/ ALEX

The morning air was chilly. Alexander tightened his coat around his body, his small stature not great for providing warmth on it’s own. But he had a job to do.

He spotted his target across the square. A tall, stern man striding across the street with a younger man in tow. Focusing primarily on the first man, Alex gradually made his way towards the two.

“Oh! I’m so sorry, sir!” Alex squeaked as he ‘accidentally’ bumped into the man, slipping a hand into his coat pocket. As he stepped back, still apologizing, he drew out a small object. He waved with his free hand, walking away. Alex was too busy navigating the crowd to notice the other man staring at him.

……

Around two minutes later, Alex tucked into an alleyway. He pulled out the object, and cheered quietly. It was what Camilla had asked for; a golden pocket watch.

Like seriously, who even carries these around anymore?

Alex turned a corner, still inspecting the watch, when he actually bumped into someone. Glancing up, he noticed it was the man he had seen earlier. Not the person he had stolen from, no, the other one; a boy a little older than him, it seemed, and actually rather cute. Or he would’ve been, if he wasn’t glaring down at poor Alex.

“Uh,” Alex squeaked, knowing he’d been caught red-handed.

God, I am so stupid.

“Give it back.”

Alex blinked up at him. “One: you sound like a child. Two: no.”

“Please? I’m in enough shit as is.”

“Why? You weren’t the one who took it.”

“Yeah, but he thinks I did! And he refuses to think otherwise! This is your fault!” The mystery boy hissed.

“Well, sucks to be you, I guess.” Alex turned but saw the other boy throw up his hands in exasperation.

“Why did I think this would work?”

“Good question, mystery boy.”

“That’s not my name…?”

“Well duh, but I don’t exactly know what your name is, so--”

The two froze as they heard vague shouting and footsteps getting closer.

The mystery boy blanched . “That’s gotta be him. Oh shit, I’m screwed.”

Alex rolled his eyes and glanced around at their surroundings. Noticing a pile of boxes, he grabbed the boy’s hand and dragged him towards them. Checking around, he ducked behind the boxes and motioned for the boy to follow suit. He hesitated, then crouched and crawled forward.

The two were very close.

“Sorry, tight squeeze,” Alex mumbled softly.

“It’s okay. Better than out there,” he replied.

They were silent for a moment. Alex avoided looking into the other man’s eyes. They were easy to get lost in, he noticed.

“Saren,” the man said.

“Hm?”

“That’s my name. Saren.”

“Alex,” he replied.

Eventually, Alex was unable to hear anything outside the pounding of his heart and their breathing.

“I think it’s safe.”

Slowly, Saren peeked out from behind the boxes.

He gradually crept out. “Coast is clear,” he said, glancing at Alex.

The two emerged, looking around cautiously. The alley was devoid of life besides the two of them (and a rat scurrying through a puddle).

Alex hesitated. “So… where are you gonna go now?”

He didn’t know why he cared. He had just met Saren, and while he made several acquaintances on the job, they usually didn’t matter to him. He had learned how to block his emotions, but somehow, this man was making it very difficult to remain indifferent.

“Not sure,” Saren mused. “I’ve always wanted to run away, but I never had anywhere to go. What about you?”

“Back home, I suppose,” Alex mumbled. “Ugh. Sami’s gonna kill me.”

“What?”

Alex grabbed onto Saren’s arm for the second time that day. “I know where you could go.”

“Where?”

Alex said nothing but started pulling him gently in a direction. Saren followed.

The two walked through alleys and backways.

“Am I gonna get murdered?”

“Probably not.”

“Probably?!”

“Calm down. I’m not gonna kill you.” Alex glanced at Saren and grinned. “Can’t speak for the others, though.”

“I have regrets.”

“Too bad!”

Alex stopped abruptly in front of what seemed to be a rundown, abandoned warehouse. “Here we are!”

He let go of Saren’s hand, which he’d somehow grabbed halfway through their walk, and pushed open the door.

“Sami, please don’t kill me!”

A voice called out from down the hallway. “What’d you do?”

A tall man rounded the corner, and stopped short at the sight of the two boys. “What the fuck?”