Tonight was the night everything changed.

I didn’t realize the shift in my life until we were standing in his apartment bathroom putting the final touches on everything. He straightened my tie and fixed my suit collar, before brushing off any invisible dust from my shoulders. His touch was gentle on me like I’d break if he pushed down a little too hard, his demeanor shifting between motherly and focused.

I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do with my hands. I kept rubbing my clammy hands on my suit pants when Emilio wasn’t looking, focusing on keeping my breathing steady. I was never really nervous about social events, but this time was different. Not a lot of parties involve heists usually.

The plan kept me grounded, step by step repeating my mind. It was a good stress reliever, my hands not shaking anymore and my body less rigid. I glanced in the mirror in front of me when I realized Emilio stopped fussing. His piercing eyes stared back unblinking. I felt paralyzed but not fearful. It was intimate and warm. This moment was the moment I missed the most. It was one of the few times I felt truly safe. A stranger who I’d known for a week had made me so calm with just a stare, it was confusing but thrilling. I understood love at first sight now. It was always there in the back of my mind. Swimming around.

I blinked and the link broke, him patting my shoulders signaling he was done. I finished the last touch by adding my earrings and fancy ear cuffs, the ear cuff chains swinging with the motion. He waited at the hallway entrance, acting like putting on earrings was a private matter.

He was barely on a lot of technology when I was around him, focusing on me fully even when we were talking over game plans with a computer in front of us. I found that odd but alluring, everyone using technology for everything now. It was like he time traveled from the past before the take over of tech, always looking to be in his own thoughts instead of face first into the first glowing screen available. It was refreshing for me, not a huge fan of the obsession myself. That was a reason why I favored the little cafe down the street from the university. It was face to face interactions with servers and paying upfront at the cashier. I also learned to love the downtown area Emilio stayed in because they didn’t have as much access to fancy high end tech like where I resided. There was still technology scattered around, a lot of them worn down and seen better days, down here if it barely works that’s fine by them. They used cracked screens and slow electric cars, their computers needing a good smack to process an order for takeout, but to them they worked just fine. It was a bittersweet thought to me, how they tried their best even when the government gave up on them.

Children still smiled and ran through the streets down here, the adults and grandparents watching as they lounged close by, chatting about everything and nothing. The nice hole-in-the-wall restaurants gave out free samples of their best treats to entice people to buy something instead of just looking. There were of course a few rotten apples that ruined the image of this orchard, drug lords, gangs, smugglers, all residing here and controlling sections of the districts. That’s the only thing causing me to watch my back and be paranoid of being followed. I don’t carry a lot of the expensive items the college provides me, one of the fanciest things packed in my bag everyday being some fresh meals and snacks for Emilio and I while we worked together every day we were free. I always bought extras to stash in his fridge so he could have some treats when I was gone, the container being mostly empty besides the few essentials like fruits and lunch meats.

He ordered us a city taxi, spending an extra 10 quads for the taxi to pick us up at his apartment, the taxi driver looking around wearily as we got in. He got out of the downtown area as fast as the crowded streets let him, turning up his music after we gave him the address of the auction location. He knew the area well because he carted around rich people there a lot, the place used for more than just secret auctions.

We arrived right on time, very rich looking vehicles filling the parking lot in front of the building. When the taxi pulled up in front of the entrance, we thanked him and I slipped an extra 15 quads into his hand to make sure he knew this was meant to not be mentioned. It was one of the first little tricks Emilio taught me, coming in handy when you’re doing something illegal and you have a witness.

Standing at the big entrance doors, my mind began to question why I was here. Why did I accept this stranger’s request to do something illegal? The anxious doubts flooded my brain and stopped me from taking a full breath. Was this what a panic attack felt like? My hands went clammy as my breathing shallowed and picked up pace, my vision filling with stars and my body losing balance.

I felt arms hook under my arms as my legs went jelly, my hands shaking more than usual. “I’m so sorry, I just..” I trailed off into a sob, my vision now underwater with starry tears. Emilio tsked behind me in what I’ve come to learn is a concerned noise, gently helping me sit down on the steps leading to the front doors.

He sat down next to me, body tense. We sat there until I calmed down enough to see clearly. “You ok?” He asked in a wary murmur, new to the whole empathy thing that came with hanging around someone. I hesitated before nodding my head, sniffling pathetically next to his big stature. A tentative hand was placed on the middle of my back, Emilio trying to comfort me more as the last wave of hiccuping sobs ran through me.

His awkward reassurance made me smile to myself, glancing up at him and locking eyes unexpectedly. We both looked away quickly, blood rushing all over my face. I stumbled over my words before rushing to stand up, inevitably ending up with me tripping back into a sitting position. I still had a little jelly in my knees and my heart racing still causing the stars.

I gave myself a few extra minutes before carefully getting up this time with Emilio following suit. His presence beside me was enough to get me to take a deep breath and walk through the first level of hell that was going to be that night.

Heists never end well for anybody, do they?

——

We danced and conversed with the other attendees, the auction taking place later in the night. The upper class knew how to throw parties for sure, the ball room filled with rioting laughter and echoing gossip. At one point Emilio and I regrouped at the bar to refill our drinks, bumping into each other when we signaled the bartender in unison. I chuckled as we glanced at each other, raising a brow and smirking at him while nudging my head towards the bathrooms to signal him to come with me to talk.

We gathered our drinks and both headed to the location, the music getting crazier. The crowd of dancers pushed us to the wall in a single file, my drink close to my chest and my hand itching to grab his to keep him close. I was surprised when I felt a warm hand grab onto my free one, a smile rising on my face. I squeezed his hand back to acknowledge him, reaching the bathroom soon after. We held hands until we opened the door, no one inside yet.

