Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This evening was calm. It was quite unlikely for there to be calm at any point in this town. Local hooligans and bandits liked to play tricks on the sherif, so it was a pleasant change. Of course, universe liked to play tricks on him instead, for, just as he was about to drown his sorrows in alcohol, a new face walked through the door.

Through the buzz of the tavern, he heard the stranger say "Whiskey, neat" to the bartender, who did not fail to comply. After a moment the bartender showed up before him.

"And anything for you, sheriff?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Find out what you can about that man, CG. We don't need any hooligans here," Trevor replied with a low voice, swirling the liquid in his glass slowly.

"And get him a drink on my tab while you’re at it," he added, eliciting a smirk from CG.

"I'll get that done, then," he said and went away.

Trevor is once again left to his own thoughts.

Another drink was slid across the counter to him some time later. Another stolen glance he sent to the strange man.

Trevor studied him. His shoulders broad and body lean. Hat graciously casting a shadow on his face, but his eyes glowed through the darkness. They were sharp with intent and mission. Beard rugged and shoulders tense. Without even realising, the eyes were staring back. Trevor adverted his gaze. The mysterious man smirked and moved closer to him.

‘’How you doin this fine evening, sheriff?’’ he asked. Trevor turned to look at him. Now that he was closer, he could admire his attire. The stranger’s hat was toped of with a single wildflower, jacket adorned with multiple colourful patches. Trevor smiled at the sight.

‘’Just fine. But tell me, what are you doing here, stranger,’’ he asked, ‘’this is not a place for the light-hearted.’’

The stranger chuckled. ‘’It ain’t indeed. For now, I’m making my way east. Trying to find somewhere to belong.’’

‘’Who’s to say this ain’t the place?’’ Trevor tried to coax more out of the guest.

The man shook his head with a smile. ‘’No no, this ain’t it. I’ll know when the time comes.’’

The sheriff nodded and the discussion turned to silence. Both men stared at the beverages before them. Somewhere in a corner of the tavern a faint roar of laughter emerged. Talks bubbled behind them. Trevor mustered up some courage to resume the conversation.

‘’So, what’s your name?’’ he asked. The man beside him kept staring down the glass.

‘’Where I come from, they call me Zag,’’ he responded, not giving any other information. Zag looked up at him suddenly, with a hint of urgency. ‘’Say, would you know a place to stay for the night?

Trevor raised his eyebrow. ‘’It’s quite late, but I suppose the tavern could have some free rooms upstairs. Might cost ya a bit. Better talk to the bartender,’’ he said.

‘’I’ll be right back then,’’ Zag smiled slightly and went closer to where the bartender was working.

Meanwhile the sheriff continued to study the strange man. There was something very captivating about him. Maybe it was the way he walked or talked, perhaps it was how he talked about himself, but that man was irresistible. With curiosity Trevor noted a navy-blue handkerchief in his back pocket. And his beautiful backside.

When Zag was done conversing with CG, he returned to his seat next to the sheriff. He raised an eyebrow at the funny expression Trevor had.

‘’Turns out they have one free room for tonight. Luck is on my side,’’ he said. Trevor hummed.

‘’I uhm… noticed you have a handkerchief in your back pocket. It’s… stylish,’’ the sheriff tried to find the right way to approach the subject. Zag’s eyes shifted to him in an instant.

‘’Yeah…really stylish. Real silk too,’’ the man’s eyes curiously studied him. Trevor hummed again.

‘’Maybe we can go try to find your room for tonight. Might need my help, the numbers on the doors are quite faded,’’ he clapped a hand on the stranger’s shoulder. The man looked up and narrowed his eyes.

‘’Oh really? Well, we better get going, I’d hate to intrude in the wrong room. Mine’s number seven,’’ he stood up with far too much ardour and theatrical movement. Trevor cringed a bit.

‘’Tone it down,’’ he whispered and lead the way upstairs. Talking from downstairs became quieter as they climbed up the stairs. Some singing could still be heard faintly in the hallway, but it was soon replaced with snores coming through closed doors.

‘’Here’s number seven,’’ the sheriff said, waiting for the other man’s lead.

‘’Well, thank you kind sir. Maybe you’d like to come inside for a quick drink?’’ Zag asked, the lie obvious, but instead of pointing it out, Trevor just smiled.

‘’I’d like that,’’ he said and walked in the room. Zag followed. As soon as the door closed, Trevor found himself pinned to the door.

‘’You do know I’ll be out of here as soon as sun rises, right?’’ the stranger asked. Trevor just nodded and captured their lips in a hungry kiss.

Faint sunrays danced on the floor as Trevor opened his eyes. The covers did little to cover his naked body, the morning cold seeping into his bones. The space beside him on the bed was empty, but still warm. With great effort the sheriff sat up and looked out the window. The world around was beginning to wake up. The sun casted its golden shine on the mountains and roofs, but the only thing he noticed was a small figure on horseback, riding into the sunrise.

The sheriff was distracted that day, his thoughts straying to a certain man. He had discovered a lone wildflower stuffed in his jacket’s pocket. It had stayed there, not visible to anyone, but Trevor was still painfully aware of it as the nature’s beauty laid there.

After a hard day he was sat at the tavern again, aimlessly looking around and hyperaware of the object in his pocket. The bartender noticed his strange demeanour.

‘’Ya alright, sheriff? Need a drink?’’ he leaned on the counter, ‘’Might it be related to the man who was here yesterday?’’

Trevor scoffed. ‘’No, had a hard day. Now pour one of your finest, will ya.’’ He nudged a glass towards the bartender. CG followed the request. When he got the glass back to the waiting customer, he suddenly spoke up.

‘’You know, there is a bandit going round’ these days. A traveller let me know. Apparently, he’s heading east. They know him as Zag,’’ CG said, carefully eyeing the sheriff.

Everything in Trevor’s body broke like glass shards, yet his face stayed rock solid. The wilted flower burning a hole in his pocket. Still staring at his drink, he mumbled. ‘’Oh. Is that so?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ the bartender nodded, ‘’better watch out these next days. He might start a fuss and steal something.’’

The sheriff hummed, deep in thought. It was already too late. The bandit had stolen something far more important than livestock or gold. He had stolen the sheriff’s heart.

Chapter Text

Kodiaks heart was thumping in his chest. He couldn’t breathe for a moment. Lenn won against Consus.

‘’OH MY GOD! THAT’S CRAZY,’’ he screamed, completely overwhelmed. With disbelief he watched as Lennli reached inside the bag to put on his sunglasses.

‘’Oh my god,’’ he repeated, still not being able to believe it, ‘’Dude!’’

A pair of arms ingulfed him in a hug and he clung on. He had completely forgot that his friend was with him streaming the event.

‘’But he did it,’’ Orion pointed out, afterwards inhaling sharply, ‘’Again! He won two-‘’

‘’Two times against Consus!’’ Kodiak cried out, putting his head in his arms. His eyes were still transfixed on things happening on screen.

‘’And people want to say that he had a master’s thesis, and he was busy, but he doesn’t give a shit! He is the goat,’’ his co-host provided some information to the stream, but Kodiak was barely listening. It was hard to stay in his seat.

‘’Dude!’’ he exclaimed; the reality of the situation still slow to hit him. Or more like beating him up at this point – he felt like he was dying from happiness. Kodiak wanted to say something, but his voice cracked unintentionally.

‘’Guys, I can’t speak!’’ mouth still agape, he thought of the rounds and the smiling crowd. Orion started to talk to chat. Kodiak slid down in his chair from exhaustion.

‘’Guys, the Cheergis in the chat, guys…’’ he shook his head, ‘’I can’t even talk, I’m so tired! But claps for Consus of course.’’

Orion shushed him. ‘’The interview!’’

Kodiak immediately scooted closer to the screen and stopped talking. All looks concentrated to the winner of the match. Orion sipped on a glass of water while they listened to Pala and Lennli talking. At some point Kodiak clapped.

