Realistic or Modern Cuffing Season

[PaddieCake]

P L O T​

Marceau Barese is a police officer who doesn’t exactly go by the book, in fact they probably spend more time cavorting with criminals than capturing them.

Vincenzo Cipriano is not only a member of the Ciprinao crime family, he is the newphew of its boss, a hardened criminal with little care for the laws outside of his family's.

When Marc finds himself romantically entangled with Vince, it’s easy for him to turn a blind eye to Vince and his family's illicit activities (especially when Vince’s boss puts Marc on a special payroll for keeping their business off police radar). Over time, Marc is welcomed into Vince's crime family, so long as he leaves his badge at home.

This year, Marc is up for a promotion - it’s so close that he can taste it. If he can arrest a notorious boss, he's certain that the promotion is his. No problem. Marc can simply hand over one of his lover’s enemies, right?

As Marc is scheming, the police chief calls a meeting. The chief unveils the newest person-of-interest, expressing in no uncertain terms that this is the perpetrator they want brought down next. Marc is conflicted when they immediately recognize the person-of-interest as Vince's uncle and boss, Leonardo Cipriano, someone whom Marc has sat across from at the dinner table on several occasions, someone very dear to his lover, someone who will go after everyone in Marc's family if there’s even a suspicion of betrayal.

Neptune_54

VINCENZO CIPRIANO
25 : Male : Bisexual ​

Appearance:​

Vincenzo is roughly 5'10, with a slightly stocky build. He has broad shoulders and a square jaw. He has light brown eyes and similarly light brown hair.

His hair is an absolute mess, it is thick and curly, and though he often tries to tame it, it is frustratingly impossible. He will try slicking it back, or letting it grow out to pull it into a ponytail but neither has worked well for him. He still occasionally tries to keep it neat, but just as often lets it remain in its natural state.

He often wears nice clothing, dress shoes, slacks, and a sports jacket, usually a button down shirt underneath. He only ever wears more comfortable clothing in the comfort of his own home, and then it is often tee-shirts and sweat pants, or just his boxers.​

Personality:​

Vince is a laid back individual who seems to always have a smile on his face and a smart ass comment in his back pocket. He comes off as easy going and quick to laugh.

Despite his laid back appearance he's rather paranoid. He has a quick trigger finger, and is easily startled by people coming up from behind him, particularly when he is, or thinks he is, alone.

He is also capable of immense violence, with little problems in regards to intimidating, hurting, or even killing others. He is meticulous in keeping his home clean and his appearance clean, wanting to cast as little suspicion as possible.

He's very loyal to his family, and has an immense respect for his elders, particularly motherly figures. He can appear a bit air-headed since he tends to be rather fidgety and easily distracted. He is rather intelligent, a college graduate with an associates degree in business.​

History:​

Vincenzo was the son of the underboss of the Cipriano Crime Family, his uncle being the boss. His home was full of tough love, with a lot of yelling and a lot of care amongst everyone.

Little Vincenzo was unaware of his family's dealings, their crimes, murders, and was living peacefully until he was twelve. A hit had been ordered on his father, and one sunny day while he and Vince were out in the back yard, his father was shot dead.

Vincenzo's memory of the day includes the echoing sounds of two gun shots, his father falling, and then his mother screaming and crying as she came into the yard. Everything else was a complete blur, the only thing relating to his death that Vincenzo remembers was the funeral.

From that day forward Vincenzo lived with his mother, aunt, and uncle. As he grew older he understood what had happened, why it had happened, and of everything his family was doing. He is now working as a soldier within the Cipriano family, being groomed to eventually become a leader within the family when it's his turn.​

Other:​

The Ciprianos run a real estate agency as a means to hide their earnings, and of which Vincenzo works for, buying and selling houses.
Vincenzo was also unsure of how his family were going to take his bisexuality, and while his mother, and aunt and uncle are rather accepting of him, he knows not to let anyone else in the family know.​

