OMG can I ask for Mafia fic? I can't help myself. <3 and 31 orrrrr 48?
omg you know it! (psst there should be 6k of mafia fic posted on ao3 tomorrow or the next day)
Zach has never really been overly concerned with possessions. When he was a kid they would cycle through belongings very quickly, re-selling an electronic or a part here or there to pay the gas bill, losing an article of clothing or a toy to a quick move or neighbor with quick fingers. There are two things that made it our of his hometown with him: a photograph of his mom, Joe, and himself sitting in front of the family Christmas tree when they were infants, and a small stuffed bear he received from his grandmother as a child. She passed away shortly after, and even though Zach never really knew her, he knew she loved him and that was all he needed to hold onto her memory.
Living in a world filled with so much excess now, Zach hardly even sees the quarter million dollar cars and boats and multi-million dollar estates.
Chris, on the other hand, lives for possessions. Growing up he had cried every time his mother tried to give away or throw out one of his toys. He imagined them sitting there in a bag or box, upset that Chris had given them away. Everything had feelings, everything had a personality, and Chris couldn’t bear to let his belongings down in any way. He still has some things in protective, bright Rubbermaid boxes in his mother’s basement. Sometimes he still feels guilty for leaving them down there alone for so many years.
How do they express love?
Their relationship has gone through stages since they first met, like any relationship does. Most people don’t have to deal with the things they do, like death and excess and dying, but all of those things are what makes their feelings for one another more important, more impossible to live without.
When they first met they fucked anytime, anywhere. Chris was insatiable, and there were still paparazzi photos floating around on the internet somewhere to prove it. Chris was the first person Zach ever felt compelled to kiss, and when they did, Zach felt like he was drowning.
Now, as their relationship has matured and Chris has graduated from being a party kid (or Zach’s “new bitch,” which had been said once and never again, courtesy Zach’s fist) to a real part of their family, the way they show one another love has changed, too.
Chris was no longer in the dark about the business, though Zach purposely doesn’t tell Chris everything, just in case the feds ever got involved. Chris has seen Zach knock someone out via pistol whip, has heard a thousand conversations in varying levels of importance, and has had close personal lunches and dinners with the don and his wife more times than he can count on one hand.
In return, Chris takes care of Zach in ways that Zach can’t take care of himself, and loves Zach when Zach is unable to love himself.