Chapter Text
Anchor & Tide
Jimmy idly shoved another hors d'oeuvre into his mouth after plucking it from a passing waiter’s tray. He brushed the flakey crumbs off of his fingers against his suit pants, itching to adjust his shirt collar under his tie. The feeling of starchy fabric against his skin had never been his favorite, but Grian would never let him get away with a wrinkly shirt, and certainly never something made of polyester (Grian had said the word like it disgusted him). Jimmy had never been good with clothes, so for all he knew, wearing polyester would blow their cover. Truly, Jimmy had never been good with much.
He sighed, scanning the crowd for any indication that someone— the guests, the hosts, security— had noticed something was amiss. Nothing, as usual. It made his job easy.
And unnecessary, he thought bitterly.
“Are the snacks any good?” Joel’s voice crackled through the comm in his ear. “I’ve seen you munch down on five already.”
Jimmy scowled, unable to defend himself without seeming like a crazy person talking to the air.
“Do your job,” he murmured. “Stop watching me.”
“Aw, but Timmy! You’re so cute!” Grian decided to join in on the heckling, it seemed.
“Yeah, look at you in your new suit. So handsome!” Joel snickered.
“If you guys were going to take care of lookout-duty yourselves, what did you need to drag me in for?” His voice rose towards the end of his protest, garnering some looks from nearby party goers. Embarrassed, Jimmy ducked his head and moved to stand by a different corner. “Look what you guys made me do!”
There was no reason Grian and Joel needed to put their snickering through the comms, and yet—!
“G, J, security approaching,” Mumbo’s voice cut through.
“Shit!” Joel hissed.
“How do we avoid it?” Grian asked.
“Give me a moment,” Mumbo grumbled.
Jimmy tensed, searching again for any sign they’d been busted. That was another reason he hated his job— when things went wrong, he couldn’t do anything about it.
“It would be difficult to avoid without a distraction,” Mumbo answered.
“A distraction?” Jimmy said. “I can—”
“No!”
He couldn’t tell who answered. Maybe it was all of them.
“Ah,” Grian said. “It’s the same annoying security guard as last time. Is he following us?”
“The ‘hot one?’” Mumbo teased.
“...Yes, the ‘hot one.’ Here’s the plan, I’ll distract him. Joel, you get into the room.”
“Me? But—”
“I’ll guide you there,” Mumbo promised. “Let Grian deal with his ‘hot guy.’”
Joel snorted. “Sure thing.”
“Shh, shh!” Jimmy heard Grian shush him and the comms went quiet.
Jimmy wiped his hands on his suit pants again, this time trying to get rid of the sweat that had formed on his palms. No matter how many heists they pulled off, no matter how many times they got away with it, every close call filled Jimmy with terror.
Another food platter passed by and he grabbed a few tea sandwiches to occupy himself.
It’s fine, he told himself. This is one of Grian’s plans.
Even if Joel was now the one in the hot seat, Jimmy knew they could pull it off. Though, he couldn’t help but to feel that there was something cruel about robbing someone’s presents at their own birthday party.
“It’s perfect!” Grian had exclaimed as he explained his plan. “This family is known for their extravagant parties— they’re all about appearances, typical new money posturing. I’m not going to complain because it means they’re vulnerable and hot on the rumor mill for us to hear about. And I just so happened to hear a rumor that she is being gifted the Ender Diamond—”
“And that is…?” Joel had questioned.
Grian sighed, as if the other boys should have known already. They did not spend anywhere near as much time researching precious stones and the like as Grian did.
“The Ender Diamond, it’s three carats and it is the deepest purple diamond we know of. It’s only traded hands five times since its discovery, and the last three were all collections known to sell pieces to the super wealthy. The lady of the house has been publicly hinting at her gift for months now. All rumors point to her doing a grand reveal at her party, which is a month and a half from now. Which gives us plenty of time to prepare. We’ve got ourselves a heist, boys!”
The next few weeks had passed in a flurry in which Grian put him in no less than six different suits before deciding on the one he was wearing now. Mumbo somehow managed to hack into some private documents and get them invitations. Joel took care of recon as he always did. He had taken a job as a custodian when a temp position opened up. Jimmy had offered to help him by taking the job of a gardener, but Grian, Mumbo, and Joel’s pointed looks at the withering succulents in the windowsill shut him up.
Now the heist was well under way and there was no backing out now. From the moment Grian passed off the elegantly wrapped parcel (containing a gaudy bracelet from a previous heist and a small tracking device) to one of the footmen, commenting airily, “For the lady of the house— I hear she’s turning 29,” and giving a wink, the doors had metaphorically locked behind them. It was go-time.
“Do we need to steal all the gifts if we’re just after the diamond, though?” Jimmy had asked early in their planning.
“Well, no, I suppose not,” Grian had told him. “But I want to.”
“She’s rich, Timmy.” Joel reached up and flicked him in the forehead. “She can have whatever she wants every day of the year.”
Joel was probably in the locked and secured room with the gifts by now, with Mumbo’s help. His anxiety spiked. His mouth went dry. He couldn’t do anything from here, so he turned around, searching for something to drink, and stumbled directly into somebody.
“I-I’m so sorry!” Jimmy stuttered out, steadying the man’s shoulders.
“Don’t worry about it,” the guy looked up at him and smiled. It was a pleasant— if strained— smile.
“I didn’t mean to,” Jimmy continued. “I was just searching for a drink—”
“A drink?” the guy repeated, and then laughed. “Here, I can help you with that.” He waved down a waiter, who scurried over carrying flutes of some mulberry-colored drink. He took two and handed one to Jimmy. “Cheers!”
“Cheers,” Jimmy repeated meekly, taking a polite sip. It was extremely boozy, but the guy was not deterred in the least, throwing it all back in one go. His blond hair was slicked back against his scalp, but escaped the confines of the gel in soft spikes behind his head. His features were sharp, but boyish. Jimmy thought he might be close to his age, if a bit older. The guy caught Jimmy staring as he lowered his glass.
