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Luca knew Damien better than anyone.

The man was a walking red flag, a Mafia leader, and possibly the most dangerous person in the city. But to Luca? He was his idiot, a menace, a man who stole his heart and then acted like it was his God-given right to own it.

Damien didn't do secrets—not from Luca.

So, when Luca noticed something was off, his chaos radar started blaring at full volume.

Damien was being weird.

Not his usual smug, teasing, and slightly annoying "Luca, my love, come here and kiss me before I burn down the city" weird.

No.

This was a different kind of weird.

The suspicious kind.

The "I'm hiding something from you" kind.

And Luca wasn't having it.

It started with small things.

Damien coming home later than usual, giving vague answers when Luca asked where he had been.

The way he would quickly change the topic whenever Luca tried prying.

The fact that Damien had let Luca win an argument without even fighting back.

That last one nearly gave Luca a stroke.

But the final straw?

The mafia men.

They were acting strange.

Normally, they would greet Luca respectfully, stay out of his business, and pretend not to notice when he stole Damien's desserts from the fridge.

Now?

They were whispering, avoiding eye contact, and scrambling like cockroaches whenever he entered the room.

Luca narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, something's definitely up."

And if they thought he wasn't going to find out?

They were dead wrong.

Luca went full detective mode.

He started by questioning Damien's men.

---------------

Interrogation Room 1 (a.k.a The Kitchen)

Luca: "Alright, spill. What's Damien hiding?"

Mafia Guy #1: "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about."

Luca: "LIE."

Mafia Guy #1: "It's the truth, I swear—"

Luca: "DON'T TEST ME, I WILL UNLEASH MOCHI ON YOU."

(Mochi, sitting on the counter, lets out a terrifyingly cute meow.)

Mafia Guy #1: "...I value my life too much."

Result: Failure.

---------------

Interrogation Room 2 (a.k.a The Living Room)

Luca: "You, with the scar—what do you know?"

Mafia Guy #2: "Uh—"

Luca: "I will start screaming."

Mafia Guy #2: "...The boss will kill me."

Luca: "HE'LL KILL YOU EITHER WAY, SO TALK."

Mafia Guy #2: "..."

Result: Partial success. (Luca learned that whatever Damien was hiding was important.)

---------------

Interrogation Room 3 (a.k.a Damien's Office)

Luca: Breaks into the office.

Luca: Searches through Damien's stuff.

Luca: Finds absolutely nothing.

Luca: "...Goddamn it."

Result: Total failure.

---------------

Luca was done playing games.

That evening, when Damien finally walked through the front door, Luca was waiting.

Arms crossed. Glaring.

Damien blinked. "Sweetheart?"

Luca squinted.

"Where were you?"

Damien paused. "Out."

Luca narrowed his eyes.

"Out where?"

"...Business."

Luca took a deep breath.

"Damien."

"Yes, love?"

"I swear to all things holy, if you don't tell me what's going on, I am going to burn this house down."

Damien's lips twitched.

"...You'd burn down your own house?"

"I'D BURN YOUR ENTIRE EMPIRE IF YOU DON'T START TALKING."

Damien laughed.

Wrong move.

Luca lunged at him, grabbing his shirt.

"I'M NOT JOKING."

Damien's arms instantly wrapped around Luca's waist, pulling him closer.

"You're adorable when you're angry," he murmured.

Luca froze.

"D-Don't try to distract me."

Damien leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Luca's forehead.

"...It's a surprise, sweetheart."

Luca blinked.

"...What?"

Damien sighed, gently smoothing down Luca's ruffled hair.

"I was planning something for you," he admitted. "That's why I've been out late."

Luca stared.

"...What kind of something?"

Damien smiled.

"You'll find out soon."

Luca scowled.

"I hate you."

Damien kissed him again.

"I love you too."

Luca grumbled, but let Damien hold him.

"...This better be worth it."

Damien smirked. "Oh, it will be."

Three days. Seventy-two hours.

Luca had waited long enough.

It wasn't his fault that three days felt like three years when Damien was hiding something.

It wasn't his fault that Damien was a walking enigma who could somehow keep a straight face no matter how hard Luca pried.

And it certainly wasn't his fault that he had to suffer, dying of curiosity while Damien continued to act like everything was normal.

But today—today was the day Damien finally cracked.

Damien stood in the middle of the living room, watching Luca like a predator.

Luca, meanwhile, was sitting on the couch, arms crossed, glaring.

"You're finally talking," Luca said, squinting. "Took you long enough."

Damien chuckled. "You're so impatient."

"I AM PATIENT," Luca snapped. "You're the one who's been torturing me for three days."

Damien's smirk widened.

"I told you it was a surprise, sweetheart."

Luca let out a dramatic sigh, falling back against the couch.

"Fine. What is it? Lay it on me, Mafia King."

Damien exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Then, he said, casually,

"I bought you a store."

Luca's brain short-circuited.

He blinked once.

Twice.

"...I'm sorry, you what?"

Damien grinned.

"I bought you a store."

Luca sat there, absolutely stunned.

"Like... a whole store?" he asked, voice faint.

"Yes."

"For me?"

"Yes."

"To—wait, wait, wait—hold on." Luca held up a hand. "I never said I wanted a store!"

"You didn't have to," Damien replied smoothly. "I've seen how much you love designing your own clothes. And how much you've been working on your online brand. It was only a matter of time before you wanted a physical space."

Luca stared.

His heart did this annoying thing where it fluttered violently inside his chest.

"...You're insane," Luca muttered.

Damien simply smiled.

"You love me for it."

Luca groaned, covering his face with his hands.

Yes. Yes, he did.

And he was never living this down.

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