No longer did he look like some prep school kid who just happened to take the wrong turn in a bad neighbourhood, some genius had finally told the silver spoon to change his clothes and while he looked considerably less handsome in them, the odds of him getting his ass kicked lowered a lot. The hoodie was pretty thick material and the jeans weren't badly worn, a good haul actually. His first set of clothes from a shelter were just full of holes, all his shit kept falling out of his pockets.
He looked up from where he was lying, sprawled on the bonnet of an old abandoned car that had been trashed in a riot a few months ago and was little more than a burnt out shell really but still, it remained there stubbornly in the worst part of town in the worst area. Not really a good place for a pretty boy like Hartley but a fine place for someone like James. He was waiting for a friend. "Passing by? Bad idea. Especially this late." He took a deep inhale from his cigarette and lazily blew smoke upward into the sky. "Unless you've come to buy drugs. Which is also a bad idea but hey, I'm not gonna stop you. Whatever you want to blow your money on."
"I don't have enough money to blow them on that." Also, no, he probably would not. Maybe one day, just because life was a shit show anyway. Hartley was still trying to apply to schools, something that was almost impossible without a steady address and a lot of funds. Hell, there weren't enough scholarships in the world. It was a worry, but what else was he supposed to do? He had to try to still have a future.
"Why is it a bad idea for me, but you're lying around like you own the place?" He had stopped himself short of calling him Rum Tum Tugger, so there was that at least. Musical references still a solid zero, nice save there.
"You don't need money. You can trade, you can sell items, you can even use your body if you're that desperate. I have it on unfortunately good authority that some dealers are open to trade blowies for blow." With an amused grin, he turned his head to Hartley and then lifted one hand up, pointing directly above them at the smog covered sky with a playfulness that he didn't try to hide. "I'm watching the stars. Can't a guy chill out in a dangerous neighbourhood and watch some stars?"
He took another inhale from his cigarette and held it in for a moment, blowing it back out in a big huff like he was some kind of dragon. "I'm waiting for a shooting star then I'll wish myself a fortune and live happily ever after. That's what I'm doing. So what are you doing?"
"Excellent. If I ever really want to try fucking myself over even more, I know how to go about it. You're just filled with wisdom." Hartley didn't even bother looking up at the sky. Stars, right. "I'm meeting someone."
He didn't really plan on volunteering more information. He'd probably already said too much as it was, although he supposed it wasn't a big deal. James wasn't really that dangerous. A thief, an asshole, sure, but not anything truly bad. "Did you sell my watch yet?"
"Hey, I think it's dumb to piss away your funds on drugs but it's not my job to talk you out of it. That's a job for mommy and daddy and state schooling." He pulled himself upright slowly and set his feet on the ground, adjusting his coat so it was more comfortable and less trapped under him. He stubbed his cigarette out on his shoe and flicked the butt on the floor. "Who are you meeting?"
What? He was curious? Not everyone was wise to meet and hell, he could give him a heads up if it was anyone truly dodgy. It was only fair to have his back, he did steal his watch. Speaking of. "Sell it? Nah, not yet but I am meeting a buyer in around, hmm, lemme see." He pulled back his coat sleeve and there, on his wrist, was Hartley's watch. He checked the time with a cocky little smile. "Forty minutes."
"I'll get my mommy and daddy right on that." Whatever. He could joke about that, what was the point in getting upset. "But sorry to disappoint you. It's none of your business who I'm meeting."
There really was no reason to make this a secret other than because James had ultimately been nothing but an ass to him and he saw absolutely no reason to trust him. He tensed when he saw his watch, then hated himself for not hiding it better. His hands tightened to fists and he took a step forward, wishing he was a threat. Wishing he could just force him to give it back.
His grandmother had wanted him to have it. She'd loved him and she had always told him to be himself. He remembered the first time she'd showed him the inscription and he remembered how she signed the ticking to him, back before he was able to hear it. Just moving her arms.
Oh geez, he was going to get all misty eyed over a watch? He figured. He saw the back, it was inscribed so it was a beloved gift. Not that he could read what was said on it, his reading skills sucked at the best of times without adding in tiny curly writing. He gave Hartley a disapproving look at his body language and shook his head, he wanted to fight for it but he knew he'd not win and he probably had no money to afford it.