“Are you here alone?” he asked.
Jimmy jumped. “Alone? No. No, my friends brought me.”
“Plus-one to a rich asshole’s birthday party? And they left you alone?” The guy shook his head, frowning. “That’s a dick move.”
“They’re not that bad,” Jimmy said. “Well, to be fair, they can be right dicks when they feel like it! In this case, this just isn’t my scene. Not their fault.”
“Oh man, tell me about it.” The guy rolled his eyes. Up until then, Jimmy thought that they were brown, but when the light caught on his irises, they looked amber-red like garnet. He took a sip of his drink to avoid blurting out that he thought the stranger had pretty eyes.
“This isn’t your scene, either?” he asked instead.
“Pfft, no way,” he laughed. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to be.”
“Right,” Jimmy said, nodding awkwardly. He wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, so he swirled the drink in his glass, watching the dark liquid leave trails up the sides before dripping down.
“You don’t have to drink it.”
Jimmy looked up. “What’s that?”
“I said you don’t have to drink it, if you don’t want. I know it’s strong. I’m sure there’s a waiter with cucumber water around here somewhere.” Before Jimmy could protest, the guy was already hailing another waiter.
“You don’t have to do that—” Jimmy said.
“It’s fine.” The guy waved him off, pressing a new glass into his hand. “And I was wrong anyway. It’s citrus and mint water this time.”
He took the cold drink gratefully. “Thank you.”
“Of course!” And when he smiled at him this time, it seemed genuine. “I shouldn’t have assumed the first time.”
“It’s okay,” Jimmy smiled back. “You did a much better job with your second assumption.”
“Then I guess I’ll try my luck with a third assumption.” His garnet eyes got a mischievous look. “I’ll play it safe by assuming you have a name.”
“You should have bet higher— not only do I have a name, but I will also tell you what it is. I’m Jimmy.”
“Jimmy? That’s nice. A good name. A normal name.”
“I will have to tell you that that’s the first time I’ve gotten that one,” Jimmy said. “‘Normal.’”
“I’m Tango. So.” He shrugged. “You know. Rich kid name.
Jimmy found that he quite liked the name Tango, whether it was a ‘rich kid name’ or not. “That’s not so bad.”
“No, you’re right, it could be worse,” Tango said. His voice went a little bitter. “But it’s always a dead giveaway that parents like having kids for the aesthetic more than having them for a family.”
“Cheers, to that. Parents don’t even have to be rich to fall into that category.”
“Cheers.” Tango plucked the unfinished forgotten drink from Jimmy’s hand to raise before downing half of it. “So, your parents aren’t rich?”
“Last I saw them, they weren’t,” Jimmy said. “I can’t imagine much has changed in the last decade.”
Tango choked, looking mortified. “Oh my— I’m sorry, I— I just put my foot in my mouth.”
“I’ve done far worse,” Jimmy laughed. In a way, it was a relief to see someone who seemed so put together get flustered. It made him feel much more approachable. “And really, I’m happy to remember how long I’ve been free of them. Now that I think about it, it’s been closer to 13 years.”
“Free…” Tango repeated pensively. “Congratulations! You are officially the most interesting person I’ve met at this party.”
Despite himself, Jimmy felt his cheeks go pink. He could only stutter out attempted responses that made Tango laugh.
“Come on,” Tango invited. “I don’t like parties, you don’t like parties…what do you say we find somewhere less lively?”
“I…” Jimmy whipped his head around. He couldn’t leave his post! Grian would kill him. Then Joel would kill him. Then Mumbo would shake his head in disappointment at him! “My friends— Hey, watch out!”
Jimmy rushed forward at the same time that a very drunk lady tripped into Tango’s back, sending him sprawling. Or, it would have had Jimmy not caught him. The glass Tango had been holding shattered against the floor, all of its contents having already been emptied onto Jimmy’s shirtfront.
“My hero,” Tango grinned up at him, patting his chest. When he noticed it was wet, horror dawned on his face. “Oh no, your suit! And it’s a Luxembourg, too…”
Jimmy sighed. “Grian already has plenty of reasons to want to kill me, I’m sure this won’t send him over the edge.”
“I’ll get it cleaned,” Tango promised. “Or replaced, whatever. I wasn’t paying attention, and you saved me.”
Well…Tango was rich, he could afford to save Jimmy from at least a little more of his friends’ derision.
He nodded. “I appreciate that.”
“Come with me, I’ll get you something else to wear.” Tango took his arm at the elbow in a large warm hand and began to lead him through the crowd. It was distracting enough that Jimmy forgot to protest.
Tango took him through several doors into a corridor that led to a staircase. The interior of the mansion was every bit as impressive as the outside with grand arching architecture made of dark, shining wood. It was difficult to believe that a family actually lived there. It felt more like a museum.
“You know this place really well,” Jimmy noticed as they walked.
“Yeah, I do,” Tango agreed. “This is my house.”
Jimmy froze. “Your house? You live here? …You’re a Tek?”
“Sure is, sure do, and sure am.”
He felt sick. “So…this is your mom’s birthday party?”
“Yeah,” Tango sighed. “She’s pretty extra. To say the least.”
Jimmy tried to not to make it obvious that he’d just broken out in a cold sweat. Here he was in the hallway of the Tek mansion, standing with a member of the Tek family, while he was part of an active scheme to rob him. He gulped.
“Uh huh,” he agreed shakily.
Tango noticed and his expression fell. “You’re not…it’s not a problem, is it? Who I am?”
“No, no, no, not at all, no, not a problem at all!” Jimmy sputtered. “It’s just— erm, I was startled. Yeah. Startled.” And wracked with soul-crushing guilt. He wanted to make an excuse and get back to the party and forget that he ever talked to Tango. He opened his mouth…and the words just did not seem to come out. There was something in Tango’s face that made Jimmy want to stay. He looked resigned, and uncertain, but underneath that, there was something hopeful that Jimmy found he wanted to see more of. He took a deep breath. “I grew up poor.”