‘’What’s going through your mind?’’ Pala asked, and Kodiak was keen to know the answer.

‘’I was… a little disappointed that Debre didn’t bring the leopard hat…’’ Lenn went on to tell their shenanigans with the NMPZ hat and Kodiak smiled involuntarily. How could the only thing going through his mind right now was the cap? As if hearing his thoughts, Orion began to speak.

‘’He’s really awesome, this man is built differently. It’s the only way to put it,’’ he said and then the situation really sank in for Kodiak. He won. His friend won. With hands clasped together he tried his best to blink back the tears, still staring at the man at the other side of the screen, who looked as content as ever. After a brief pause Orion continued to praise Lenn. Kodiak listened to him as if through cotton – the sound didn’t quite reach his ears. Noticing how unresponsive his friend was, Orion suddenly stopped his word flow with a short ‘’sorry, I was excited’’.

Kodiak cracked up and dismissed him – yes, he wanted to pay attention to what Lenn was saying, but it didn’t mean that Orion couldn’t talk. They continued to listen in silence, Orion giving him some looks at the things Lennli said, but Kodiak hardly noticed. He was more concerned about his breathing. He took in some deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heartbeat.

Then he remembered that he was at the venue where this was happening. This interview was happening behind him. Not able to ignore the fact, he turned to look.

‘’Ņo thoughts, just vibes. I think it sums up pretty well,’’ Orion repeated what Lennli said in the interview and Kodiak turned back swiftly to face the camera and let out a stream of words with no sense. Just out of pure anguish.

He turned to look again. An arena full of people who saw it happening and the man on stage. He was so chill about it, that it infuriated him a bit. But then again, who could be angry at the man representing Germany? Lenn was his friend, and he was very proud of him. So yeah, he was grinning widely, high on happiness. Kodiak turned back, exhaling violently. The stress was finally over. Lennli had done the improbable.

‘’That guy is about to get the biggest high five from me,’’ Orion chuckled, eyeing how Kodiak was dealing with this explosion of happiness. Kodiak had resumed listening to Lennli speak. They continued to sit in silence, sitting still as statues, fascination taking over them, as Lenn continued to shout out people. They clapped and cheered when Lennli went off stage. Then all hell broke loose.

‘’Oh my god,’’ Kodiak loudly bawled, probably for the nth time that day, ‘’ guys- I’m empty.’’

‘’I have a feeling I’ve not spoken in minutes,’’ Orion interjected, their words overlapping with each other’s.

‘’Really? It’s the same from me,’’ Kodiak started shouting. Even if he felt empty and completely exhausted, yet another burst of disbelief and ecstasy found its way of appearing, ‘’first of all, how he qualified for this – a game with Consus. Now he’s doing the same thing in the World Cup, I can’t anymore!’’ it sounded like Kodiak might burst into tears at any point. The amount of proudness and emotion he had about this – against all odds Lenn had made it.

Meanwhile Orion sat quietly, fighting his own grin, listening to Kodiak’s crash out. ‘’I’m in love with this man,’’ he said, and well, that was enough said. Kodiak looked at him for a moment while continuing talking.

‘’Really, like. If you are a Geoguessr fan, if you are German, that’s why you got to love him. It’s like-‘’ Kodiak let out another confused scream. His body could not contain the adrenaline. ‘’I can’t cope anymore!’’

‘’Cinema does not even describe it, it was so clutch,’’ Orion said agreeing with his friend. That did not stop him from ranting though.

‘’It was such a close game. It was so well played, the-‘’ Kodiak went on, and Orion join in as they went over the intricacies of the rounds. They laughed at a particular message in chat and then Kodiak went on to talk about how surprising this outcome was.

‘’Maybe Lennli should come on stream?’’ Kodiak read out a message from chat and looked at Orion. That certainly was a good idea.

‘’Oh, yeah. Where is he?’’ Orion asked and Kodiak could feel his heart once again trying to escape its place – he hadn’t congratulated him yet!

‘’I’ll do that,’’ he said as he made the webcam full screen, ‘’and now I’ll try to find him.’’

He hastily took off his headphones and took off, while Orion stayed, entertaining and talking to chat.

Meanwhile, Kodiak ran down the staircase, trying to find the winner of everyone’s hearts this evening. He sent a quick message to him to come on his stream and debated his options. He supposed that Lenn might be in the backroom that was reserved for the players, so he quickly rounded the corner. He ignored the steps echoing in the staircase behind him, as he went down the corridor. Upon arriving in the room, he immediately noted the lack of his friend, but just in case, he asked anyway.

‘’Has Lennli been here?’’ he asked, but all the people shrugged.

‘’Maybe he went to find you?’’ somebody suggested, and Kodiak was out of the room in an instant, clutching his phone in his hand, while phoning Orion.

‘’Is he with you?’’ he asked, walking fast (because running was strictly banned) down the corridor.

‘’Lenn is here. Lenn is here. We’re waiting for you,’’ Orion calmly said, but that did little to calm Kodiaks nerves. He ran up the stairs two steps at a time. He burst into the room and went straight to the man of the hour.

‘’Let’s go!’’ he yelled, hugging his friend tightly and laughing. Orion said something about a microphone, but Kodiak just suggested they keep the headset between them. It was thrilling to see him here, in the flesh. He had to restrain himself from hugging him again.

‘’I’ve just been looking everywhere, oh my god,’’ Kodiak sighed as he kneeled on the floor. Maybe they should have gotten another chair.

‘’Yeah, I read it and came up without replying,’’ Lennli put a hand over his face, chuckling about the situation. Kodiak was still grinning widely. He thought to himself that this was what life is about – friends, victories and unforgettable pride.

Chapter Text

‘’Where did Oscar go?’’ Jack was loudly wondering, looking around the hall. The quarterfinals had ended and now everyone was waiting in suspense for the semis. Though Jack had more stuff to worry about – they had agreed to meet up during the break and watch the Sidemen segment together, but Oscar was nowhere to be seen.

‘’Maybe he is busy? You’ll talk to him later,’’ Becky tried to stop his wondering thoughts, for what felt like the tenth time that day.

‘’Maybe. But I was looking forward to it. He was supposed to help me win against them!’’ he muttered. Albeit it would be cheating, and he clearly said it as a joke, Jack couldn’t shake of the thought how funny it would have been. But alas, that all stays a dream.

‘’Let’s bring out our mystery opponent!’’ Jack heard as Pala exclaimed. The lights started flashing and he could see how people around him were turning their heads to find them. After some long, tormenting seconds, the light focused on a bald man. Then the light shifted up. Somewhere far away Jack heard the host ramble on.

There he was. The GX Man. Jack looked at the screen, drinking in the way he (or she. They? Well… I suppose it is GX Man and not GX Woman or GX Person, so…) sat unmoving. Jack was a bit spooked, but then a hand tapped the GX Man on his knee to get his attention and the mystery opponent snapped out of his stillness. His moves were a bit awkward as he looked around.

‘’Honestly, I thought it was the man in front and I wasn’t scared. Now I am a little bit,’’ Simon spoke into the microphone and Becky spurted into giggles.

‘’They really should have done the lighting better,’’ she hummed, and Jack nodded. As always, she was right. They continued to watch as the GX Man struggled to walk down the stairs and walk to the stage. Jack couldn’t help but laugh, he was walking like a newborn deer. The GX Man stood next to Simon and even from the weird angle, where Jack was looking from the top, he could see how the mystery man was slightly taller. Jesus, who is this guy?

The jacket was a bit too big, and the sneakers slightly ruined the illusion, but even then, the unreadable person looked intimidating.

‘’Yeah, you’re going down, mate,’’ Harry said and the couple sitting at the very top in the audience snickered.