Sans glasses.
Name: Marceau Barese
Age: 27
Gender: Male

Spoiler

Sexuality: Here’s the thing: Marceau is, for all intents and purposes, so totally gay. But, he’s also so very far into the closet. Since his partner is in a gang, it’s unlikely that he’ll ever meet any of Marceau’s friends, so Marceau tends to refer to ‘him’ as a ‘her.’ Marceau is very good at not talking about his love life at work and only a few of his close friends now his secret- AKA, his sister and her husband.
Appearance:
-Hair: Dark black, shaved on the sides and about an inch and a half long on top. During training, he had to keep it within military regulations, and discovered how much easier it was to control when shorter. His hair is extremely curly and, although very soft, next to impossible to manage. His bed head is something extraterrestrial, and he has to make his own unique concoction of hair gel and styling cream to tame it. He wears it slicked back while working, but doesn’t bother trying to control it when he’s not.
-Eyes: A dark green color, often mistaken for dark brown. His eyes are rounder and he tends to be very expressive with them. The expression “the eyes are the window to the soul” is most certainly true with him. He has thick eyebrows that he totally does not have his sister shape, and eyelashes that often make people ask him if he’s wearing mascara.
-Height: 6’5”
-Weight: 175
-Body: He’s fairly tan, with a light smattering of freckles on his face and shoulders. He does work out at least once every week, twice a week during the summer, and jogs every morning because he’s actually pretty self conscious.
-Clothes: Other than the standard issue navy uniform, Marc is one of the few on the force who actually loves his hat. He often patrols on foot, so that he can wear it because he thinks it makes him look mysterious. (He is such a loser..) When not working, he often wears button up plaid shirts with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and nice fitting jeans (usually black). He has a pair of brown hiking boots that he literally wears whenever he gets a chance; they’re the hat to his civilian clothes.
-Other: He has a scar that runs the length of his right thigh, which he totally didn’t get jumping over a fence when he was in high school. Don’t ask about it, it was very… Scarring.
Personality: Marceau is extremely self-critical and over thinks a lot of things. He tends to be on the optimistic side of the spectrum, but sometimes gets bogged down by how crappy reality is. He’s hardly ever aggressive, and he values love over everything.
Family: Marc was raised in a very conservative, mixed home. His father is an immigrant from Italy, and his mother is the daughter of two from France. Due to his parents being Catholic, Marc isn’t really in touch with them much. He was very rebellious as a teenager, and still has a tendency not to follow the rules. His younger sister is the same way, despite her husband being involved in the government, which causes trouble for him often. (Imagine if his brother-in-law was entangled in a gang. That would be horrible.. Heh.)
Other: He has a police dog, a huuuuge German Sheppard names Helios, and a tiiiiny cat named Luna. He also owns fishes and has cacti that he totally didn’t name.. (Vivian, Sam and Tula).

 

[Neptune_54]