Tango blinked. “Oh.”
“I said my parents weren’t rich,” Jimmy found himself blurting out. “Hah, the only thing they were rich in was kids, and they didn’t really think we were worth much— except for appearances. Even now, I have money and furthermore I have friends with money, but that’s not the same as—” he gestured around at the grand house. “The super wealthy still don’t feel real to me, if I’m being honest. And you— you seem real.”
Tango’s expression softened. “Real?” he repeated.
“Real.” Jimmy nodded fervently.
“Thanks? I think,” Tango said.
“I meant it in a good way.”
“Then, yes, thanks,” he laughed. “Come on, that shirt must be gettin uncomfortable by now.”
Jimmy resisted the urge to comment that it had been uncomfortable since he put it on, but Tango was right; the spilled cocktail soaking into the fabric did nothing to improve the experience for him.
“I don’t want you to be ‘startled’ again,” Tango said as he approached a door on the second floor. “But this is my room.”
When he opened the door, Jimmy was indeed startled.
Room?! he thought. It was bigger than some people’s houses. The floor was made of a shiny dark tile which reflected the light the setting sun cast through the full length windows, framed by scarlet curtains. The bed sat in the middle of the room on top of an enormous plush carpet. Where Jimmy had band and movie posters crookedly thumbtacked to the walls, Tango’s walls were decorated with neat minimalist frames deliberately spaced out. Along one wall, a full length mirror split and had been left slid open to reveal an ensuite bathroom.
Jimmy whistled. “What’s rent like to live here?”
“Free,” Tango snorted. “Provided I keep up appearances.” He walked over to another panel on the mirror and slid it over to open an enormous closet. “Come on in!”
Jimmy trepidatiously followed him in.
“Go ahead and take off your wet clothes,” Tango directed him without looking. He was too busy sifting through the hanging garments.
The entire situation was pretty wild— here was, standing in the walk-in closet of the man whose family he was helping to rob while the man himself was picking him out an outfit to wear. Embarrassment about taking off his shirt should have been the least of Jimmy’s worries and yet he felt his face flush. “O-okay,” he agreed. He sort of wanted to turn away, but thought that might be even more embarrassing. He felt extremely exposed once he had the jacket and shirt off, despite the relief. “Where should I put these?” He held up his stained garments.
“Oh, here, I’ll put them onto the dry cleaning rack.”
Because of course he had an entire rack for clothes that needed dry cleaning.
“Let’s see…” Tango stood back to give Jimmy a once over. Jimmy fought the urge to cross his arms to cover his torso, but he couldn’t stop his cheeks from getting redder. “You’re taller than me, but you’re also so…willowy. I don’t know that there’s anything I have that will even fit you…but we’ll start with this!” Tango handed him a powder blue dress shirt. Jimmy knew that Grian could tell the minute differences between dress clothes. He could tell you their fabric, their stitching, their cut, how much it probably cost, and why Jimmy was not, under any circumstances, allowed near it. For his part, Jimmy thought all dress shirts looked pretty much the same.
The fabric of this shirt was light, almost delicate against his skin. He had no idea what it was made of, but he hoped next time Grian made him wear a monkey suit for a heist, he would put him in one of these.
“The fabric’s nice,” he commented.
“Silk,” Tango said. “It’s one of my older shirts, but it’s a classic for a reason.”
Immediately upon pulling it on further, Jimmy identified an issue. “Um…it won’t go on past here.” The cuffs on the sleeves were taut around his forearms and he couldn’t quite get the shoulders on.
Tango laughed. “That’s what you get for being so tall.”
If it were possible, Jimmy blushed harder.
“Yeah, that’s gonna be a problem for pretty much all of my tailored stuff. How do you feel…about a band t-shirt?” Tango asked.
“I feel extremely favorable. Extremely.”
“Great!” Tango said, moving to a chest of drawers in the back of the large closet (more of a room, really). “What’s your poison? I’ve got Pink Floyd, Def Leppard, Queen…Would The Beatles be too on the nose?”
“I like The Beatles,” Jimmy said. He caught the shirt Tango threw at him. It was simple, with just the logo and the Union Jack, but it was a t-shirt, probably made of cotton or polyester, and Jimmy could not have been more grateful.
When he pulled it down over his head, he was surprised when it stopped short on his torso.
Tango coughed, poorly disguising a laugh. His lips were twitching up at the corners.
Jimmy sighed. “You don’t have to pretend that you’re not laughing at me.”
“I’m not!” Tango protested. “Well, I am laughing, but I promise it’s not at you. You look good in a crop top. You should consider making them a staple in your wardrobe.”
“Yes, because I’m sure everyone wants to see the blinding white of my pasty midriff,” Jimmy joked.
“Wouldn’t be so pasty if you wore crop tops!”
They stared at each other for a moment and then both burst out laughing. Jimmy could see himself in the mirror and he was a sight to behold. Shiny black oxfords, neat pressed suit pants, leather belt, four inches of bare belly lightly covered with a blond happy trail, a loose band tee, and mussed hair. He could only imagine Grian’s horrified expression if he could see him right now.
“I think,” Jimmy giggled, “we just found the newest trend in fashion.”
“Mhm, mhm,” Tango hummed. “It’s high time cut-outs were brought into men’s clothing.”
“It would certainly make it more breathable,” Jimmy agreed. They grinned at each other. Something passed between them when their eyes met that made Jimmy gulp, suddenly feeling short of air. Tango’s eyes flitted away before darting back, his cheeks a little pinker.
“Hey, um, so—” Tango started at the same time Jimmy said, “Do you maybe—” and they both broke off.
Tango cleared his throat. “You first.”
“No, you go ahead,” Jimmy insisted.
Tango opened his mouth to protest. Closed it. Looked down at the ground. Looked back up at Jimmy.