‘’Wait, I need to film something for the vlog,’’ Jack realised and turned on his camera, just as the final words were said. He smiled at the faint sarcasm of the host and how the GX Man himself didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to talk. Right, this is just for the show. This part. Only this part.

As the players were settling down, Jack took his chance to talk to the vlog.

‘’Ooooo, the mysterious opponent. Who do you think he is Becky?’’ he asked, panning the camera towards his girlfriend, and most importantly, editor.

‘’Well, I’ve got no idea!’’ she responded with a smirk.

‘’I don’t know either! I suppose it must be someone quite influential and famous,’’ Jack continued to talk. Becky looked at him with a knowing smile.

‘’Actually, I think I know who it is,’’ she began as Jack whipped his head around to look at her, ‘’but I won’t tell you. I’m sure you’ll figure it out yourself.’’

‘’Well, that’s rude,’’ he murmured to the camera and panned it towards the stage.

Jack observed as the GX Man promptly ignored Joshes waves and stared straight at the screen. He supposed a part of it was the persona, mysterious and intimidating, but maybe the visibility through the mask wasn’t the greatest either. He watched as the ominous person clutched the mouse with his hand and through the screen above, Jack could see how tight those gloves were.

Actually, all of his clothes were nice. Maybe the jacket was a bit wrinkly, but to admit, the effect was there. A threat. A villain. In fact, a very good villain. The crowd shuddered as the GX Man immediately locked in Johannesburg.

‘’Woah, he got it!’’ Jack gasped and Becky besides him smiled, ‘’they are a very good player for sure. Damn, Oscar is missing all the action right now!’’

The watched in silence for a bit, Jack turning off the camera, deciding that was enough footage. The game ended two rounds later, the Sidemen going wrong continent. Not really listening to the banter on stage, Jack turned to Becky.

‘’Honestly, I think I figured it out,’’ Jack let it be known and Becky shook her head.

‘’Good, for a moment I thought you were oblivious,’’ she said, and Jack looked at her, offended at such blasphemy.

‘’How dare you! I keep up with the news! It’s Rainbolt! Who else would they invite, if not him?’’ Jack sat up in his seat, ‘’Google released Costa Rica with Rainbolt covering it like, this week. It all makes sense. What?’’ he questioned the sour face Becky made.

‘’No, I just… well, I thought it was somebody else,’’ she uttered, bewildering Jack. Who else was there?

‘’Well, either way. You must admit, they look nice. The clothes I mean. Just imagine showing up to a wedding in that suit,’’ Jack rambled, half of his mind still trying to figure out who Becky was talking about and the other observing the mannerisms of the mysterious man. Becky chuckled.

‘’Well, it is quite nice. But I think the mystery effect makes it seem nicer than it is,’’ she speculated, sending Jack on another spiral.

‘’Perhaps you’re right. I mean, he looks quite strong and, well, he is tall and good at the game. But through the ominousness and mystery some cracks appear and, well, the person behind the mask probably isn’t used to it. Did you see how he gave that thumbs up? He was radiating with golden retriever energy-What the fuck???!!!!’’ Jack exclaimed as GX Man went wrong country and the Sidemen got closer. Becky snickered at his sudden outburst.

‘’Good at the game you say?’’ she teased him while her partner stared that the scene happening before him.

‘’Maybe he has his bad days,’’ Jack murmured, suddenly very invested that the fascinating, erm, I mean, mysterious person wins. He gasped when GX Man guessed Laos.

‘’What is this guy doing?’’ he hissed, trying not to draw attention to himself. A person in front had turned around at his last outburst and given him a disproving look.

‘’I think he is doing the wrong country challenge,’’ Becky said and suddenly the last two guesses made sense.

‘’He has watched one too many of mine and Oscar’s collaboration videos,’’ Jack shook his head. Becky rolled her eyes at the irony.

Their suspicion was confirmed when he went Lesotho on South Africa.

‘’No,’’ Jack murmured at himself, ‘’this can’t be Rainbolt. He wouldn’t play with wrong country challenge. Can’t be one of the players either. Lennli wouldn’t be caught dead in that suit, I’m sure.’’ His girlfriend sat next to him, patiently waiting until he realised. If that day would even come.

Yet another small win for the Sidemen on the next round. Jack sighed as he watched the people on stage. Well, who will he fool? He was watching just one.

How he leaned in closer to the monitor at the start of the round. How he sat calmly, probably watching out of the corner of his eye how Josh was panicking.

The mask obstructing his face. Soulless.

Shoulders wide, but a hidden golden retriever just waiting to break through and lick you all over the face with love and affection and DID HE JUST GO SOUTH AFRICA ON IRELAND?

The noise in the hall was deafening, but Jack was stuck in his thoughts, which were louder than anything.

Was that a blunder? An honest mistake? Was that a part of the script?

The GX Man was sat still, seemingly unbothered by the loss. The crowd went outraged when the host requested the GX Man remove his mask. Or maybe that was just Jack’s heart.

How was that fair? They both won a game, so why are they pretending the man in red lost and was supposed to reveal himself?

‘’I don’t know, love’’ Becky brushed his shoulder with the palm of her hand. Had he said that out loud? How much had he said out loud? Whatever. He fished out his camera once again, this time with slightly shaky hands.

His heart went to the villain, who turned in the spinning chair towards the crowd. Why was he on his side? Well, maybe because he’s charismatic. And the suit was nice.

‘’GX Man, if you would be so kind, remove the mask,’’ the host said, and the mystery opponent complied. Jack watched as he removed his mask and took of his balaclava and shook his beautiful stunning wild hair. He could just about imagine the hundreds of edits that would be made with that clip.

The crowd went wild, and Jack found himself saying to the vlog: ‘’It’s my dear friend Oscar!’’

Only afterwards did he realised what had happened. The GX Man was Oscar. His dearest friend. Dearest friend who was Oscar. And now Josh was hugging that said friend with far too much vigour. Becky and the crowd roared with excitement. Jack had a sickened look on his face. He put down the camera and turned to his partner.

‘’Did you know about this?’’ he asked, utterly baffled. Becky sympathetically squeezed his hand.

‘’It takes anyone with a single braincell,’’ she responded, ‘’he is influential and well known and liked. Tall, strong, good at the game. Radiates with golden retriever energy and is a walking green flag. Oh, don’t look at me like that, those were your words not mine’’

Jack realised with a terrified expression that she was right. Perhaps he should stop thinking out loud and stop…whatever he was and is doing now. Which is to analyse every move of the man and possibly ogle at him.

…Although Jack won’t lie, Oscar does look good in red.

When they later met up, Jack was quieter than usual, meekly smiling when Oscar asked if everything’s ok. And if Becky or Oscar noticed anything, they turned a blind eye, excitedly going over the rounds. Jack watched as his dearest friend and girlfriend conversed. A supressed sickened feeling returned.

Chapter Text

He had too much on his mind.

"Don't forget to wash the dishes later" a voice in the back of his mind whispered, just waiting for him to break. Lennli shook his head.

No.

He had to finish this project first.

School is an interesting thing. It is a big, even huge, part of your life for so long, that when you no longer go there, it feels like you've been stranded. All those cried tears over tests and exams, late night of doing homework. All for nothing. Wiped from memory as soon as you walk through the door. Or that's at least what he thought it would be like.

With a grumble, Lennli tried to focus on the task. Well, one of the many tasks at hand. Honestly, why would the teacher even give them something so... Ambiguous? He didn't even know that mathematics could be ambiguous. As the days passed, every time he looked at the tasks, even more questions arose. Should he count that data in or not? Is this what the graph is supposed to look? WHY DOES IT NOT LOOK RIGHT?

Lenn slammed his head face first on his desk. His forehead hit the space bar of his laptop and the soft music that was playing softly beforehand, stopped.

He had done everything to get things done - put of soft music, specifically to relax him, he had made chamomile tea, he even shook the stress off Taylor Swift style. Quite literally. He just hoped that his neighbours across the yard hadn't seen anything and didn’t think he had a stroke.

