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when he comes out of the shower, skin tingling from the boiling water, vincenzo's irritation is barely witheld by a tick in his jaw and a furrowed brow. he quells himself with reassurances that his business at geumga plaza will soon be over, and he won't have to put up with this cheap little apartment with a faulty shower and gum stuck to the walls. the tension between his brows gradually smoothens out as he comforts his mind with the mental image of the safe room filled with gold.
'this is just a temporary inconvenience. it'll all be worth it in the end.'
as he rounds the corner into the living area, tightening the waist of his robe, the mild sense of calm he's induced immediately shrivels up. henry waves daintily at him from where he's splayed across the couch.
"i could hear you screaming your head off in there. what's gotten you so riled up?" henry asks with a teasing grin that's become so familiar over the years. on the coffee table is a bottle of red wine and an empty glass. the other glass rests between henry's fingers, red sloshing around as he swirls his drink. the younger shuts his eyes, breathing in the scent before taking a sip. when he opens his eyes, they flash red. he smiles at vincenzo. "join me."
vincenzo doesn't deign him with a response, instead kicking his feet off of where they rest haughtily on the table. "how did you know i was here?"
henry hums like he's pondering his answer, making the other roll his eyes. eventually, he taps his foot against the side of vincenzo's shin almost chidingly, a pout creeping across his lips. "of course i knew! my favourite person in the world finally came to visit. i know everything when it comes to you."
narrowing his eyes, vincenzo disguises his amusement with a deadpan look. he sighs, "i'm not here to visit."
"maybe not yet. but you're here for me to visit, so that's just the same, hm?" seeming to be fed up with vincenzo's disinterest, henry hooks his leg around the other's knee, tugging him forward. "come, have a drink with me," he whines. "i bet you're thirsty after the flight here."
unfortunately, he's right, so vincenzo sits down with a huff and reaches for the spare glass. beside him, henry hums happily, already going to fill his glass for him. with a jovial "cheers!", he clinks their glasses together and chugs the rest of his drink. vincenzo watches him silently before drinking his own, a sip turning into him gulping down the whole glass. he's unable to keep the impressed expression from flashing across his face. henry is staring at him with glittering eyes.
"good, right? i had it harvested about six hours ago." some wine stains his bottom lip. vincenzo raises a brow as he reaches out to wipe it away.
"you have others harvest blood for you now? always a spoiled brat," he murmurs. henry has the gall to laugh in his face.
"you're just old fashioned. an old man like you can't keep up with the times."
vincenzo scowls at him. "i'm only seventy years older than you."
"exactly," henry sings, swinging his legs up to drape them across vincenzo's lap. he scoffs but lets it be, ignoring henry's smug grin.
for a while, they simply sit in comfortable silence, refilling their glasses. at some point, the sound of pigeons smacking their flapping wings against the window becomes too much to bear, and vincenzo is forced to shoo them away. at the presence of one particularly stubborn bird, henry laughs, watching his attempts at spooking it fail repeatedly. mercifully, the younger shoves him aside and sticks his arm out the window to sharply snatch the pigeon up in one hand. it struggles and squawks, feathers ruffling in panic. it seems like henry is about to kill it, but something in him makes vincenzo pity the creature. he grabs henry by the wrist, prying the pigeon away and releasing it.
as they watch it fly away, he feels henry's heated eyes digging into the side of his face. the younger scoffs before tipping the last of the wine straight into his mouth from the bottle. "it's just a bird," he mutters. "have you gone soft while you were gone? i thought you were working with the italian mafia. for that man you owed."
"...yes. i was his consigliere." vincenzo raises his glass but finds the blood wine no longer appetizing. instead, he presses the rim against henry's lips, who only eyes him for a moment before taking it and gulping the rest down. he sets the empty glasses down side by side. "he died. then his son tried to slay me. i considered my debt paid when i spared the cretin's life."
henry is silent, resting his chin between his fingers thoughtfully. "hm. is that so," he eventually hums. "does that mean you're staying permanently...here?"
at henry's disbelieving glance at the apartment interior, vincenzo allows a small smile to break out on his face. henry immediately catches it and latches onto the rare expression with a beaming smile. "this is just my temporary place until i wrap up my business here. i'll be here less than a month."