I quickly turned around to face Emilio, swiping my hair out of my face and back into the stylized slick back it was before. A smile was very present on my face, my eyes crinkling a little. Emilio’s neutral expression was a hint surprised to see my face glowing, returning to full neutral when I started explaining why I wanted to talk.

“I never knew rich people were this crazy at parties! Plus free drinks? I’m glad I don’t drink alcohol or else I’d be shit faced right now. That and the job, of course! Which speaking of, you never specified where you’d be during the whole operation?” I leaned against the long slab of marble that was the bathroom sinks, arms crossed over my chest.

“I’ll be dealing with security and taking out the power. You grab the jewels when the power goes out and meet me at the location we discussed beforehand.” He shoved his hands into his pockets as he explained, my head nodding along as I remembered every word.

“Right, got it.” I stood back up straight before asking a very important question, “Want to dance with me when we go back out?” My palm outstretched for him to take. His eyebrows rose in surprise before shifting back to their original place a second after like nothing happened. He shrugged and grabbed my hand, getting dragged out and onto the dance floor with me.

He was more of a torso dancer than a hip or full body dancer, legs stepping side to side as his torso did most of the work with the beat. I studied him as we danced together, a grin pulling at my cheeks. Soon the dancing calmed down, my arms motioning for us to get closer as the music slowed. He advanced towards me without hesitation, my hands sliding onto his shoulders as his hands held onto my waist.

“Are you having fun?” I asked into his ear so he could hear me over the loud music, barely catching the hum that he responded with. We swayed to the music in our bubble, spending the rest of the time before the auction together, whether it be dancing, mingling with guests, or getting drinks.

Then suddenly the music died down and the main head of the auction went on stage to announce the auction starting in a few minutes and for everyone to go grab a seat in the auction room. That was our moment to shine. Emilio parted from me to go deal with cameras and guards while I followed the crowd to the bustling auction. I took a deep breath as I snagged a chair closer to the front where I could access the gem easier. On the ride here I had put in some night vision contact lenses that activated in the dark, courtesy of Emilio, of course. I became hyper aware of them in my eyes as I blinked, not used to wearing contact lenses.

I rubbed one of my eyes with my fist while the room started settling down, the auctioneer sitting at his booth. Showtime was about to begin.

There were a handful of other rare sightings sold that night, number cards flying up all over the place. To keep suspicion off of me, I raised mine a couple times in the middle of price battles, knowing that more well off desperates will double the bidding price.

FInally, the case we were here for was moved onto the stage, the lights hitting it just right that the crowd gapped and awed at the uncut gem. I sat and waited for the inevitable flicker of lights to make my move, the room going dark a couple moments after the bidding cards started flipping up with numbers shouted. The room went silent before everyone around me started freaking out. I took the chaos as my time to run for the gem, smashing the glass case undetected with all the commotion. The jewel was heavy in my hands, the night vision giving it a weird supernatural glow. I ran toward the backstage to meet up with Emilio at one of the back ports, adrenaline pumping through my veins and making my ears pound. This was exhilarating!

All this work and preparation for the night to go so well was relieving. I spotted Emilio leaning against the opening of the drop off port, showing off the gem in my hands. He gave me a small smile before he ushered me outside to our getaway vehicle. That was the most mysterious, unmentioned part of the plan. I was told everything about the plan up to this point, the vague ‘getaway van’ note the only indication that that was the sort of conclusion of the plan.

We ran towards an unmarked dark gray van, someone opening the door for us from the inside so we could get in without any struggle. They helped me up first, Emilio keeping me balanced from behind with the person inside pulling me up with my free hand. I stumbled into the companion once inside, the van door pulled shut by Emilio who told the driver to “Drive, drive, drive!”

I looked through the back door window and saw some goons get into a delivery truck that was parked further behind where the van was once parked, the sound of squealing tires indicating we were out of here. I held tightly onto the uncut gem, the sharp ridges cutting into my palms as the van took tight turns and I tried to not drop the item. 

We all celebrated with whoops and hollers a little too early as immediately we were bashed into by another car into our side, the smaller vehicle backing up so as to not crash into the traffic around us. There were no seats in the back of the van, my body tumbling against the van wall and making me gasp in pain. Emilio slid his way over to me as another car tried to crash into the side of us, his body blocking me from any more bangs and bruises. I looked up at him in thanks, the gem clutched to my chest with both hands now.

The person who pulled me into the van was now stationed at the door on the side of the dented part, sliding the wreaked door open and breathing in deeply before their chest and throat burned with a brilliant mix of fiery oranges and purples, their body heaving out a glowing magma like substance out of their mouth and towards the offending cars. It was so mesmerizing I couldn’t look away, the adrenaline coursing through me not registering that what they just did was basically impossible by human standards. But gods, was it so amazing to watch.

They almost fell out when the driver took an extra sharp turn, suddenly being grabbed by a long tendril of hair and pulled back inside, another hair tendril closing the broken van door shut. I followed the hair up to the guy in the passenger seat, his face filled with worry and caution. “Be careful Denmark! Do you want to get run over like an idiot?” He shouted at the magma puking person who was still clutched in his hair tendrils. “No, but it was crazy fun, huh?” they shouted back with glee, shaking their mullet-y mohawk like a dog shaking water off itself.

“What am I going to do with you.” The guy responded rhetorically, sighing before dropping them back onto the van floor. I watched this all unfold in front of me, feeling Emilio’s chest rise and fall on my back, his breathing keeping me from freaking out as more crazy things happened around us.

A week into knowing the man I’m in the lap of and I helped him with a heist, stole a priceless gem, am currently in a car chase, and have met two superhumans all in one night.

And my life got crazier from there.