"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
"If that's the Axel I've heard about, I believe I should be safe. I can't afford his rates." Hartley rolled his eyes, but then he smiled, not even sure why. "But thank you for the warning. I'm glad you protect my virtue."
It was a nice change from James suggesting that he had a pretty mouth and was a pretty boy and should go earn some cash that way, not that James thought he was pretty.
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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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It was a nice change from James suggesting that he had a pretty mouth and was a pretty boy and should go earn some cash that way, not that James thought he was pretty.