Jimmy offered him a small reassuring smile that seemed to do the trick. Expression full of resolve, Tango closed the distance between them, pulled Jimmy down by the front of his— well, Tango’s— t-shirt, and pressed their mouths together.
Jimmy froze.
He was stunned. He couldn’t think and he couldn’t move.
He’s kissing me, he thought. Tango Tek is kissing me.
In his chest, his heart was hammering. He could hear the rush of blood through his ears and he felt woozy.
Tango is kissing me. While I’m helping my friends rob him.
His moment of euphoria crashed down around him and he pulled away with a gasp.
Tango’s eyes went wide and he stumbled away. “I— I’m sorry.”
“No, no, it’s fine—”
“I’m so sorry, I read that wrong, I—” he continued to back away from Jimmy, flinching.
“That’s not—”
“Please don’t tell anyone,” Tango begged. His voice went up an octave, shaking with fear. “Please, I’m sorry, don’t tell anyone. My family can’t find out.”
Jimmy took a step back too, heart dropping. “I wouldn’t! I wouldn’t ever tell anyone,” he promised. “Nobody is going to find out. I’m sorry. You…you didn’t read anything wrong, I was just…startled.”
Tango’s shoulders dropped nearly imperceptibly. “Startled,” he repeated, breathless. He shook his head, rubbing his face with his hands. “Jimmy!”
Jimmy hid his own face. “I’m sorry…I’m not used to any of this! Rich people, and playing dress up, and someone wanting to kiss me—!”
“You can’t keep getting startled, Jimmy, it’s going to give me a heart attack,” Tango laughed helplessly.
Jimmy sputtered. “And how do you think I felt when a super rich handsome guy marches over and plants one on me? It’s a bit alarming! I think I’m within my rights to be startled!”
“Fine,” Tango said, preening under the indirect praise though he was still visibly shaking. He looked up at him a little shyly. “But you owe me one.”
“O-oh,” Jimmy said. He needed to get back down to the party. He was sure Joel was in position. All they were waiting on was Mumbo’s command. “Okay!” He shuffled forward. Tango was looking up at him expectantly.
He really needed to focus on the heist right now. He really needed to not get himself in over his head with a guy who would hate him if he ever knew what he was here for. He leaned down and kissed him.
This time, Jimmy could actually appreciate how soft and warm Tango’s lips were against his. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Tango began to move his mouth coaxingly. He managed to not pull away like before, but he couldn’t help a small gasp. He felt Tango’s lips quirked up at the corners.
“You’re cute,” he murmured.
Jimmy groaned in embarrassment, turning his face away. “You’re gonna startle me again.”
“Sorry.” Tango reached up and pulled him back in with a hand against the nape of his neck. Jimmy was determined to not do anything embarrassing this time. He pressed back with determination, following Tango’s lead as compliantly as he could. Even when Tango’s tongue darted across his lips, Jimmy managed not to squeak in surprise. His knees did nearly buckle, but Tango didn’t notice (or pretended not to) so Jimmy still counted it as a win.
“Joel is in position,” Mumbo’s voice crackled in his ear. “Presents are on the move. Grian, prepare for the finale. Jimmy, how are things on the party floor?”
Jimmy sighed and pulled away from Tango. Mumbo would have to figure out he wasn’t in a position to respond. “I’m sorry, but I really should let my friends know where I am.”
Tango looked disappointed. “You’re an adult, you don’t need them to babysit you.” He tugged at him again.
“Try telling them that,” he groaned. He let himself be pulled in for another brief kiss.
“I just might.” Tango stepped away. “Maybe you’re right, though…the sun just set, which means Mother will want to make a toast to herself and open presents in front of everyone. And I’ll have to ‘make an appearance.’” He grimaced.
“Oh yeah? What does that entail?” Jimmy was definitely dawdling on leaving the safe confines of Tango’s closet.
Tango kissed him again, and then once more. “Oh, you know. Sit at the head table. Look put-together and well-behaved. Heterosexual and marriageable. Pretty much do everything except look like I left the party to make out with a guy in my room.” He sighed. “Or rent goes from ‘free’ to ‘in your dreams.’”
“I’m sorry,” Jimmy frowned.
Tango laughed. “Oh, don’t be. You left home as a kid. I’m letting my parents treat me like this because I’m too lazy to get a real job and live on my own. I’d be able to be out and stuff if I weren’t—” he made an incomprehensible gesture and a vague noise.
“That’s different,” Jimmy said. “I left home because I had to. You’re— you’re in a gilded bird cage.”
“Yeah,” Tango agreed, voice flat.
Jimmy frowned harder. Despite himself, he reached forward and pulled Tango into a hug. He relaxed into it, wrapping his jacket-clad arms around Jimmy’s middle. The fabric of his suit felt funny brushing the bare skin of his midriff.
“I hope,” Jimmy started, “that you can be yourself soon.”
Tango did not respond. He just held him tighter.
They took a meandering path through the gardens to get back to the party. Tango’s laugh was loud and genuine as they talked. It made Jimmy flush delightedly each time. He felt a little pathetic for thinking it, but most of the time when he made people laugh, they were laughing at him, not with him.
“Grian,” Joel’s whispered voice came through the comms. “The catering carts are loaded. Every single gift.”
“Good work,” Grian praised. “Decoy is set.”
“Elevator stop is set. Joel, are you ready? You’ll have about a minute to switch out the carts.” The sounds of Mumbo frantically typing on a keyboard came over the comms.
“Sure thing,” Joel said. “Tim, how’s the party?”
“You okay?”
Jimmy nearly jumped when Tango’s voice cut over the conversation on his comm. He took the opportunity to switch it on so that his teammates could hear.
“Fine! Everything’s fine. Just a little…distracted,” he said as an answer to both questions.
“Get un distracted fast,” Grian said. “It’s nearly go-time.”
“Distracted?” Tango said overtop of Grian in his earpiece. “Something on your mind?”
Jimmy subtly muted himself on his comm again. “I was just thinking about what my friends will think when they see me like this. You may want to make yourself a bit scarce; they can be protective.”