But nothing had helped.

He once again rose his head from the laptop, feeling indents being left on his skin. The graph stared at him through the screen, as if mocking him for his incompetence to write a conclusion. And to do that some bajillion times over.

Feeling as though his soul had left his body, Lennli continued to scroll through the Word document. Words were beginning to blur together. A yawn escaped his mouth.

He was about to bang his head once again, not caring whether even more braincells would be lost in the process, when the doorbell rang.

The boy ignored it for the first time, thinking that surely somebody else in the house would get it. When the doorbell rang another time, it clicked. His whole family was away in a trip, so there was no one to get the door except himself.

Cursing the entity that rang the bell a THIRD time, Lennli made his way towards the door. He expected the mailman or a middle-aged woman talking about a charity to be behind the door, but not his friend Oscar, who's smile instantly dropped as Lennli opened the door.

"Oh! Are... you alright?" Oscar asked, unsure whether to run away. Lennli’s murderous gaze was replaced by a raised eyebrow.

"Hi? What are you on about?" he rested his forehead against the door, leaning on it. Oscar kept standing outside, awkwardly shuffling his feet.

"Yeah, hi sorry, it's just that it looks like you are about to murder somebody. I can come back later if it's bad timing?" Oscar winced slightly.

"The only person I'm killing is myself. School's a bitch." Lenn grumbled, and something in Oscar's expression softened.

"Hey, I get that. Maybe I can help?" he offered, coming closer to the door, as if to let himself in.

"And before you say anything, no, I do not have anything to do. Don't worry your pretty head." Oscar mentioned while effortlessly sliding through the door, ignoring Lennli's faint disagreement noises.

"Look, it's not really a job you can help at. It's not a thing you've been taught at school yet," Trevor tried to fight, yet locked the door as they both made their way towards Lennli’s room.

Oscar sat down in a chair, immediately unlocking the laptop and inspecting the work his friend had done.

"Yeah, sadly you're right," he said after taking a glance at the document, "but our schools do the topics in different times. Maybe there's something else?"

"Nope. Just have to finish this project." Lenn said without missing a beat. Meanwhile Oscars eyes caught the dirty dishes stacked on his windowsill.

"Hmm, and how long has it been since you've taken a break?" he asked, and Lennli stilled for a second. How long had it been?

"I've been working since 11am." he said in the end. Oscar continued to look at him with an ironclad look.

"You haven't taken a break for 5 hours? Love, I don't care about the deadline, you are taking a nap right now. Have you eaten anything today?" he shimmied Lennli to bed, who, though reluctantly, complied. His silence to the question gave Oscar all the answers he needed.

"Right. I have a banana in my bag, you can eat that. And when you wake up, I'll get you something more" the Australian boy said.

"But I have so much work to do!" Lennli whined, almost falling asleep as his head hit the pillow.

"Now, now, I'll have none of that. You will finish it later. Now you need rest. Maybe you can tell me more about the things you need to do?" the man prodded, sitting next to his tired friend. Lenn wanted to fight, but then he felt soft fingers running through his blond hair. The touch was unfamiliar, but not unwelcome. The argument died on his lips. Instead, he started to talk.

"I have to do the math project until Thursday and my economics thingy too. Then there's the English test coming up and I must do the physics homework, you know I'm not good at that. I was sick diese Woche, so I missed some lessons and I... I do things last minute. There's also the Geschirr waschen und," Lennli yawned, as the monotone hair ruffling flipped the" turn off" switch in his brain. Half of his speech turned German, “der... Der... Kleidung...presentation...store."

His speech grew incoherent, but his friend didn't stop the soothing motion. As Lennli fell asleep, Oscars eyes wandered around the room, noting the messiness. His eyes stopped at Lenn's face.

The hair ruffling stilled.

It was dark when Lennli unwillingly opened his eyes. His lamp on the writing desk was still on, offering a soft glow. As he sat up, the boy suddenly remembered the hair petting and blushed. Had he imagined it? Was anything real? He felt much better than earlier, so that was good at least.

His stomach grumbled, so the German boy made his way towards the kitchen, where a domestic sight welcomed him.

Oscar's phone was resting on the kitchen island, playing upbeat music. The man himself had his back turned towards the door, swaying with the rhythm of the song, cooking food. The food smelled so good; he could die for it.

"Smells good," Lenn voiced his thoughts as he went further into the room. His sudden appearance gave Oscar a slight heart attack.

"Oh, you're awake! Did I wake you up, love?" Oscar asked, slightly smirking at Lennlis surprised face.

"No, you didn't. What are you cooking?" he decided to not talk about the pet name. His stomach demanded attention.

"Just some eggs and baked potatoes. I guess it's like a comfort food for me. It just needs a few minutes," Oscar said and stirred the potato wedges around in the pan, "D’ya sleep well?" he added after a moment of silence coated the room.

"I don't think I've slept that well in a few weeks. Mainly because of school," Lennli talked while searching for plates and froze after saying that, "Oh god, the math project, I have to get back to-"

"No, you don't," Oscar went over to him and hugged him from behind, stopping Lennli from walking back to his room, ‘’I checked, you have 5 days to finish it and you're almost done, it can wait for tomorrow. "

"Yeah, but then I have the physics assignment and-" Lennli started to list the things he had to do. Oscar cut him off by spinning him around, so they were faced in towards each other.

"I emailed your teacher, and he agreed to push back the date for the economics presentation. He said it is only fair because you missed a few lessons," Oscar said calmly. Lenn stood with his mouth open, in shock.

"How have you managed that? We don't even go to the same school!" he exclaimed, earning a belly laugh from Oscar.

"Your laptop was on. And I can be very persuasive when needed," Oscar winked. Suddenly Lenn realised their proximity and he gulped. If he really wanted to, he could count the hair follicles in the beard Oscar was growing out.

Oscar didn’t notice his slight freakout.

"I also washed your dishes. And reread your English essay. It's good, but it needs a few more facts. I also looked over the physics homework and solved some of the problems, but you'll need to finish them all yourse-" Lennli pecked his lips before Oscar could finish his sentence. Both of them pulled away in shock. Lenn didn't even know how his hands had made their way to cup Oscar's face.

"Thank you. So much," Lennli breathed out after realising what he’d done," for everything you do for me. Let’s eat before the meal goes cold." Oscar nodded without a sound.

They were eating when Lennli spoke up again.

"Actually... There is one more thing you could help me with." he said, and Oscar immediately looked up from his plate.

"Sure, what exactly?" his eyes slightly wide from fear and the bubbling tension.

"I am a bit cold at night. Y’know, sleeping alone in a big bed. Also, I think we don't have any spare blankets." Lennli pursed his lips and batted his eyelashes. Oscar looked deep in thought, completely missing his expression.

"Well, I suppose we have some. They are a bit old, but if your heating is not working, we could lend you some." Lennli sighed and shook his head.

"Oh, for God’s sake Oscar, I want to sleep with you!" he said loudly. The sound of a fork dropping on the ground filled the room, followed by Oscar choking on his food.

"Oh God, not that way! I mean, I-if you want to, but NO, IT WASN'T WHAT I MEANT!" Lenn tried to save himself but failed miserably. Oscar laughed through tears at his attempts.

The next time Lenn saw his economics teacher was in the hallway before the class. Mr. Tree looked him with a faint smile.

"I'm happy you've got such a loving boyfriend, Lennli. If you need help with the presentation, feel free to ask any questions." with that Mr. Tree walked inside his classroom, missing Lennli’s wide eyes.

Later he found out that in the email Oscar had sent, he signed it off with "Sincerely, Lennli's boyfriend"

Chapter Text

Oscar was exhausted. It was already past five on a Friday evening, but he was still in school.