"and then you'll set up somewhere nicer in the city?" his tone is hopeful and vincenzo feels a pang of regret.
"no, i'll likely travel somewhere nice. and quiet. maybe malta?" it's not a maybe anymore, but he can't bear to tell henry that when it seems like they've only just been reunited.
"oh."
vincenzo forces himself to gaze at a random spot on the wall, not wanting to see whatever disappointed expression henry is sporting in response. after a moment of awkward silence, henry speaks up.
"so what exactly are you hoping to achieve here? it's all empty, dilapidated buildings." vincenzo is about to dismiss the line of questioning when the younger adds, "i already saw you looking around geumga plaza. that place is between a rock and a hard place right now. what could you possibly want there?"
there's a strange high lilt to his voice, lips quivering slightly and gaze controlled like he's trying to disguise his interest. for the first time since henry arrived, vincenzo frowns at him. he receives an unimpressed look in response.
"nothing you need to concern yourself over," he huffs, crossing his arms.
the effect is immediate - henry lets out a long groan, petulantly swinging a leg back and forth. "are you serious? you really aren't going to tell me?" vincenzo just stares at him, unfaltering. henry's lips twist unpleasantly, with that constrained fury when he doesn't get what he wants. "ugh, fine. be like that then, jerk. i won't tell you what i'm up to either then."
while he isn't particularly curious about it, having the reminder that henry may be up to another one of his nefarious schemes perturbs him. suddenly, henry sighs and pats him a few times on the back.
"it's late. i should go home now, i have work to do."
"you have a job?" vincenzo asks incredulously. for the entirety of them knowing each other, henry had always been a spoiled kid, getting any money he needed from his progenitors. the idea of him working made vincenzo dizzy, though a lot must have changed since the last time they met.
henry flashes him a haughty grin. "yep," he confirms, popping the p. "i work at a law firm. you're not special, honey." he suddenly slips a hand into vincenzo's pocket, snatching away his phone before he can stop him. after typing away rapidly, he hands back the phone, revealing a new contact under "handsome" followed by a string of green and cat emojis.
"call me if you need anything," henry winks, already at the door. vincenzo trails after him.
"...alright. good night, henry."
the younger immediately jolts at the sound of his name, pausing in the middle of walking out the door.
"oh!" he gasps, tapping a hand ditzily against his temple. "i go by junwoo here. jang junwoo. don't forget!"
then he's gone and vincenzo prods at the new name with his tongue before frowning to himself. junwoo. junwoo. he looks down at the new contact, deleting the name and typing in a simple "Henry". with a low sigh, he pockets the phone and cracks his neck lazily, peering at the empty wine glasses on the coffee table with half lidded eyes. it's late, and his stomach is full - he decides it's probably time to sleep.
the sound of wings flapping against the window fills the room.
after fending off the group of thugs and establishing himself as an ally to the geumga plaza tenants, vincenzo easily strolls into the babel chairman's home for some observation. watching a few clips online of the chairman during press conferences and magazine interviews brewed up some suspicion as to whether the young man was really as intelligent and innovative as he's made out to be. mostly, every word seemed rehearsed, and vincenzo is sure that the chairman doesn't care about half of the things he's saying. he slips through security by lurking in the shadows and carefully timing his movements with the schedule of the staff's rounds. by the time he's in the villa, curiously pacing around with silent steps as the sound of jang hanseo singing in the shower echoes through the walls, he's not expecting any issues.
that is, until a familiar scent and foot steps make themselves known moments before a hand slinks itself around his elbow. he doesn't flinch, already aware of who it is, but he still whirls around with baffled eyes.
henry leans in with a jeer. "why are you being such a creeper? you're going to give poor hanseo a stroke if he sees you."
vincenzo takes a moment to calm himself, feeling frustration pool between his brows. "what on earth are you doing here? i don't have time for your games, henry."