“Oh, come on,” Tango complained. “There’s an innocent explanation about why you’re wearing my clothes.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
They passed into a breezeway that led inside to a corridor. Jimmy began to recognize where they were as close to the party.
“Secured!” Joel said. “Grian, I did it! Carts are on their way out— thanks Mumbo!”
“Right on time.” Even through the tinny quality of the comms, Jimmy could hear the grin in Grian’s voice. “Fire at will, Mumbo!”
“Any reason to delay, Jimmy?” Mumbo double checked.
“No,” he said, to Mumbo.
“There’s not an innocent explanation?” Tango asked. “I spilled a cocktail on you. You saved me.”
“No, no, no,” he said, just to Tango. “It’s just they wouldn’t listen to it.”
“Hmm,” Tango hummed. “Scary friends.”
“Fire in the hole in 5—”
“Listen, Tango—” Jimmy started, not even sure what he was trying to say. Come clean? Make an excuse and get away?
“4—”
“Yeah?”
“It’s just I—”
“3—”
“I just wanted to say— to tell you—”
“2—”
Tango made an encouraging noise.
Jimmy screwed his eyes shut.
“I’m sorry.”
“1! Fire!”
They were close enough to the party that the explosion and whistling of fireworks going off could be felt as well as heard, even as the security alarms began blaring.
“What the hell?” Tango shouted. He grabbed Jimmy by the arms. “Whatever you’re sorry for, it can wait. Get in here!”
Tango pulled Jimmy into an alcove, pressing him against the stone of the wall with his body.
For a moment, Jimmy thought Tango was taking advantage of the chaos to get frisky with him again, but then he realized what was actually happening: Tango was shielding him with his body. He was shorter than Jimmy, head only reaching his collarbones, but Jimmy had never felt more protected than he did in his arms. He blinked back tears. Even though he knew there was no danger, he was beyond touched by Tango’s actions.
He didn’t deserve this. He was robbing him.
“Tango—”
“Tim?!”
Joel’s voice sent Jimmy’s heart plummeting.
Tango’s head shot up. “Your friend?”
Joel continued. “Tim, come on, what are you doing? It’s go-time!”
“Go…time…?” Tango’s eyebrows furrowed and he pulled away from Jimmy. Alarms blared around them. Jimmy gulped, mouth going dry. He tried to say something, anything—
“Mission accomplished, let’s go!”
“‘Mission’...” Tango’s expression darkened.
Panic rose in Jimmy’s chest. He hadn’t meant for it to happen this way! He hadn’t meant to meet Tango! He hadn’t meant to rob him.
Tango took another step back. His expression grew disturbingly blank, though he couldn’t disguise the betrayal roiling behind his garnet eyes.
“I’m sorry.” Jimmy said it in a near-whisper. He ran. He wasn’t even sure Tango had heard him over the blaring. He didn’t look back to see.
“Another very successful haul, boys!” Grian cheered. He held up his hand to admire a new red and black ring glittering on his finger. Most of their spoils were packed up in unassuming boxes, ready for Pearl and Big B to pick up, but Grian always liked to pick out a few things to keep. He normally went for jewelry, always enjoying something shiny. Tonight was no exception.
Their biggest prize, of course, was the Ender Diamond. It sat wrapped in brown paper, safely tucked away in its velvet-lined box. Nobody dared touch it with their bare hands— the higher profile the item they stole, the more likely it was to get seized somewhere and swept for evidence. Which was why they needed to get it out of their possession as soon as possible.
“Did you get me some birthday cake?” Pearl’s familiar voice sounded behind them.
Jimmy jumped, whirling around. Neither Joel nor Grian seemed as surprised as he did. Jimmy disguised his shock with a cough.
“Afraid not,” Grian smirked. “The party came to an unexpected end right before presents.”
“Shame,” she said. “I could really go for some cake right now.”
“We can get some after we meet our buyer,” Big B said, approaching as well. “I think a haul like this earns a well-deserved celebration.”
“How much are you able to take right now?” Grian asked. Jimmy knew him well enough to hear the agitation in his voice. Pearl probably could too.
“In a rush, Grian?” she asked.
“High profile heists always make me antsy,” he said.
“‘Antsy’ is one word for it,” Mumbo muttered. He was sitting in the car with the windows down while the rest of the team gathered outside of it. “We all know you do like the attention.”
Grian smiled. “I like getting my attention from the morning breaking news, not the cops who are hot on our tail.”
“Well, there’s one cop whose attention you’d love hot on your tail — ow! Hey, Grian…” Joel complained, rubbing the back of his head where Grian had smacked him.
“I can give you $80,000 for the rock,” Pearl said. “That’s the only sale I’ve got guaranteed.”
Jimmy sighed. He knew how this process went. They would haggle back and forth on prices. After low-profile heists, Grian was happy to haggle until the sun rose for good prices. On heists like this, however, he was much less ambitious.
“Market price would be at least $85,000.” He was only asking for $5,000 more.
“That’s true,” Pearl smiled. “But you’ll give us a discount because you love us so much.”
“Fine,” Grian agreed. “$80,000 for the diamond. Next item, we’ve sorted it into categories—”
“$250,000 for the lot,” Big B said. “Take it or leave it.”
He’d caught on to Grian’s caution as well.
“No!” Joel complained. “Only $60 grand each? Plus the $20,000 for the diamond…Get us $100 grand at least! Grian, come on, don’t take this!”
“$320,000.”
“$270.”
“$300.”
“$275.”
“$280?”
“Hmm…Deal.” Big B and Grian shook hands.
Pearl slung a bag off her shoulder and dropped it to the ground in front of the boys. “That’s $200k. We’re paying for the diamond in full. We’ll get you the other $160 after the sale goes through.”
“Other heisters wouldn’t let you get away with that, you know,” Grian pointed out, smiling wryly.