“Perks of being in the student council,” he chuckled dryly. All his mates had already left, leaving Oscar to fend for himself. There was still a mountain of emails to read from students, the ones who had responded to their inquiries. Sometimes he wished less people read their emails.

He opened a new email and groaned – that particular student had written a whole essay on cafeteria food and why it wasn’t palatable.

‘’Tryhard,’’ Oscar sneered. He lightly skimmed over the block of text, but the buzzing of the overhead lights made it hard to concentrate. His eyes fell on the clock at the bottom of his screen. 5:48 PM.

‘’Oh, schieße!’’ he whispered and closed his laptop with haste. The school doors typically closed at 6 PM. And considering it was Friday, people would have left the building no later than at four.

The halls were blissfully quiet, but for once in his life he couldn’t appreciate it, as he bolted down the hallway. The lights were out, only source of light came down from the story below – he had already made it to the staircase.

As he was descending the stairs, a bright blue rectangle on the floor caught his eye. Upon further inspection it proved to be a notebook. Without a second thought, he bent down and grabbed it, running down the stairs. Instead of the exit, he made his way to the Lost & Found room. He tried the door, but, just as he had expected, it was locked. A lone security guard was scrolling on his phone, promptly ignoring him. Oscar rolled his eyes; the night staff was always oh so pleasant. Nevertheless, he put the notebook in his bag, besides his laptop. He would return the notebook next week.

The air outside was chilly. It was the middle of October, so that was to be expected. Some streetlights flickered as Oscar passed them, he shuddered.

“Those creepy ass lights,” he whispered to himself. The street was busy with cars, but there were no people on the sidewalk. The sound of cars lulled Oscar to a state of dissociation, as he waited for his bus. Constant roars of engines, sharp beeps as someone failed to comply with new imaginary traffic rules. Faint beats of music that bled through windows. Without even realising, Oscar was now on the bus.

The drive and walk home passed in a blur. The boy regained consciousness as he stepped inside his home. Warmth welcomed itself into his bones, as an old friend, it hugged him with a gentle hold. A soft smell of spices and satiate dinner burst inside his nostrils. For the first time in an hour, he could finally breathe again.

As he slipped out of his coat and sneakers, quiet footsteps paused at the door.

‘’How are you, dear?’’ his mother asked, her voice calm, but still laced with worry. As he turned to look at her, she came forward, engulfing them in a hug. Oscar sighed and melted in her arms.

‘’A bit tired, the student council is falling behind on schedule,’’ he murmured in her hair. It had already been 6 years since he grew taller than his mother. He wouldn’t admit it, but he missed curling up in his mothers’ waiting arms, laying his head against the nook of her neck. It made it all seem so easy, back then when he was just a boy whose biggest responsibility was getting a good mark at a spelling test. But now… Now he had grown up.

“Oh! The soup!” his mother suddenly sprang away and hurried to the kitchen. Oscar was left standing in the hallway.

The dinner covered him in even more warmth. Crunchy bread with garlic spread and the tomato soup delightfully danced on his tastebuds, performing an especially difficult dance routine with multiple pirouettes and leaps. He could imagine a lady dressed in a warm vermilion cocktail dress and a gentleman in a cream-coloured suit and an emerald green bowtie spinning on the dancefloor. The dancehall was rich, filled with crowds of spectacular dancers. But under the crystal chandeliers, the two only had eyes for each other.

Oscar was sent to bed by his mother after he spent almost half of dinnertime staring at the wall and mouthing words to himself. At first Oscar protested – it is Friday night! How could you expect him to go to sleep before 10 PM? After a second thought though, he agreed. His brain had turned to mashed potatoes long before it was appropriate. His mother admonished him to go straight to sleep and gave him some chamomile tea with honey, in case he needed further convincing.

Before getting into bed, Oscar searched through his bag, to find his phone. His fingertips instead found an unfamiliar smooth texture. Intrigued, he took out the item and was surprised to see the same blue notebook from earlier. It had been in his best interest to find its owner as soon as possible, but he has forgotten about its existence right until now.

With his interest now piqued, Oscar bought the notebook into bed and got comfortable in his sheets. It might take all night to find the owner of this notebook. It was all thrown out the window, when he flipped it open. Right on the first page, with a black pen was written ‘’Jack Massey Welsh’’.

‘’Huh. Well, that sorts it,’’ he whispered quietly to himself. Oscar did mean to close it and put it down, but some kind of sudden curiosity begged him to look further. Generally, he tried to not snoop in other people’s business, but for some reason he couldn’t resist the urge this time.

As he flipped the page, he was met with the most adorable doodles ever. There was a cat, skilfully sketched on a windowsill. A few dogs made an appearance on the page too. Oscar hummed. Perhaps Jack likes animals.

The next page was still the same technique – black ballpoint pen. However, this time some beautiful roses adorned the page. The bottom one was the most beautiful of all. It seemed to be drawn as an afterthought, not quite finished, but in the grand scheme of the drawing, it coexisted with the other roses perfectly.

As Oscar continued to flip through the pages, he saw breathtaking drawings, most of them of dogs or some kind of wildlife. His mouth was opened in awe, and it turned in a smile when he saw a portrait. The man in the watercolour painting seemed young. His eyes were sparkling with juicy acrylic paint highlights. The unusual use of colours made Oscar’s spine shiver.

‘’Wow,’’ he breathed. He turned the page and on the other side of the painting he saw some text. It said: ‘’August of 28th. First self portrait ever :)’’. Corners of his mouth lifted upwards.

‘’So that’s what you look like, Jack?’’ he turned back the page and asked the painting who was staring right back at him, ‘’you are kind of cute, I won’t lie.’’

Next few pages were also dogs. “Huh, not big on the portraits then, are you, Jack?” his words died on his lips when he turned a new page. There, in horrifying detail, was his face. Oscars face.

The man shook his head and closed the notebook. Surely his eyes were playing tricks on him. There was just no way, right? But still, when he opened it back open, his own face was staring right back at him. Or rather, he was staring at a drawing of himself, looking somewhere in the abyss. It was unmistakable – the style of hair, his sharp nose and beard he was trying to tame – it was him.

Oscar didn’t know how to feel. Should he be elated? Distraught? Concerned? Honoured? With many questions, he continued to look through the notebook, only now feeling guilt of looking at it without permission. He saw more sketches with him and some of them had hearts besides them. Feeling a sudden burst of tiredness and even more guilt, Oscar threw the book on his bedside table. He laid in bed for what it felt like an eternity, lights out. Some snoring and a loud clock ticking in the living room echoed in his head. At some point he fell asleep.

His dreams were scattered that night. Some dogs ran across the lawn, a cat made a brief appearance, then disintegrated into a bush of roses. Finally, a person appeared next to him, a familiar shade of red draped over them. Somewhere in the back of his mind Oscar concluded – she was the woman he had thought of earlier. But looking around, the man in the dapper cream suit was nowhere to be seen.

“You lost something, dear?” a voice called. Oscar turned to face the lady in vermilion but was surprised to see the woman’s face replaced by Jack’s the vermilion turned out to be a suit now, rather than a dress.

“Jack?” Oscar questioned. A sly smile appeared on Jack’s face.

“What’s wrong, my dear garlic clove?” Oscar blinked at the odd pet name. The world crumbled.

With a sharp gasp, Oscar woke up. A violent headache attacked all his senses. He laid in bed, in agony.

Chapter Text

Jack was freaking out a bit. His super-duper-trooper secret art notebook had been missing for over half a week. It wasn’t that he had anything specific to hide, but maybe it would be better if people didn’t know what he drew in his spare time.

“A light blue notebook? Can’t say I’ve seen anything yet” the sympathetic woman at the Lost & Found said. Jack had gone there on Monday. And Tuesday. It was Wednesday already, and Jack was frightened.

