brushed against Marco’s wrist, but he couldn’t reach the phone.

Marco looked down at him, entirely unbothered by the struggle. "If you wanna watch porn, do it in your bedroom." Marco consolidated his grip on Elia’s phone, sliding it smoothly into his own pants pocket. He looked back at Elia and added, "I’ll give it back when we go to sleep."

Elia glared at him, his chest heaving with anger. Marco just stood there, looking back at him with a smug, arrogant smirk. He knew he had won. There was nothing the younger man could do. Defeated, Elia finally stopped jumping. All he could do was sit his ass back down on the sofa, crossing his arms over his chest.

Elia narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "I fucking hate you."

Just then, the heavy metallic click of the front door lock echoed through the apartment. The door pushed open, and in came Orso.