Pearl patted his cheek. “Then it’s a good thing you aren’t other heisters.” She took the paper bundled box containing the diamond. “And on that note, other fences wouldn’t stand for some of the things you’ve pulled, Grian.”
“I guess we’re stuck with each other, then,” he said cheerfully. “Nobody else would put up with either of us.”
“Guess so!” Big B agreed before hefting up the nearest box to help Pearl load spoils into their truck. “Wow, you guys normally aren’t this successful.”
“A whole box of perfume?” Pearl said, peeking into one of the parcels. “Maybe you should take one of these.” She picked up an ornate glass bottle with a honey colored liquid inside. She wrinkled her nose. “All of you, actually.”
“What, and smell like an old lady?” Jimmy protested. “No way. I have my manly cologne.”
“ Axe? ” Pearl sputtered.
Big B snorted too. “That’s about as ‘manly’ as a junior high student.”
“You’re one to talk,” Grian said. “Old Spice doesn’t actually work like in the commercials, you know.”
Big B opened his mouth to protest, but apparently decided better of it.
The wail of distant sirens got all their attention.
“And that’s our cue to leave,” Grian said, already hopping into shotgun. “Boys, get in the car.”
Jimmy didn’t need to be told twice, slamming the door behind him. His butt had hardly touched the seat before Mumbo was peeling out of the alley. Jimmy turned to watch Pearl and Big B load the last of the boxes into their truck. They were jumping into their own seats when Mumbo turned a corner and Jimmy lost sight of them.
The silence in the car was tense as they listened to the sirens grow more and more distant behind them. Grian was the first to break it as they left the city proper behind.
“So, Jimmy,” he started. Jimmy knew immediately by his tone that this was not going well for him. He sunk down into his seat, staring firmly out the window. “Care to tell us what happened out there?”
He tugged at the fabric of his seatbelt for something to do with his hands. “I mean, the plan worked.”
“Joel said you were with someone,” Grian pressed, turning almost fully around in his seat. “And those aren’t the clothes you came in with.”
Jimmy swallowed hard. “Someone spilled a cocktail on the shirt and jacket.”
“On the Luxembourg shirt and jacket that we just got you?” Grian groaned. “Where are they now?”
Jimmy mumbled his response into his hand.
“What was that?” Grian pressed, sounding exasperated.
“In tnmrphnbl…….” he mumbled again.
“Tim.”
He took a break, swallowing hard. “In…Tango Tek’s…bedroom closet.”
The car jolted as Mumbo jumped in his seat.
Beside him, Joel's eyes were wide, hand pressed against his mouth in shock.
He didn’t dare meet Grian’s eyes, but he could feel them on him anyway.
“Tango…Tek,” Grian repeated. “As in…the son of the woman whose party we just robbed.”
Jimmy nodded mutely.
“And that wouldn’t happen to be the man whose shirt you are now wearing?”
Jimmy nodded again.
“And that wouldn’t happen to be the same person Joel saw you with?”
Jimmy gulped. He pressed his eyes closed. When Grian was angry, he didn’t yell or scream or swear. Instead, he fell into a dangerous and deadly calm.
If the silence had been tense before, it was charged now.
“So that’s it then,” Grian said softly.
Jimmy’s head shot up. “What’s ‘it’?”
“We can’t stay here,” Grian answered. “There was a witness who seems to have gotten a very good look at you. We stay here, we’re screwed. So that’s it. We’re relocating.”
They hadn’t relocated in years. Five, if Jimmy’s memory served. They’d met Pearl and Big B here, their house finally felt like their own, and the heists had never been better.
“N-no!” Jimmy protested.
“I don’t want to either,” Grian said. “But what other choice do we have? Your new friend will definitely, definitely tell the cops allll about you. Unless you want to stay locked in the house for the next decade, we’re relocating!”
“He wouldn’t tell the cops!” Jimmy protested, suddenly realizing that was true. “He wouldn’t—”
“Tim, what are you talking about? Of course he would! There’s nothing you could have done in the hour you were gone that could make him betray his family for you—”
“I have blackmail,” he blurted out. He felt filthy saying it. He hated the very idea of it. “If his parents find out he’s gay, he loses everything.”
Grian seemed taken aback. “That…changes things,” he said consideringly. He didn’t sound convinced, but cautious hope had crept into his tone. “What do you have on him?”
“Well,” Jimmy looked down at himself and his still-exposed midriff. “I have his shirt…?”
“I can see that,” Grian said. “Do you have proof that he’s gay, though?”
“No, but he seemed under the impression that even a rumor would be enough to ruin things for him.”
Grian hummed. “Timmy, I am going to ask you this— I need you to be honest with me: will we be safe here?”
Jimmy swallowed hard. He met Grian’s eyes. They were as familiar as they were dark. When he’d first met Grian, he’d found his eyes unnerving. His irises were so dark, they were nearly black, and his eyes were large and deceivingly guileless, making him near impossible to read. Over the years Jimmy had known him, he’d learned to understand Grian’s tells. Right now, Jimmy knew he was trusting him with all of their lives.
“If we get caught,” he said carefully, “it will not be because of Tango.”
Grian stared at him for a moment more, gaze boring into his soul. Then his shoulders slumped. “Alright.”
The tension in the car palpably eased.
“Alright,” Grian said again. “But you are laying low. Don’t go out unless absolutely necessary for…for the next month.”
“A month? Grian, you’re grounding me for a month?” Jimmy protested.
“I’m not grounding you—”
“You kind of are,” Joel put in.
“Joel, stay out of this,” Grian snapped.
Joel ducked his head. “Yes, Grian.”
Grian sighed and continued. “It’s for all of our safety, Timmy. Joel, Mumbo, and I weren’t seen doing anything suspicious. You were. This is going to be on the news for the next few weeks at least, and I think we can be generous and say another month. Once the hype passes, you’re welcome to return to your normally scheduled life. Until then, stay home.”
Jimmy sighed. “Okay.”
“...We can get a PS5 with the heist money,” Grian said, like a peace offering.