It didn’t help that his crush wasn’t in school. Not that Jack was exclusively always looking for him, no, no. That would be insanity. He just happened to walk past his class a few times a day and see he wasn’t there. His friend group – Kai and Becky - sensed his restlessness.

‘’Mate, I’m certain it will show up. You left it here at school, right?’’ Kai asked. Jack nodded uncertainly. ‘’Well, then it should be here! Or someone took it or threw it out.’’

“Oh, come on Jack, don’t listen to him.” Becky interrupted, when she saw how Jack’s face fell at Kai’s words. ‘’Maybe someone did take it and wanted to return it but can’t find you! Or perhaps they liked your drawings so much, they decided to keep it!’’

Jack grimaced. He was positive nobody would want to keep his half-arsed drawings. Or his portraits. Oh, if somebody found out about the portraits, he would without a second thought jump out the nearest window.

His, dare he say, obsession with the guy started unexpectedly. One day he was walking down the corridor and saw him leaning against the wall, nose deep into a textbook. He was beautiful. Even after two months of seeing him and drawing him, Jack didn’t know his muse’s name. Nevertheless, his fixation didn’t cease, it grew stronger. Jack did realise it was horribly weird for him to draw him without consent, but drawing was a secret hobby of Jack’s. And there was no way he would ever come up to him and ask with uttermost sincerity ‘’Hi, I really love your face. Mind if you don’t move for 5 minutes?’’. Jack did get to know some things about his muse – he was in the year below him and worked in the student council. He knew a lot of people but preferred to stay alone during the breaks.

Jack, Kai and Becky were standing in the hallway, chatter surrounded them three in a suffocating way. Jack was starring somewhere at background, meanwhile Becky and Kai talked about a band they like. A group of girls from eight grade stood near the lockers, giggling obnoxiously. Jack scoffed, thank the lords he only had to get through this year and then he could graduate.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack noticed a familiar shade of red moving down the hallway. And yes, it was worn by the same guy he had extensively drawn in his notebook. The notebook was currently resting in his hands. Their eyes met.

Jack’s eyes widened as his crush came closer. Becky and Kai stopped talking, sensing that they were witnessing something. The boy stopped and took a deep breath.

“My name is Oscar. I found this notebook last Friday, is it yours?” he asked, and Jack was ready to pass away right at that moment. Jack nodded in response, unable to speak. Oscar smiled.

‘’Great!’’ he handed it over. ‘’I got sick last Friday, so I couldn’t return it earlier than today. By the way, you draw very well!’’

Jack looked up at Oscar with fear in his eyes. He had seen his art?

‘’You…looked at my drawings?’’ he asked slowly. Jack observed as Oscar developed a pinkish hue on his face.

‘’Uh. Yes.’’ Oscar said. They stood in silence for a bit, during which Jacks mind was reeling.

Jack was temporarily teleported to a meeting room, where multiple Jacks sat at a long table.

“So, folks, as you know this is a time of a great crisis,” Jack One stated. All the other Jacks nodded affirmative. “Oscar, Jack Six, write this down, has looked through our drawing notebook. The one that features him in great detail. Jack Two, do you think he has seen the drawings featuring him?”

Jack Two rose from his chair. “I, unfortunately, am 90% sure, that Oscar has seen the drawings. I base my words on his stammering and sheepish look he gave us when he confirmed his actions.”

Jack One stood up again. “Thank you Jack Two. Jack Three, what is your report on possible responses from Oscar?”

Jack Three on his left stood up, fixing his glasses, before opening his document folder. “My agents have reported that the most likely response to the drawing will be disgust or hatred.” Jack Three sat back down in his seat.

Jack One sighed. “Alright, Jack Four, what should be our next move?” Jack Four was about to stand up, but a hand rose in the crowd.

“Yes, Jack Five?” Jack One asked, irritated by the interruption.

“I’m sorry, but there has been a response from Oscar.” The fifth Jack exclaimed.

Jack One rose his eyebrows. “Alright, thank you Jack Five. Meeting dismissed.”

“Jack. JACK!” Jack woke up from his thoughts, Becky was shaking him violently.

“What?” he asked, confused why he was suddenly assaulted.

Oscar chuckled. “I asked whether you’d like to go grab a coffee some time. It’s fine if you don’t want-”

“YES! I mean. Yes, I would love to!” Jack said loudly, accidentally grabbing everyone’s attention in the hallway. Jack’s face reddened.

“Great! I wrote my number in the notebook,” Oscar told, “I should probably go now, see you later!”

Jack could only wave his hand in a pathetic goodbye as Oscar (Oh God, his name is Oscar), rounded the corner.

“So…” Jack winced as Kai started his sentence. He had completely forgot his friends had seen everything. “Anything you want to say to us?”

Chapter Text

When Oscar had said he'd wanted to meet Josh at nine in the morning, it should have been the first red flag. Yet, he did it anyway, glad he didn't have to wait until noon to get a sign of life from his friend. Josh would need a dozen of extra hands to count all the times Oscar woke up late or hungover. Sometimes both. The air felt fresh as Josh stood outside of a café, a slightly weird meetup place, but he paid no mind to it. Food’s food, right?

The second red flag he should have questioned, was the van. Honestly, why on earth would he hop into a white van he knew didn't belong to Oscar? As with puppies or candy for small kids, he was bribed with a good hangout. Sure, he didn’t know the specifics, but hanging out with Oscar and his friends sounded fun. With a sad look, he bid the café a goodbye, regretting not buying something earlier.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Josh concluded - they should bring back those traumatic films they show at school. The ones that show what happens if kids don’t look both ways when crossing a road or do stupid, dangerous stuff. But instead, show them at workplaces. Josh knew a few people who could benefit from that, himself included.

The last piece missing were the vests. Bright orange and yellow, not begging, but demanding for attention. Honestly, Josh didn't know what to think, maybe they had an interesting sense of style. Wouldn't be the first time Josh saw questionable fashion on the streets of Paris.

The bubble burst way too late for his liking.

Josh had climbed into the van, and before he could blink, they were already driving.

"So, Josh! Meet Lenn, a childhood friend of mine, and Jack, a colleague from work," Oscar, sitting in the passenger seat, quickly introduced Josh to his companions.

Lenn, the driver, looked in the rear-view mirror, made eye contact with him and gave a small nod. In return, Josh waved nervously.

Jack was sat next to Josh in the back of the van, but his joyful face was replaced with a frown after Oscar's comment.

"A colleague? Just yesterday you called me your dearest friend! Rude." he pouted, and Josh had to stifle a laugh. Oscar turned to look at Jack. Lenn cursed at a cyclist who cut him off in an intersection.

"Jack, it was just a joke, of course you are my dearest friend," he smiled, visibly sorry.

"You better be, otherwise, I'm not a part of the mission." Jack sat, still with his arms crossed, looking out of the window, still annoyed. But in the corner of his mouth, Josh could see a small smile forming.

"Oh yeah, you never told me where we are going!" Josh suddenly remembered that Oscar had only written a time and a pickup place. Now they had been driving around Paris for a few minutes, but he still had no idea of any plans.

"We're robbing the Louvre." a deep voice said from the driver's seat. Josh’s and Lenn's eyes locked in the mirror. Josh immediately cracked with laughter.

"Hahaha, that's such a good one! Oh man, I might steal that for a different time." he chuckled, but quieted when nobody joined him in on the fun. He felt his cheeks burn at the awkwardness.

"Josh," Oscar looked as serious as a heart attack, "we are completely honest. We are stealing from the Louvre today. And you are joining us."

The newcomer sat in silence for a moment. He once again took in his surroundings. The bright screaming vests. A blowtorch and some power tools caught his attention on the floor besides him. Josh suddenly noticed pairs of gloves shoved in the car door pockets. The nail in the coffin were the balaclavas he had somehow failed to notice earlier. Josh turned as white as a sheet. Oh. They were not fucking kidding.