"uh, why can't i? this is my little brother's villa."
what? his jaw drops. "what?"
instantly, henry is laughing right in his face, booming voice bouncing off the walls unapologetically. from upstairs, vincenzo hears the singing stop abruptly and the showerhead switch off. it takes much too long for henry to collect himself, wheezing as he slaps a hand against the other's chest. no matter how many years pass, he's always just as infuriating as the last time they met. (he would never admit it, but vincenzo treasured that constant variable amongst the ever changing, aging world around him.)
"for someone so smart, you can be so dense sometimes," henry sniffles as he wipes his teary eyes, laughter finally fizzling out. "my real name is jang hanseok, remember? and he's jang hanseo. he's literally one letter off. how do you not connect those dots?"
'why would i bother to remember you as anything other than henry?' admittedly, it was rather dense of him, but all of that is overturned by, "you have a human brother?"
henry's smile goes sardonic. he picks at the collar of vincenzo's suit absently as he drawls, "yes, we can blame my dear father for that. he was never very considerate, was he?"
'was'. that word sticks out like a sore thumb. "lord jang is dead?"
"it's been less than a century, yet you have so much to catch up on," henry sighs wistfully. "yes, he died a decade or so ago. my mother a short time before that." a sharp smile. "he deserved it, for all he did."
before he can enquire further, jang hanseo's still damp head peeks around the corner, eyes wide and flitting nervously between the two men. "hyungnim?"
henry grins, canines on display as he moves towards his brother with outstretched arms. "dongsaeng-ah, good timing. this," he gestures towards vincenzo with a flourish, wrapping his other arm around hanseo's shoulders, "is my old friend, vincenzo. say hello."
hanseo obediently squeezes out a meek greeting, looking like he wants to bolt but caged in by his brother's hold. vincenzo simply nods at him in return, noting the quivering look in his eyes and tense lines of his body. when nothing but silence is exchanged between the two, henry lets out a disappointed puff of air.
"alright, you can go now," he sighs. "you two are so boring." he stares sharply at hanseo when the younger doesn't make a move to leave, still standing there unsure. "what? get lost."
with a shooing motion, henry watches hanseo scurry away, escaping back up the stairs. "so timid, that boy," he snickers.
"he's scared of you," vincenzo points out blankly, thinking about the implications of such a thing. henry notices the suspicious look in his eye and rolls his eyes so hard, vincenzo is sure they're about to pop out of their sockets.
"he's scared that i'm going to snap and suck his blood like those two-bit vampire knockoffs everyone fawns over," he groans, dramatically walking backwards until the back of his legs bump against the couch and he flops down onto it. he waves a hand flippantly in vincenzo's direction. "don't worry your bleeding little heart over it. hanseo would keel over and die from shock if i ever even nibbled on him. humans are all fragile like that."
while he's definitely omitted some truths before, henry has never blatantly lied to him before, and vincenzo is inclined to trust him on this one. "so you treat him well then?"
there's a beat of silence that extends just a bit too long. a sense of discomfort creeps into his chest as henry simply stares up at the ceiling with a blank look. when vincenzo steps closer, henry smiles at him, lips a thin curve. "you're always so curious, aren't you? i treat him as well as he deserves."
at vincenzo's lack of response, henry finally flashes him a more genuine grin, an attempt to quell him. "hey, hanseo is still my little brother. you know how well i protect my things."
it's true. henry has always had a possessive streak, even a single scratch on something or someone he considers his being the ultimate trigger for his insatiable fury. while the image of hanseo's trembling figure still pokes at his thoughts, vincenzo barely even knows him, and he's at least sure henry won't decide to bleed him dry in a burst of anger. for now, he decides to let the topic rest. besides, he can tell when he's starting to strike a nerve, and henry has always held this specific trait of his against him. you think you're some sort of upstanding citizen?
moving on, vincenzo is quick to turn a bit sour, realising after a short pause, "you're the real chairman of babel, aren't you?"
henry gasps dramatically, hands flying up to his mouth and eyes wide with innocent shock. "wow, you figured it out," he drawls, voice dry.
glaring at him in annoyance, vincenzo doesn't waste time to question him further. "you're the one making trouble at geumga plaza. you sent those thugs even after i told you i had business there?" his tone turns incredulous towards the end.