Everyone whooped at that.
“Thanks, ‘Mom!’” Joel joked.
“Shut up.”
Jimmy could hear the suppressed smile in Grian’s voice.
The mood was significantly lighter for the rest of the drive home, but Jimmy could not keep his mind from wandering back to the party, to the feeling of Tango kissing him, protecting him when the alarm went off. Most of all, he could not forget the look of betrayal on Tango’s face as he ran away.
“Joel,” Jimmy whispered into the dark room. “Joel!”
Across the room, the mattress creaked and blankets shuffled as Joel rolled over, groaning. “Hmm…what is it, Tim…”
Taking his acknowledgement as an invitation, Jimmy tiptoed fully into Joel’s room and sat at the end of his bed. “Can I talk to you?”
“It’s…like 3 in the morning, Tim, can this wait?” Joel grumbled.
“No,” he answered. “Grian is finally asleep.”
Joel sighed. “So you’re trying to evade your grounding?”
“Hey, Grian said it wasn’t a grounding. I’m a grown man. He can’t ground me.” Jimmy crossed his arms in a huff. “...But yes.”
“Mm,” Joel hummed. “Lasted a whole week. ‘M proud of you, that’s longer than I expected, babe.”
Jimmy preened. “Thank you. So will you help me?”
“Yeah, I’ll help,” Joel yawned. “Where are we going?”
“Well, about that…” Jimmy trailed off. He felt the mattress shift under him when Joel sat up.
“Timmy.” Joel sounded panicked. “Tim, you’re not thinking about going back , are you?”
“Joel, I can’t leave it like this!” Jimmy hissed. “I’m sure he thinks so many awful things— he might think I was distracting him on purpose—”
A pair of hands bracketed his face. “Tim, no. It’s better that way. Let it go, this isn’t going anywhere.”
“I can’t.” Jimmy could barely see the shine of Joel’s eyes in the darkness, but he focused his gaze there. “There was something between us. I felt it.”
“I think you’d feel it about anyone who looked your way,” Joel grumbled. “There are plenty of fish in the sea, you don’t need this one.”
“But I want him!”
“I know,” Joel said. “I know, but you can’t have him. If nothing else, because Grian will kill you . And then he’ll kill me for enabling you. And then he’ll die of sadness without us. And then there will be nobody to feed Mumbo. Is that what you want? Do you wanna kill Mumbo, Tim?”
“I don’t wanna kill Mumbo,” he conceded. “But Grian won’t have to know . ”
“He’s gonna know,” Joel said. “Mumbo will tell him you snuck out.”
Jimmy snorted. “No, Mumbo is asleep as well. Grian worked very hard to get him away from the PS5.”
“Gross,” Joel snickered. Then he sighed. “Look, Tim, I can help you sneak out. I’ll take you wherever you want to go— bar? Club? Shake Shack? Fine. But we are not going back to the Tek estate. I’m sorry, but that’s a no-go from me. I don’t want to go to jail.”
“Please—”
“No!”
“Joel—!”
“I said ‘no’!”
“What if it were Lizzie?”
Jimmy’s eyes had adjusted to the dark enough that he could see Joel’s face turn stony.
“Don’t go there,” he said, tone serious. “That’s different.”
“Not to me, it’s not.” Jimmy’s voice was almost inaudible.
“You don’t mean that,” Joel said.
“I do.”
Joel groaned. He took a few deep breaths. Then—
“Ugh. Okay. You know what? Fine. Fine! I’ll help you. But— only this one time. I’ll drive you to the Tek estate, I still have the custodian uniform, I know how to get close to the house. I’ll give you 15 minutes to get your closure, see how much Tango doesn’t want to sleep with someone who robbed him, and then I’m going in after you and we’re getting out of there. After that, I don’t want to hear about Tango Tek anymore. Got it?”
“Thank you!” Jimmy launched himself forward, wrapping his arms around Joel and sending them both down onto the mattress. “Thank you, thank you, you won’t be sorry.”
“I already am,” Joel sighed. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”
Together, they snuck quietly through the dark house. Jimmy could hear Mumbo snoring from Grian’s room at the end of the hall while they crept down the stairs. The only light was the flickering pause screen of the game Mumbo had been playing earlier, still frozen on the TV.
“We haven’t done this in a while,” Jimmy joked when he closed the passenger side door behind him. “Kinda feels like we’re teenagers again.”
“I am so glad we’re not teenagers again.” Joel shook his head.
“Me too,” he agreed. “Probably not as glad as Grian is.”
“Really?” Joel said, glancing over at him. “I feel like Grian misses when we were teenagers. Things were kind of simpler back then.”
“He probably just misses when we thought his cooking was good.”
“Compared to the group home sludge, everything was good,” Joel said.
“Yeah,” he said. Even the streets had been better than that prison of a home. When Grian found them and invited them into his home, Jimmy thought he must have been an angel. He knew now that the three of them crammed into the rundown studio was far from paradise, but it had really seemed like it at the time.
“Do you ever think…” Joel began. Jimmy looked over at him. The headlights of the occasional passing car reflected in his eyes and carved stark shadows on his profile. “About how we’re both older now than Grian was then? When I was 18, I couldn’t have done what he did. Hell, I don’t think I could do what he did then even now.”
“No kidding.” Guilt gnawed at the inside of Jimmy’s chest. He was grateful to Grian, for everything. He knew better than to take a loving family for granted and yet with Joel and Grian, and even Mumbo, it was easy to forget that anything came before this.
“So I guess what I mean is,” Joel began, “Whoever this guy is, whatever you feel for him…just don’t make trouble for Grian.”