"Hmm, we can do swapsies? I give you something, aka this beautiful expensive watch, and you give me something in return. Something good." He debated what he wanted for a moment, hmming a little before a smirk came to his face. This could be a fun game. "Offer me something?"
Hartley looked down himself, stopping just short of checking his pockets. It wasn't as if he didn't know what he had. Nothing. Pretty easy to remember that. Since he wasn't about to offer his body, that pretty much put him at no option. He reached up to right his glasses, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
"I... I can fix stuff. If you need stuff fixed. I can build stuff too." How very specific. "If you want a fridge, phone, anything like that. I can upgrade them, I can make stuff from scratch."
"I don't have a fridge. Or a phone. Or anything to upgrade." Still, this was a fun little potential. Not worth a watch he could pawn for so much money but he was feeling a little generous. Maybe he could build on this, make some use out of it. Having a genius in his debt wasn't a bad idea really, he could think of worse things. "I guess you don't have much else to offer, huh? No cash? No cool swag? Fine. Tell you what, I hate to make enemies, I'd rather make friends. So let's cut a deal."
He hopped off the car entirely now and moved over to Hartley, standing in front of him and leaning in so close that their noses were almost touching. "I give you the watch, you give me your services." He waggled his eyebrows playfully, clearly flirting. "From this point onwards, you will owe me ... let's say five things to make or upgrade. I can request them any time and you make them. Like that. Break your word and I'll get the watch back. Trust me, I can. So don't even try to welsh out on it."
Hartley raised his own eyebrows when James waggled his, feeling his cheeks flame up. He hoped it was dark enough that it wouldn't be obvious. Was he flirting with him? He had no idea what to do with that and he sorely wished that he would. Something cool and suave to say, ideally something that would make James drop about half his attitude and make him swoon instead.
Hey, a guy could dream. "I can do that. Five things. Deal." In all honesty, Hartley wished nothing more than to have something to work on. His brain was almost woefully underused these days, but this was something. This was a start. "Thank you."
He smiled without entirely meaning to. Damn, that wasn't the attitude he was trying to sell here.
"You're very, very welcome." He pulled the watch carefully off his wrist and waited for Hartley to hold his hand out before he set it in his palm, covering it with his own hand. "You're new here so I'm being generous. The next time we have a deal, you have to bring it better than this or you'll get nowhere." He let go of the watch finally, knowing he'd hate himself later when he couldn't afford hot water and needed the kind of cash that watch would bring.
Hartley just looked so sad and he hated to be that much of a dick. He wasn't lying, he did prefer to have friends. Especially smart ones like Hartley. "Now." He reached his hand up and playfully tweaked Hartley's glasses so they were more in line. "Who are you meeting here? Tell me."
His tone was gentler now, trying to coax the information out by being nice.
Hartley took the watch quickly, his fingers feeling the inscription before he put it into the inner pocket of his jacket, as safe as it could possibly be. All he had.
"I need someone to get my college application letters." He might be a bit young for that, but he was a genius, so. What? Not as if he stood much to lose. "They need stuff that I've already gotten and couldn't get again." Recommendation letters, signatures, the works. He shrugged. There weren't many people who could break into the Rathaway manor and even less that'd be willing to try and then actually bring back a bunch of paper, but he'd officially lost up the last of his resources on this. "You don't have to tell me that I'm being stupid or a nerd or whatever. I don't care."
"You got kicked out, huh? And you want to get back in and get your shit?" Well, that sounded fun. James smirked and reached out, throwing an arm around Hartley's shoulder with a bright grin. "I'm your man. Trust me, forget whatever loser you were going to pick. I can do this for you. Of course then you'd owe me something else so I guess it's up to you if you can foot the bill but if you pick the wrong guy and you can't pay up fast enough, you'll be beaten to a pulp."
And no one wanted to see that. It would be a shame if someone beat Hartley down, he had a nice face. Objectively. "Or at the very least, let me recommend people? Give me the name. If you trust them, I'll say. For a little fee." What? He wasn't in the charity business. "Only a little one. Wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry?"
