For this chapter I couldn't do Ares's POV like a few of you wanted but I will do his soon, for now it's in 3rd POV and will return to Everly's next chapter.

"What I, I, I mean -I don't, what? I'm not -I'm here...Peyton, she -and I, I am-" Conner stammers, turning bright red as he shrinks under Anton's gaze. "Peyton?"

Anton, seeing how the obviously-not-straight-but-hiding-it man is acting shy and flustered around him, smirks and stands even straighter. "Oh? I think I'm much more appealing."

"A-appealing?" The way Anton looks up Conner's entire body causes his stammer, and the smug man doesn't think Conner can get any redder.

See, because of Everly Anton knows exactly who Conner is but to Conner, he's a mystery.

But a very, very, very hot mystery.

It's no surprise to Anton that people find him attractive, but he's overwhelmingly grateful for the sexy blush of a man in front of him sharing the opinion.

"You know -attractive, interesting...sensualità." The way Anton purrs this word makes Conner flush even more, his mouth goes dry and his blue-green eyes light up in a way the people around him had never seen before. "All things you are."

"I, I am s-"

Everly gasps, finally catching up to the way Anton's talking. Though he's not be vulgar, or rude, he's hitting on Conner in a way that instantly throws sex in the mix. "Comportarsi! This is my friend, my anima amico. So, behave."

"It's just some harmless flirtare, Ever." Anton continues to grin at Conner, even though his eyes are fixed on the floor in an almost shame like way -something that once he notices almost floors Anton. "Eh, Ardore. Ti okay?"

Everly sighs, smacking her forehead slightly at how blunt her best friend is being just because he can get away with it. "Who are you calling Hotness, Anton?" Valentino- -who clearly knew what was going on and wants to annoy his so called brother- -shouts across the space, making Anton's look turn dark as he turns to glare at Val.

"Hot, hotness?" Conner sputters out, almost coughing. "I am not-"

"Hot? Yeah you are, what about it? Unless you plan to, letteralmente, rub it in my face I don't want to hear any delusions."

Logan, feeling left out though he's completely straight and purely an idiot, begins to pout and shoves his brother out of the way. "What about me? I'm him, but better!"

At this action Anton seems to growl under her breath, death glaring at Logan -who pauses in his action. "You look like a dumb version of him after being disassembled and put back together." 

Compared to when he was talking to Conner, and his voice was soft and flirty, warm, Anton's voice now is cold and snappy -what he often sounds like whenever he's not talking to Everly or Val. Even then, the softness in his voice with Conner is different than the warmth he has for his soul siblings.

Logan couldn't even begin to compare to Conner in Anton's mind. Logan was taller at 6'2 and their noses would clash, his eyes are a wrong shade of blue that is dull and boring compared to his twin's, he's blond, and comparatively less intelligent -not that he could control any of those things.

Conner...man, Conner was a stunning man.

Not to mention Logan was practically asking for Anton to lash out at him when he shoved the man he was clearly interested into a wall. Anton is attracted to Conner, simple as that. They're twins, but they're not the same person -thank God.

And, as much as he doesn't want to admit it right then, Conner was overwhelmingly attracted to Anton too.

"I do not!" Logan exclaims, and begins to protest even more but Anton merely turns away from him with a roll of his eyes. The blond man's jaw drops as he watches this -not offended that Anton doesn't like him, but very surprised by it. Girls usually like Logan much more than Conner, he's taller, more energetic, more flirty. "How is this even happening to him then?"

Conner's eye widen as in a second Anton had turned back around, looking feral. "Because-"

"Anton, stai calmo. Logan didn't mean to offend Conner, rilassarsi." Everly steps between them, about to add more when Ares catches her eye and she ends up smiling. "Mars."

"Hey Ev," Ares barely smiles but still glances up at her -though of course, sucking at eye contact, she doesn't return the favor. "Racing -yeah?"

"Oh um, yeah." Everly quickly agrees, turning to grab Anton's arm and begin to drag him to the cars. "Come on, cogliere Conner's auto already."

By her ushering all three of them step well inside and stand opposite of Ares's family. 

"My what?" Conner questions. "I don't..."

He followed the man almost subconsciously to the space around all the cars, but seeing as Anton is suddenly circling him- -a smirk plastered on his face- -the brunette stays quiet and flushes. Anton hums lowly, and it's in this moment Conner realizes he wants to jump the man next to him.

Away from them everyone begins a conversation about racing, Saint ignored, Ares silent and Valentino gushing about how 'good' he is all while internally, Everly is scoffing. The only person who has a chance to beat her is Anton, since he was one of her main competitor when they had to do gang work -whoever would get the lesser consequences from losing, would let the other win. It's something that made them even closer than they already were. They've saved each other's lives.

Anton makes a noise in the back of his throat, coming to a stop directly behind behind Conner -who tenses at the action.

Was it good I left the crowd when he's making me have very low self control?

"You're a very...confusing man." Anton murmurs, stepping forward until his chest was inches from brushing Conner's back. "Did you know?"

"I...don't think I am." Conner finally gets the courage to answer back. "We just, you -we just met."

"Your name is Conner Reed, you're a twin, you're a very good friend. You care a lot, you're an emotional man, you're trust worthy. Ever trusts you with her anima, that's enough for me. Your favorite color is red, and you're afraid of the dark. When it gets down to it, you respect people's boundaries and care a lot for the people around you. I know a lot about you, more than you'd probably like. But you?"