"I think he's gone into shock. Hang on, I’ll give him a blanket." Josh heard Jack talk besides him.

No way he was about to be a part of this.

As the van stopped at the red light, he gripped the door and tried to open it, but it didn't budge. Josh’s eyes once again sprang up to meet Lenn's in the mirror. Seriously, it was getting ridiculous. The man in the driver’s seat simply smiled.

Those fuckers had locked the door.

Knowing he couldn't get out of the van, Josh tried a different approach. He had to change their minds.

"Y'all are fucking crazy. It's nine in the morning! The museum is probably buzzing with tourists, you'll be caught faster than you can blink!" he said loudly. Jack scrambled to shut up the man, but his seat belt got in the way.

"Shh! The van isn't completely soundproof, now, is it?" Jack asked and when Josh was about to answer, slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Eww, get your grubby hands off me!" Josh screamed louder. Their banter was interrupted by Oscar.

"Stop it you two! Josh, we get to the drop off spot at 9:20. We get to the Louvre at about 9:30. There me and Lenn will break in through the balcony and steal the jewels. You and Jack will stay outside, keeping watch and informing us with walkie talkies. When we-" Oscar started to explain the plan. Josh interrupted.

"You planned all this?" he asked, with utter disbelief.

Oscar sighed. "Yes? We can’t just storm in without a plan! Anyways, this part is important-"

"What? You are supposed to be the sensible one!" Josh once again argued loudly. He was silenced by multiple "shh's".

"What the fuck???" his face was still scandalized, yet he complied and was now whisper-yelling. "And you think it is a good idea?"

"Well, my gut says that this is a good idea." Oscar said. Josh was still shaken. Was there a way out of this?

“And… do I have a say in this? You kind of forced me to participate in this, frankly, insane mess.” Josh asked uncertainly. He knew Oscar wouldn’t hurt him or, God forbid, kill him, but knowing him, there was a sliver of chance.

“No. I knew you wouldn’t agree, so I didn’t ask you.” Oscar answered from the front. Lenn nodded his head with a hum. “We needed a fourth person, so that Jack doesn’t have to get the motor scooters himself. I knew you would just go with the flow once you were here.”

Besides him, Jack grinned. “You would know that if you didn’t cut him off earlier.”

Josh shifted uncomfortably in his seat. So, he would need to be a part of the getaway team? That wouldn’t be so bad, except for the fact he was about to be INVOLVED WITH CRIME.

Still considering his forced role in this scenario, Josh still had plenty of questions. “And your motive is… money?”

“Money.” Lenn agreed. “Five minutes until show time.”

“Lenn said he needed money, so I’m helping him. Not to even mention, this could be an interesting experience.” Oscar mused, staring at the Seine River outside the window. “That might end with a visit to prison.” Josh completed the sentence in his thoughts.

“They just kind of invited me. I thought it would be thrilling but turns out I’m just the getaway driver.” Jack pouted again. Then his pout turned to a grin as he turned to look at Josh. “Oh, but I’ll have company now!”

Josh mentally cursed himself. How did he manage to get himself into these stupid situations? Although, this one had to take the cake. Josh did not find the drive pleasant - the silence until they stopped was deafening.

They stopped in a shady side street, just a few blocks south of the museum. The small street was filled with vans and trucks, so they fit in perfectly. “In theory, at least.” Josh thought to himself.

He felt silly putting on the construction vest, like he was a part of a seven-year-olds dress up party, but he did it because… did he have a choice?

“Don’t even try to run,” as if sensing Josh’s unease, Oscar muttered, “If you try something, Jack will not hesitate to beat you up.”

At that Jack smiled shyly. “I mean I would hesitate, but I must admit I have been working out a lot lately.”

Josh rolled his eyes. Fucking seven-year-olds.

They climbed out of their vehicle, securing the items needed – the balaclavas, walkie talkies, a box of instruments and a- wait a blanket?

“Why are you bringing a blanket?” Josh asked Jack who defensively turned away.

“It is a bit chilly outside,” he simply said. Josh didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was a bad idea – that thing could contain DNA and other stupidly tiny things they could be identified by. God forbid one of them had a rare dog breed that shed its fur on the blanket, and they were found out by a that.

They already had their gloves on and their vests, so they had less to carry. After Lenn locked his van, they rounded the corner and were met with the beautiful Seine River. Josh suddenly got cold feet (not that he was pro-theft beforehand).

“When do we, y’know… put on our masks?” he asked Oscar, while they were going down the promenade. Cars drove past them, people walked past them, but life on the promenade was befuddled. It was Sunday morning after all.

“’When we get to the Louvre. We don’t want any suspicion on us already.” was Oscar’s response.

“But don’t the buildings here have cameras?” Josh didn’t let the questions drop.

“They do, so I would advise you to not turn your head towards them.” Oscar exhaled. Sensing that Oscar was not in the mood to talk, Josh stopped the questions.

They made their way towards the Louvre. Some people turned their heads at the four brightly clothed men but thought nothing of it. Just four construction workers, nothing special. When the group reached the ‘’Jardin de l'Infante’’, as Jack said in a very questionable accent, Josh noticed a basket lift.

“Oh, you’re gonna use that, I assume.” Josh pointed it out. The basket lift was in a place where it could perfectly serve as the climbing steps into the balcony.

“That’s the plan,” Lenn murmured. Oscar checked his watch and turned to his three partners in crime.

“So, we go together over this street. Me and Lenn climb up, saw out way through the glass, break in. Then we get the jewellery and go back the same way. Here you will be waiting for us with motor scooters. Is everything clear?’’ he finalised the small speech. Everyone apart from Josh nodded affirmatively. Oscar turned to him, “If you have questions, ask Jack.”

Jack’s face lit up and he gave a side-eye to Josh. “God, do they even take this seriously?” he thought to himself as they crossed the road and approached the basket lift. Lenn and Oscar immediately put on their balaclavas and started fiddling with the machinery. Josh also wanted to put on his balaclava, but Jack stopped him.

“Why would a construction worker need a balaclava?” he asked. Instead of answering, Josh jumped at a sound of a disc cutter cutting glass. The sound was horrifying.

“Cameras” he said through the horrible noise. Josh saw multiple people peeking their heads at the noise, so he turned away from them.

“Silly, there are no cameras outside the Louvre. They wanted to put some, of course, but it was deemed too dangerous for the historic building. And they don’t have the funding.” Jack explained. Only now Josh could appreciate the study that went into this. “And the buildings across the Seine will show pixels at best.”

The cutting noise had ceased. Instead, a sound of glass breaking filled the air and some nearby civilians turned their heads. Josh awkwardly waved as to rid the air of suspicion. He wasn’t sure it worked, but the few people on the promenade, walked past them. A walkie talkie began talking.

“We’re in.” Oscar’s voice, though distorted, sounded through the device.

“Alpha Oscar, this is Tango Foxtrot. You’re loud and clear. Over” Jack said in the walkie talkie and Josh scrunched his face in confusion. They had codenames?

“Jack, for the last time, we don’t need codenames. And I would be glad if you stopped calling me that” Oscar sighed at the mischief.

“This is Bravo Lima and I approve of this message. Stop it Alpha Romeo and Delta Juliet.” Lenn’s voice rang through the walkie talkie. Josh cackled at the mess. Then he was forced to lock in, when he remembered where they were.

“Jack, where are the motor scooters? We should get them ready.” he said, just as Jack was about to send another message.

“Oh, just over there.” Jack gestured to the end of the road, and indeed, there were three motor scooters waiting there.

“You own motor scooters? And why there are only three” Josh questioned. Jack smiled.

“Partly. We borrowed them and they only had three available.” He responded. Josh shook his head. More planning had gone into this than he had thought. He wouldn’t asked from whom they were borrowed, though.

“We should probably get them closer to here.” Josh continued. Jack thought for a second, then agreed. The two of them made their way to the scooters, Josh on the way removed his vest.