"yeah, i did. i wasn't expecting much from them, but i admit i was rather disappointed by how utterly useless they were in the end," henry admits easily, sighing as he shuts his eyes as though recalling the events. "i'm surprised the other guys managed to do what i hired them to. you've become more careless. speaking of which, i don't have that watch in my collection. you don't mind if i keep it, right?"
vincenzo has to take a long breath to contain himself as the younger blabbers away. "...you hired those people to rob me as well," he mutters, memories of one of the most embarrassing moments of his life flashing through his mind. henry just hums noncommittedly, flopping around on the couch like a beached seal before settling into a comfortable position curled on his side. "are you upset with me? just spit it out, henry."
at his genuinely exasperated tone, henry perks his head up, staring at him with wide eyes. "huh? upset?" he says, dragging out every syllable with mock surprise. "of course not. i could never be upset with you over something so miniscule as not contacting me for decades after running off with some human. besides, you refused to tell me what your business at geumga plaza is, so i just assumed it was fine for me to go on as planned. i wouldn't have if you had asked, you know?"
'This is all your own fault.'
vincenzo can almost hear his voice hissing into his ear. stubbornly, he maintains a neutral expression and simply holds henry's gaze. after a moment, henry scowls, lips fixed into a downturned curve as he shifts back up into a sitting position.
"still not going to tell me? fine."
suddenly, henry is on his feet, striding over to a window and wrenching the curtains aside to reveal a clear view of the dimming sky and the rest of the city spread ahead. warily, vincenzo moves to stand closer, following his gaze as his eyes track over the shapes of the towering infrastructure. the younger man jabs a finger at a spot in the sky, lips twisting into a jagged curve as he smirks.
"i'm going to build a tower to god," henry declares, eyes glinting. "right over this pathetic city, above everyone else. babel tower." he glances back at vincenzo over his shoulder, and his gaze is full of blistering heat. "now that i've told you, stay out of my way, okay?"
vincenzo says nothing, and neither does henry speak further. after a long moment, vincenzo quietly slips out the front door.
hong yoochan is a good man. vincenzo wonders if henry is right when he says he's become soft because he finds himself developing a mild fondness towards the man. if he hadn't seen how the lawyer interacted with his spitfire daughter, he would think that he is the perfect image of justice. nevertheless, hong yoochan's personal relationships aren't any of his business, so vincenzo makes sure to minimise his contact with that part of his impromptu partner and focuses on finding a way into that damn vault.
babel continues in its efforts to chase the residents from geumga plaza and continues getting on vincenzo's nerve. since that time at the villa, he hasn't seen henry, and the fact somehow itches at him.
'i've gone decades without even hearing about him. why is this any different?'
although he is slightly perturbed by the fact that henry is probably gallivanting behind the scenes plotting various nefarious things without vincenzo's supervision, he's quite sure that he can handle anything the younger man does. at the moment, in a stint of irritatingly sincere sympathy, he is more focused on getting hong yoochan and hong chayoung to finally cool their feud. he finds hong chayoung at the convenience store, gives her some words of advice, then leaves to meet with hong yoochan, gifting her a plastic umbrella as encouragement.
that's when it happens. honestly, if it had been before he moved into geumga plaza, before he met all these people and offered his help, before he shared countless nights with hong yoochan, chatting and drinking bowls of makgeolli, he thinks it wouldn't have affected him like this. the image of a man sprawled amongst broken glass and debris, blood pooling beneath him and eyes wide and glassy as the sound of rain thundering against the tarmac outside drowns out the commotion from the observing crowd - it wasn't even near comparable to the horrors vincenzo had witnessed throughout his long life.