Hartley hesitated for a moment, knowing that James was playing him. That was just how it was. It wasn't as if he didn't know how the game was played, he simply hadn't been around long enough to even have any way to make a move. It was beyond frustrating. "Can you tell me someone who won't hurt anyone?"
All he wanted was to still have a future. He didn't want to hurt his parents. He didn't want to risk anything like that. He simply wanted, as Axel had put it, to get his shit.
"Yes, yes I can." James beamed like an idiot and reached out to playfully pinch Hartley's cheek. "Me."
What? He asked. James grinned playfully and bounced in front of Hartley, knowing he had to give his best sales pitch. "I can get in anywhere if I want to, I never leave a mess, I've never been caught, I've never had to hurt anyone and if I need more people, I only use people I can trust. If you're worried, you can meet them before the job but trust me, buddy, no one is better at this than me." Well, no, giant lie. Leonard Snart and Mick Rory were the best in town but this was a naive kid he could convince otherwise so as long as he kept lying, he'd make himself a nice tidy sum.
"You know, I'm new to all this. I'm inexperienced, I'm still too soft and all sort of things, but I'm not an idiot. If you want me to trust you with anything, you should stop trying to trick me with something cheap like that. I don't believe you're that good." Hartley shrugged his shoulders, then shook his head. "But I'm not that good yet either. So maybe it could work."
"You don't? Ouch, that hurts. You don't think I'm a good thief? Mean." James pouted slightly and then held out Hartley's watch to him. Once more. What? In the time he'd been all over him, James had taken advantage and stolen it again. And Hartley didn't notice, didn't even feel it leaving his person. That was how a good thief worked. "There's varying degrees of 'best' in this job. I'm the best bet you have for non-violent break-ins. I can name better thieves but one alarm, one fuck up, one mistake and everyone who witnesses it would die before the cops even showed."
Hartley snatched the watch back, annoyed, but not surprised. He had to get over how pretty James was, maybe that would make it easier to deal with him. At least easier to focus on what exactly he was getting up to whenever he was close enough to touch instead of just focusing on said closeness.
It wasn't his fault he looked so damn gorgeous, how was that fair. "I know what I'm doing with this. I've figured out the alarm system when I was eight." He had had his reasons. "It will be a good trip for you. I can tell you what you can take without much risk."
"Okay, I'm game. I'll do this one for you and in return, you tell me all I can take without setting an alarm off." He wasn't too worried about this being a set up, Hartley didn't look like he could be that much of a dick and even if he could be, it would be very unwise to be that much of a dick to James. He'd always find a way to get revenge. He'd gotten good at stuff like that, time of the streets had it's perks. "You can come to mine and we can plan this baby out. What do you say?"
He held out his hand for Hartley to sake, just to confirm the deal. It was important to establish this was a partnership, even if it was very uneven.
"Deal." Hartley had hesitated for a moment, but then he took James' hand and shook it. What was the worst that could happen? Time would tell, he supposed. It most definitely would. "When should I come to yours?"
There was just the slightest excitement to it. Truthfully, Hartley had thought about how to break in and out of the manor even before he'd been thrown out of it, simply as a mental exercise. Now that it was actually about him getting his stuff, it felt justified. His parents had no right to keep him from things like these application letters. He had tried to call them, but of course that was pointless.
"If you have time tonight, you could swing by? Might be passed your bedtime but I'm sure you can handle it." James took a few steps back and looked down the road, debating how best to do this. "When you leave from here, you go straight down that road to Forgers Street then go left into Greenwood and I'm the big crappy apartment block with the anarchy sign spray painted on the front."
Fucking Axel, why did he have to spray his own apartment building? Why not the nicer ones across the way. "We're second floor up, apartment twelve. Ignore my roommate, don't let him near you or you'll never see that watch again."
"I have time. I don't sleep much." Never hand and now that he usually just found a bench or something like that to curl up on for a short while, his sleeping patterns hadn't improved. Non-surprisingly. "I can find that. I could stop by in two hours, something like that?"
That did sound great. Somewhere to put their stuff and sleep, just one roommate? Hartley wished he could have an income that would justify that. "I don't let people near me, don't worry." Except for James, it seemed. Every rule needed an exception.