“I think we shouldn’t bring much attention to us. Also, you look very suspicious with that blanket.” He explained. Jack shrugged and clutched the blanket closer. They moved the scooters in silence, which was broken halfway by Jack humming the Mission Impossible theme song. This was a tense and an “impossible” mission after all.

“I feel like Moriarty in the Sherlock BBC series when he steals the crown jewels.” Jack randomly started speaking. Josh turned his head at him. “Walking into the museum without a suspicion. Slowly, so sure of yourself. Such sass and power. Classical music blasting in earbuds. And honey, you should see me in a crown.”

Josh stood, even more certain, that he was stood next to a psychopath. He knew in general what Jack was talking about, but this was way too weird for his liking. They were just the getaway helpers. Jack continued talking. Josh groaned internally; this heist was taking way too long.

“The Galerie d'Apollon”, Josh cringed at the accent, Jack was talking in, “housing the French Crown jewels from 1887. Decorated by Charles Le Brun, the same man who adorned the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles-” Jack started to talk about the history of the museum. Josh was surprised by the amount of knowledge his companion presented, but it was cut short by the walkie talkie.

“We got the goods. Moving towards the exit right now,” Oscar spoke through the walkie talkie. The two men standing outside squared their shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, Josh saw a policeman fast approaching. Without a moment of thinking, he pulled the balaclava over his head and gestured for Jack to do the same. Jack shook his head – no, he wouldn’t put his on. The police officer came closer and started speaking.

“Hello, folks, have you-” Jack didn’t let him continue, as he threw the blanket over him. Josh watched in horror as the blanket seemed to stick to the man. His movements were disturbed by the once soft material. Josh turned to Jack with a questioning look.

“It’s a weighted blanket. And a bucket of glue.” Jack smiled. Then he pushed the policeman to the ground, further burdening him. Then, their attention was turned to their two partners in crime, hurrying down the basket lift.

“Everything ok?” Oscar yelled, while the lift brought them down. Jack and Josh, who were standing at the other side of the small street gave a thumbs up. The police officer was still wiggling on the floor. Some police sirens blared in the distance, and the thieves took it as their cue to leave.

“Josh, do you know how to drive?” Oscar asked, jumping on a vehicle. Josh looked at him bewildered.

“And you’re asking me this now?” he shouted. So, there was something they had missed. Lenn exhaled, climbed on his motor scooter and turned.

“Get on.”

That was a demand. And Josh followed it. The hectic sounds of cars and people of the police grew closer, but the team of criminals escaped, finally rearranging the seating problems. The bag of jewels rested in Jack’s lap. The three motor scooters darted south, heading towards the nearest highway. After the first sharp turn, a loud yelp came from Jack – one of the crowns had slipped out of the bag.

Sitting on the motor scooter was uncomfortable as it wasn’t generally meant to be used by two people. Yet, Josh clang to Lenn, scared from falling off. He was also terrified of the driver’s reaction, but to his surprise, Lenn only commented to hang on tighter.

The sirens were still following them through the city. Josh felt adrenaline and some kind of excitement he could only dream of before. They had driven down alleyways, ran multiple red lights and gone over the speed limit. Josh added these things to the ‘’Crimes done’’ list in his head.

“Head south” Oscar yelled, so that the other ones could hear him. They signalled with thumbs up.

Finally, the suburbs came into view. The four partners in crime saw the city waking up from their Saturday hangovers. The three vehicles made their way towards the highway, where they drove for some time, but ultimately turned right on a dirt road.

They drove on the outskirts of Paris, through a sparse forest, when a cottage came into view. Josh took in the small pond and old machinery, undoubtedly from a nearby farm. They stopped and stepped off their scooters. Josh was the first one to break the silence.

“That was awesome! High fives all around!” he exclaimed excitedly. The other three chuckled and gave a group high five.

“So, Josh. Now that you’ve gotten a taste of the criminal life, will you give a visit to any more museums anytime soon?” Lenn asked. Josh smiled awkwardly, still remembering clutching on to him for dear life not too long ago.

“I think better not.” he finally said. Meanwhile Oscar was rolling the scooters away.

“Hey man, do you not want to celebrate?” Jack called over the patch of grass. Oscar stuck his head out of the shed/garage and shook it.

“Now starts the hardest part, hiding everything. Out tracks, our motives, the jewellery. Everything. We need to solidify our alibi if things turn to the worst.’’ was his response and a faint sense of unease rested in their guts.

“Did you plan that part out too?” Josh called him. Lenn turned towards him and pointed to the door of the cottage, which swung open.

“You’re back!” a young man exclaimed with excitement. Josh watched as the four friends hugged. Jack looked over at him.

“You’re not coming?” his voice rang in the small clearing. Josh stepped closer. He was yanked in the group of bodies. “So, this is the mysterious fourth member?” the man Josh didn’t know smirked.

“Not a willing one,” Josh responded, stepping back in his personal zone, “But I haven’t heard anything about you.”

The man huffed. “Well, that’s a bit rude. How about we go inside, and I explain everything?”

Just two minutes later they were standing in the living room, the ancient looking TV playing the news. The jewellery sat on the table, taunting the police officers and Louvre presidents and executors through the screen. Debre, Josh really doubted it was his real name, but that was the least of his worries now, shut off the TV.

“So, you lost one of the jewels? Hmm” he hummed. “Well, that’s not pleasant. Eight minutes is impressive though. Either way, your debt is now paid” he said to Lenn.

“Wait, wait, wait. What exactly did you do for the sake of this mission?” Josh interjected. Debre smirked.

“Where do you think the motor scooters came from? Who owns the van? Who got the van out of the city?” he asked.

“Actually, the van was stolen from your neighbour.” Lenn coughed in his hand. Debre glared at him.

“And was safely returned before anybody noticed anything. You are ruining my image in front of a guest.” He snapped back. Their banter continued, but Josh paid no mind.

Meanwhile Jack was admiring the jewels, the weight of the rocks perfect in his hands. The shape fit nicely and was addicting to fidget with. Josh thought he was probably experiencing on of his Moriarty-like desires. It was both unsettling and interesting to watch. Oscar sat down next to him.

“Make sure to admire them while you can. The jewellery will be destroyed, the rocks sold on.” He spoke silently. After the comment, a moment of silence swept the room. A joint sound of despair suddenly filled the room.

“WHAT?!” Jack and Josh exclaimed. Oscar would need to go to the ear doctor later, from them screaming right in his ear.

“I mean, what did you expect? Everyone knows about the jewels missing. Rocks will be easier to sell” Lenn shrugged, immune to the silent cries. Jack looked at the priceless jewels again.

“Hey, don’t be hard on him. The princess needs some time to say goodbye to her friends.” Debre teased. Jack sputtered.

“Princess? I’m literally older than you, taller than you-” Jack sprang up from his seat, nearly knocking the table over.

“Oh no, does your Highness need a break? Somebody, bring the princess a blankeeeet” Josh began, but was brutally assaulted by a dusty pillow from the sofa. He coughed violently, while others laughed.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough.” Oscar finally said. “I suppose nobody here has had breakfast his morning. How about we move in the kitchen and eat something?”

The living room roared with agreement and soon Josh found himself stuck at a small table, sipping on some peppermint tea. The smell of bacon and eggs filled the room, but he observed how Oscar brought out a different pan to heat up some filled vegetarian pancakes. The dishes were passed around, and Josh nearly got an elbow in his stomach from the crowded space.

“So…” Lenn broke the silence. “Is nobody gonna talk about the special treatment Jack’s getting from Oscar?”

The men in question turned pink. Josh thought to himself that Jack’s face resembled a perfectly ripe German Pink tomato he had seen in the store some time ago.

“I’M VEGETARIAN, YOU DIMWIT!”

A pancake flew through the warm kitchen air and elegantly landed on Lenn’s blond head.