Conner's back muscles ripple with a shiver as Anton now presses into him -it's not a sexual touch, just intimate.

And Conner liked it.

"You know nothing about me."

And just like that Anton wasn't against him anymore, and once again walks around him. Conner goes stiff, silently cursing Everly for telling this hunk of a man so much about him -but of course this is Conner Reed, he grew up with three brothers and two sisters, he knows how to argue, fight and pick at someone. Anton is a man who's thoughts, simply, need to be picked. "Those are all surface things -anyone can tell that."

"Oh?" When Anton says this, Conner knows that he's in trouble. "Can anyone tell you're pretending to be someone you're not. That you look at your brother, and you try to imitate his behavior but you're bad at doing it? That you need to be loved, but don't know how to accept it? Can they really tell that...hmm, that's unfortunate for you."

"I'm not -they don't, I am -Logan doesn't...I'm not, I'm not...what you're saying I am." After this gets stammered Anton smirks, catching how red Conner is.

"You're not?" This, of course, is a loaded question. Conner shakes his head, unknowing. "Then what are you?"

There's a hidden tone in Anton's voice, one that tell's the other man the words I bet you don't know are meant to follow his question. It makes Conner's knees week -the way Anton unravels him and sounds so sexy doing it.

If every man was like this Conner would have broken down the closet door long ago.

To Logan and Ares it would seem that he went from totally straight like uncooked spaghetti they thought he was to gay seemingly overnight. It wouldn't go from questioning, experimenting, to definitive. No, this would jump straight to a 'Okay I can't ignore this anymore I want this man to kiss me' attitude. 

Which, of course, to Anton will be fucking hilarious. 

Conner goes to open his mouth and respond, only to catch air and shut it again. 

"Can't pick which mask or you don't know yet?" Despite the smug words Anton has, the deliberately dedicated 'yet' catches Conner off card. "I don't like your name."

Now this has Conner reeling back. "Why not?"

Anton shrugs, "Everyone calls you it, at this point it's not your name. If it was your name, only a few people would say it -not everyone who thinks you're the kind of man you want them to. Un uomo sciocco."

"Well," Conner clears his throat, watching as Anton walks around him once again only to pause in front of him, face to face. "Then what's your real name, if not Anton."

"You've caught on." Anton grins. "Has Ever told you anything about me?" 

Very hesitantly, the shorter man replies, "Uh....no. No offense, you know, I-"

"I know." Thankfully Anton nods, realizing the anxiety that Conner is suddenly going through. Apparently he doesn't like people getting mad at him, or at least, people that he likes; something that Ares's anger doesn't count for anymore as Conner has gotten more than used to it. "I was just wondering. My name? Angelo-Enea, don't overuse it."

Suddenly Anton frowns, his brain now confused by 'overuse' as it seems like the wrong word. He's dyslexic, and sometimes it really messes with his speech, especially because he speaks multiple languages. 

And right now, he really really hates that his brain is farting so hard when someone like Conner is around him. Due to the embarrassment his ears go red and he subconsciously takes a step back while asking, "Was that -was that the right word?"

"Oh uh, did I say the wrong word?" Conner asks, completely misunderstanding the situation.

"What? No, the um, the, after the-" Anton runs a hand down his face, taking a breath to collect himself after the sudden problem. Conner grows concern, already able to tell the confident man in front of him isn't one for stammering. "Overuse, was it the right word?"

"Oh. I think, it didn't sound weird to me. Is this a bilingual thing? Because I know sometimes that Peyton forgets words too and I help her figure them out."

Dio, Anton wishes that that's all this was.

He hates being this way -and maybe he wouldn't if he wasn't bullied and abused because of it, if his foster parents wouldn't beat him for not being able to speak, if teachers didn't call him stupid for not being able to spell right, if kids didn't pick on him. If he didn't get hit for asking questions, or speaking in Italian when he didn't know what words to use in English. Maybe he would think of this as just a quirk of character if he had been treated like he was supposed to be.

The intimidating 6'4, muscled, broad, spiky red-tipped hair, nose ring wearing, could snap a person in half, giant ball of don't-fuck-with-me vibes of a man dips his face down and runs a hand through his hair before muttering, "I have dyslexia."

Honestly whoever made the spelling of that word can fuck off.

Conner pauses at this admission, inherently knowing that this is something serious that he shouldn't take lightly, based on how the giant in front of him shrinks in on himself. "You're...okay. Overuse was the right word, and I absolutely wouldn't have even questioned you using it. I don't know a lot about what it means to be dyslexic, but I do know enough not to be an asshole so if you're confused about a word again just...come to me."

Come to me.

That wasn't something Anton heard often, if much at all.

Just hearing these words make Anton want to hug Conner, and with a step forward and open arms he does -having learned never to squander an opportunity for affection no matter how small. As long as the other is okay with it, of course. 

Shocked, Conner freezes before slowly hugging him back. "Angel?" The other man pulls back slightly, raising an eyebrow at the nickname. Conner grins, and to Anton, it's breathtaking. "You told me not to overuse it. Who am I not to listen?"

"If you knew me you wouldn't call me that."

"Whatever you say," Conner pauses, staring him right in the eyes. "Angel."