"Sure, we should be home by then. If I'm not there, just wait? I won't be long." Hopefully. He had to do a job in half an hour and providing it all went well, he should be home in time to order pizza.
He laughed at Hartley, unable to help himself, an amused expression on his face. "You think you can keep Axel from touching you? Cute." He really wanted to see that. "Good luck on that one."
"I'm not that irresistible." Hartley shrugged and folded his arms, feeling his watched through his jacket. "I can sometimes even keep you from touching me, so how difficult could it be?"
He huffed and rolled his eyes, unsure what to make of James, but what else was new? He still couldn't even get a proper read on him, but he certainly seemed very gay. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he wished James wasn't as pretty as he was. "I can take care of myself. Even against roommates who just really want to touch me."
"Axel has a way with things. Even straight boys end up wanting him on their knees." Pfft, straight his ass. Bunch of queers more like but he guessed it was a skill he admired and kept them both in spare change. Alone, James could never afford his own place. He was lucky to have another high earner to share with.
"I don't doubt you can protect yourself, think of this as just a friendly heads up? From me to you." If he didn't warn him, he'd never hear the end of it. He was just doing a favour
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No longer did he look like some prep school kid who just happened to take the wrong turn in a bad neighbourhood, some genius had finally told the silver spoon to change his clothes and while he looked considerably less handsome in them, the odds of him getting his ass kicked lowered a lot. The hoodie was pretty thick material and the jeans weren't badly worn, a good haul actually. His first set of clothes from a shelter were just full of holes, all his shit kept falling out of his pockets.
He looked up from where he was lying, sprawled on the bonnet of an old abandoned car that had been trashed in a riot a few months ago and was little more than a burnt out shell really but still, it remained there stubbornly in the worst part of town in the worst area. Not really a good place for a pretty boy like Hartley but a fine place for someone like James. He was waiting for a friend. "Passing by? Bad idea. Especially this late." He took a deep inhale from his cigarette and lazily blew smoke upward into the sky. "Unless you've come to buy drugs. Which is also a bad idea but hey, I'm not gonna stop you. Whatever you want to blow your money on."
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"Why is it a bad idea for me, but you're lying around like you own the place?" He had stopped himself short of calling him Rum Tum Tugger, so there was that at least. Musical references still a solid zero, nice save there.
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He took another inhale from his cigarette and held it in for a moment, blowing it back out in a big huff like he was some kind of dragon. "I'm waiting for a shooting star then I'll wish myself a fortune and live happily ever after. That's what I'm doing. So what are you doing?"
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He didn't really plan on volunteering more information. He'd probably already said too much as it was, although he supposed it wasn't a big deal. James wasn't really that dangerous. A thief, an asshole, sure, but not anything truly bad. "Did you sell my watch yet?"
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What? He was curious? Not everyone was wise to meet and hell, he could give him a heads up if it was anyone truly dodgy. It was only fair to have his back, he did steal his watch. Speaking of. "Sell it? Nah, not yet but I am meeting a buyer in around, hmm, lemme see." He pulled back his coat sleeve and there, on his wrist, was Hartley's watch. He checked the time with a cocky little smile. "Forty minutes."
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There really was no reason to make this a secret other than because James had ultimately been nothing but an ass to him and he saw absolutely no reason to trust him. He tensed when he saw his watch, then hated himself for not hiding it better. His hands tightened to fists and he took a step forward, wishing he was a threat. Wishing he could just force him to give it back.
His grandmother had wanted him to have it. She'd loved him and she had always told him to be himself. He remembered the first time she'd showed him the inscription and he remembered how she signed the ticking to him, back before he was able to hear it. Just moving her arms.
He had nothing left.
"I can buy it."
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Oh geez, he was going to get all misty eyed over a watch? He figured. He saw the back, it was inscribed so it was a beloved gift. Not that he could read what was said on it, his reading skills sucked at the best of times without adding in tiny curly writing. He gave Hartley a disapproving look at his body language and shook his head, he wanted to fight for it but he knew he'd not win and he probably had no money to afford it.
"Hmm, we can do swapsies? I give you something, aka this beautiful expensive watch, and you give me something in return. Something good." He debated what he wanted for a moment, hmming a little before a smirk came to his face. This could be a fun game. "Offer me something?"