however, hong yoochan's lifeless body becomes a visceral ghost haunting his mind as he allows himself to succumb to unconsciousness. a day later, in the dead of night, vincenzo opens his eyes in the private hospital room hong yoochan's now orphaned daughter secured for him, having bided his time until now. when a nurse comes for her rounds, he pins her to the wall, a hand clamped over her mouth, and makes her believe that he is still laying unconscious in bed. once he has mesmerised every hospital staff who might visit his room in the next few hours, he makes his way to jang hanseo's villa.
vincenzo knows henry is there because he can smell the blood, the scent wafting out of a freshly uncorked bottle. when he arrives, henry doesn't even try to evade his grasp, landing hard on his back as vincenzo looms over him, a hand wrapped viciously around his throat. if henry were a human, the grip might be enough to snap his neck, but henry merely clenches his jaw, thrashing against the weight pressing him down. a too wide grin snags at his lips, baring his pointed teeth. vincenzo feels the urge to pluck them out.
"this feels rather pushy, don't you agree," henry chuckles, voice going strangled when vincenzo squeezes just a little harder. "did you miss me that much?"
in response, vincenzo leans in close, eyes red and mouth twisted in a snarl. "your arrogance has always gotten you into more trouble than you can handle. how dare you interfere with me?"
henry's eyes widen comically. "i told you," he says slowly, "i told you, didn't i? to stay out of my way, but you didn't listen, you never do because you still see me as a brat with nothing but mischief in my mind."
vincenzo doesn't respond, he can't. he can only peer down at henry's smiling face as the younger snakes a hand around his wrist, nails digging into the skin even through his sleeves.
"you think you can shunt off and disappear as you please then still presume to know me? to demand obedience? i assure you that this mind has much more than mischief planned, and i will not allow any stupid, naive human nor any self imposed vampire to ruin it."
there's a silent moment of henry studying his face, looking for something that he himself refuses to see. he allows a huff of laughter to breeze past his lips, hand reaching up to cup vincenzo's cheek tenderly.
"i always mocked your sweet little heart, but i never realised just how soft you could be," henry murmurs. "are you angry? because i killed your human friend? because i killed hong yoochan knowing fully well how much he looked like your father?"
vincenzo doesn't even register the way henry lets his head fall back, baring his neck and grinning wildly as vincenzo sinks his teeth into his throat. it must be painful, the way he bites and rips at the flesh, but henry just grips tight onto vincenzo's shoulders, holding him close. the blood that runs down his neck coats vincenzo's palm where it now presses at the base of his throat, warm and sticky. this is wrong, he thinks. this is meant to be a punishment. it's meant to hurt. but henry's laughter, smothered by the blood in his mouth, rings in his ears, and vincenzo knows that he has lost.
as hong chayoung attempts to enlist him in taking down babel, the taste of henry's blood lies thickly in his mouth. he's angry. he's empty. he's full. henry's words become echoes in the cavern of his mind. he wonders what changed. for the first time since knowing him, henry is chasing something, reaching out with his hands, tearing at it with his teeth, relentlessly. not even vincenzo will stop him, will make him falter, it seems, and that idea is frightening. vincenzo isn't used to it. isn't used to not being henry's weakness.
a scene plays out in his mind. a tower stretches up into the clouds, almost reaching into space itself. lightning crackles and dark clouds gather, casting ominous flashes of light over the ground, where countless corpses lay. men and women wearing babel pharmaceutical uniforms, blood streaming from their mouths and noses, skin sickly green. men in suits, heads beaten in. hong yoochan, in a puddle of blood, staring lifelessly at him. above, henry climbs the tower, laughing, leaving everything behind. his face looks the same as ever, yet vincenzo feels as though he's looking at a stranger.
just as he breaches the clouds, a low rumbling penetrates the ground, and the tower shakes and crumbles. henry falls, spiralling as debris crashes down around him.
"well?" hong chayoung's gaze pierces him, a steeliness that speaks of her determination. "will you help me?"
in his mind, he watches as henry continues to plummet, eyes fixed on the sky even as he falls. he finds himself with a dilemma.
does he catch him?
"yes. let's take down babel."
or does he let him fall?