After taking half a step down the driveway, Marc realized that he had left his coat in the backseat of his car. Having sat in its warmth for the last half hour, he had easily forgotten how cold it was outside, goose bumps covering his arms the chill turning his nose a bright shade of red immediately. With a sigh that turned into a white cloud in the harsh air, he opened the driver’s door and leaned his seat forward, mentally scolding himself for buying the stupid, compact and “trendy” car in the first place. It was an obnoxious shade of mint green, and although the Volkswagen might have seemed like a good idea five years ago, it had long since lost its appeal. In the backseat, he found not only his coat, but the bouquet of flowers that he had almost forgotten. Which, would have been a shame because he had paid good money for it at the little florist shop two blocks from the office, having gotten them on a whim after coffee with a few of his co-workers, marking the end of a long shift. They were still inside the café next door when he walked past, heading back to his car with the bouquet in hand. While they hooted and asked him what he’d done to piss his girlfriend off, Marc had just grinned and gripped the flowers a little tighter, trying to pretend that the red on his cheeks was solely from the cold.
Now, the flowers were a bit crumpled. He remembered the first time he had come to this house, with a similar bouquet in hand. Nervousness had made him turn out of the driveway three times before he finally slammed his head against the steering wheel (blaring the horn for, like, two seconds) and forcing himself to get out and introduce himself to the family of his then, only two-month boyfriend. Ten more months had passed, and Marc no longer hesitated to swing his shitty little car into the drive, although his “second family” would probably never let him live the first time down. But, tonight it was just Vince he was bringing the flowers for. No mother and uncle over for dinner, no awkward questions and uneasy small talk. He wasn’t that nervous anymore, although he still got butterflies every time Vince even looked his way. In high school, Marc has laughed whenever his sister fawned over boys and talked about how they made her feel like she was floating, having never understood the appeal of relationships. Until, of course, he met Vincenzo and literally had to sit down immediately after saying hello to remind himself that, yes, his head was still attached to his body, and that, yes, gravity was still a thing that existed.
The Orange Blossoms and Lily of the Valley were flower-talk for “lovelovelovelovelove” but, in the words of the old Oriental lady at the florist shop, “you’ve made my life complete, and I love you eternally.” Marc wasn’t nearly that articulate when trying to explain how Vince made him feel, even to himself. He was absolutely perfect, if you looked past the whole, involved in the American equivalent of the mafia (or, Cosa Nostra, because Vince and his family were Italian), and the fact that his boyfriend had killed more people than Marc personally knew. Of course, he wasn’t so innocent and pure himself. Even before he met Vince, before he knew everything, Marc hadn’t been exactly black and white on the whole, “illegal and legal” thing. He’d been known to overlook drug possession and dealing, and had manipulated a few files to get a couple of guys off of the radar, because he wasn’t paid enough and a little cash on the side never hurt. Marc was, of course, very good at keeping that part of his life hidden, even before.
After, he had become even better at living a double life, which was both sad and exciting. Vince wasn’t just crime, and Marc wasn’t just the law, and he would have loved him no matter how completely messed up his life was.
Shrugging on his jacket and doing up the top button with one hand, Marc used his hip to bump the car door closed. It was a short walk from the driveway to the front door, but those butterflies used every second to start a mosh pit inside his stomach. With a deep breath and then two more, he pressed the button for the doorbell and waited.

 

[PaddieCake]

Vince busying himself with finishing the table settings. His mind was racing, as he tried to get everything to look nice before Marc got there. He was currently standing there, knotting a paper towel in his hands as he stood there completely dumbfounded, trying to figure out if he had forgotten anything.

He ran his forearm across his forehead, wiping the sweat from his brow. His jacket lay abandoned, on the back of a bar stool, his sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, and his hair seemed even messier than normal, sticking up at odd angles from his hand running through it frequently.

Vincenzo was quite proud of himself, despite his nerves ticking away. While his mother had helped him cook dinner, and even let him borrow some of her fine china (with threat of a beating if he chipped even a single plate), he still felt accomplished, he was excited for Marc to show up so they could spend the evening together.

The smell of sauce was still emanating from the kitchen as Vince ran a hand through his hair, giving everything a once over. Pasta, sauce, bread, wine, glasses. He grabbed two wine glasses, still feeling like he had forgotten something, but it was too late.

The doorbell rang and Vincenzo jumped, but kept his grip on the fragile glass. He placed them on the table and brushed his hands along his clothes.

His heart was pounding, partially because the door bell had startled him, but mostly because the man he had been seeing for the past year was just outside and Vince felt incredibly unprepared for this dinner date. He had never been so...affectionate, with others before, but Marc seemed to bring that out in him. Quite frankly it was a miracle his (immediate and blood) family was so accepting of him, Vincenzo was blessed, that was certain.

Vince raced towards the door, nearly tripping over himself as he pulled the door open, any worry fading as soon as he looked up at the familiar face. Vince couldn't help but smile.

"Marc!" He said excitedly, almost as if amazed he had actually shown up. He wrapped his arms around the other man in a tight embrace. "Come in, it's freezing." He said, pulling away, he though he didn't want to.

He hadn't even noticed the flowers at first, his eyes completely focused on Marc. but as soon as he did his face fell. "They're beautiful." He said smiling softly. He shook his head and letting out a nervous, albeit amused, chuckle. "I'm sorry, I didn't get you anything."

Edit: Realized I never tagged you o.O Neptune_54