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"I... I can fix stuff. If you need stuff fixed. I can build stuff too." How very specific. "If you want a fridge, phone, anything like that. I can upgrade them, I can make stuff from scratch."
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He hopped off the car entirely now and moved over to Hartley, standing in front of him and leaning in so close that their noses were almost touching. "I give you the watch, you give me your services." He waggled his eyebrows playfully, clearly flirting. "From this point onwards, you will owe me ... let's say five things to make or upgrade. I can request them any time and you make them. Like that. Break your word and I'll get the watch back. Trust me, I can. So don't even try to welsh out on it."
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Hey, a guy could dream. "I can do that. Five things. Deal." In all honesty, Hartley wished nothing more than to have something to work on. His brain was almost woefully underused these days, but this was something. This was a start. "Thank you."
He smiled without entirely meaning to. Damn, that wasn't the attitude he was trying to sell here.
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Hartley just looked so sad and he hated to be that much of a dick. He wasn't lying, he did prefer to have friends. Especially smart ones like Hartley. "Now." He reached his hand up and playfully tweaked Hartley's glasses so they were more in line. "Who are you meeting here? Tell me."
His tone was gentler now, trying to coax the information out by being nice.
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"I need someone to get my college application letters." He might be a bit young for that, but he was a genius, so. What? Not as if he stood much to lose. "They need stuff that I've already gotten and couldn't get again." Recommendation letters, signatures, the works. He shrugged. There weren't many people who could break into the Rathaway manor and even less that'd be willing to try and then actually bring back a bunch of paper, but he'd officially lost up the last of his resources on this. "You don't have to tell me that I'm being stupid or a nerd or whatever. I don't care."
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And no one wanted to see that. It would be a shame if someone beat Hartley down, he had a nice face. Objectively. "Or at the very least, let me recommend people? Give me the name. If you trust them, I'll say. For a little fee." What? He wasn't in the charity business. "Only a little one. Wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry?"
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All he wanted was to still have a future. He didn't want to hurt his parents. He didn't want to risk anything like that. He simply wanted, as Axel had put it, to get his shit.
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What? He asked. James grinned playfully and bounced in front of Hartley, knowing he had to give his best sales pitch. "I can get in anywhere if I want to, I never leave a mess, I've never been caught, I've never had to hurt anyone and if I need more people, I only use people I can trust. If you're worried, you can meet them before the job but trust me, buddy, no one is better at this than me." Well, no, giant lie. Leonard Snart and Mick Rory were the best in town but this was a naive kid he could convince otherwise so as long as he kept lying, he'd make himself a nice tidy sum.
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It wasn't his fault he looked so damn gorgeous, how was that fair. "I know what I'm doing with this. I've figured out the alarm system when I was eight." He had had his reasons. "It will be a good trip for you. I can tell you what you can take without much risk."
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He held out his hand for Hartley to sake, just to confirm the deal. It was important to establish this was a partnership, even if it was very uneven.
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There was just the slightest excitement to it. Truthfully, Hartley had thought about how to break in and out of the manor even before he'd been thrown out of it, simply as a mental exercise. Now that it was actually about him getting his stuff, it felt justified. His parents had no right to keep him from things like these application letters. He had tried to call them, but of course that was pointless.
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Fucking Axel, why did he have to spray his own apartment building? Why not the nicer ones across the way. "We're second floor up, apartment twelve. Ignore my roommate, don't let him near you or you'll never see that watch again."
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That did sound great. Somewhere to put their stuff and sleep, just one roommate? Hartley wished he could have an income that would justify that. "I don't let people near me, don't worry." Except for James, it seemed. Every rule needed an exception.
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He laughed at Hartley, unable to help himself, an amused expression on his face. "You think you can keep Axel from touching you? Cute." He really wanted to see that. "Good luck on that one."
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He huffed and rolled his eyes, unsure what to make of James, but what else was new? He still couldn't even get a proper read on him, but he certainly seemed very gay. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he wished James wasn't as pretty as he was. "I can take care of myself. Even against roommates who just really want to touch me."
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"I don't doubt you can protect yourself, think of this as just a friendly heads up? From me to you." If he didn't warn him, he'd never hear the end of it. He was just doing a favour
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