“I won’t, Joel, goodness,” Jimmy groaned. “I just want to set things straight with Tango. He doesn’t deserve to think someone would take advantage of him like that. Besides,” Jimmy grinned, “I still need to give him his shirt back.” He held up the folded fabric. Normally, Grian did the laundry (otherwise it didn’t often get done) but Jimmy had made sure to do his own this week. Grian thought he was just trying to make up for nearly futzing their entire heist and Jimmy let him believe that while he carefully made sure to follow the wash and dry directions for a special t-shirt. He even ironed it! He had to ask Mumbo how, but after Mumbo took great pleasure in carefully explaining how to press all sorts of garments into their proper shapes to sit well on the body and avoid wrinkles, Jimmy got it. He wondered if ironing was Mumbo’s secret to seeming so put together when Jimmy knew for a fact that he only showered under extreme duress.
Joel laughed. “Jimmy! We stole all of his mom’s birthday presents. I think it would have been okay for you to steal his shirt as well.”
“Well, yeah, okay, but he also has my dress shirt and suit jacket. Grian would want me to get those back,” he defended himself.
“Fair, fair,” Joel conceded.
As they drew closer to the Tek estate, Jimmy started to feel anxiety flutter in his chest. He wiped his palms against his thighs and did his best to keep his fidgeting subtle.
“When we get in,” Joel said, “We’re going through the gardens. They had a night watch before we robbed them, so I’m sure they’ve doubled or tripled it by now. God, this is stupid. We’re idiots for this, Timmy.”
“Yeah,” Jimmy agreed meekly.
“You sure you still wanna do this?” Joel confirmed.
“I’m sure.” Despite his anxiety, Jimmy felt certain that if he left this where it was, if he never saw Tango again for the rest of his life, he would regret it forever. “I’m sure.”
“Alright then,” Joel said. He suddenly pulled off the road and killed the engine. “It’s go-time.”
A large, menacing hedge surrounded the entire west side of the estate. Inside, Jimmy knew from his walk through it with Tango, was decorated with carefully trimmed topiary. He remembered staring down at the uniform grass as they strolled, too nervous to look directly at Tango. The path was made of smooth pale stone that cut through the garden like a vein of silver.
“You know where his room is?” Joel confirmed.
Jimmy nodded. “West corner.”
“Then on the count of 3, we’re going through this hedge. There’s a hole at your feet. If they kept patrols at least similar, we have about 5 minutes of quiet here before we’re dead meat,” Joel explained. “But we’re also sitting ducks, there’s nothing to hide behind, nowhere to go. So the moment you’re through, run. Keep to the shadows. Lead the way, I’ll follow and make sure you don’t get caught.”
“Okay.” Jimmy nodded resolutely.
“Oh, and Timmy?” Joel said.
“Mm?”
“Don’t get caught.”
“I won’t.” Jeez, couldn’t Joel have a little faith in him?
“On one…two… three!”
Jimmy sucked in a breath and dropped to the ground. He found the hole in the hedge Joel mentioned, but it was really more of a thinning of the hedge than an actual hole. Branches tugged at his hair and clothes, scratching stinging cuts into his skin. It was a squeeze, dark and claustrophobic, but he came out on the other side. He paused as he stood, waiting for Joel to come through.
“Go, you idiot!” Joel hissed.
Oh, right. Run! Jimmy ran. Flashes of light from security guard’s torches bobbed distantly, disappearing and reappearing like fireflies between the shrubbery. A K-9 barked somewhere on the grounds. It felt all kinds of unnatural to be running towards the security, but it was the only place to hide. Once he wedged himself into the shadow of a stone column, he peered back towards the hedge for Joel.
“Tim,” a voice murmured from right behind him.
He smacked a hand over his mouth to keep himself from crying out but whirled around to face Joel.
“They have dogs,” Joel said. “That might be a problem. Stay upwind of them.”
“Upwind?” Jimmy repeated. “How am I supposed to know which way the wind is blowing?”
Joel rolled his eyes. “Just follow me.”
Jimmy tried his best to keep his eyes on Joel in the darkness, but there were many points where he lost sight of him. Joel always waited for him to catch up before moving on.
“West corner,” Joel whispered after what felt like an eternity of sneaking around. “Your stop?”
“Right,” Jimmy nodded. “Thanks.”
He eyed the side of the building. It was ornate as he remembered. The wrought iron of the balcony railing was about four meters above their heads. Jimmy looked around for a way to climb up and found none.
“Um, Joel…?” Jimmy whispered. “Do you think you could maybe give me a boost up?”
The look Joel shot him was withering, but he gestured for him to follow.
“How should I—”
“Get on my shoulders,” Joel directed, crouching down.
Joel wasn’t a short man— Jimmy thought he must be close to the perfect average height, but he was still dwarfed by Jimmy.
“Are you going to be able to lift me?”
“It will work, just hurry up,” Joel insisted.
Jimmy cautiously positioned himself over Joel’s shoulders, grabbing onto his head to keep his balance as Joel stood.
“Watch the hair, watch the hair, watch the hair! ” Joel hissed. Other than that, to Jimmy’s amazement, he managed to lift him up. “Okay, now put your foot in my hand to stand up.”
Wobbling like a newborn deer, Jimmy managed to bring himself to a full stand on Joel’s shoulders.
“Can you reach the balcony?”
Jimmy nodded before he realized Joel couldn’t see him like this. “Yeah.”
“Good. Then get off of me!”
“Sorry!”
Jimmy gripped onto the balcony and swung his legs up. It took him a few scrambling tries, but finally he pulled himself up and swung a leg over the railing.
The light in Tango’s room was on, despite the late hour, but he couldn’t see anyone inside. He tried the balcony door; it was unlocked.
No sooner than had Jimmy poked his head inside, he was yanked off his feet and slammed against the wall.
“You bastard!”
Tango’s face was inches from his own, brows furrowed, nose wrinkled, teeth bared. The red of his gaze burned where it touched Jimmy. He looked furious.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, sneaking in here?” Tango snarled. “Distracting me so you can rob us again?!”
“I—”
“Shut up!” Tango slammed him into the the wall again.
Ouch, Jimmy thought. The back of his head smarted and the force of Tango’s attack nearly knocked the wind out of him.
“If you think I’m letting you get away, ohaha, you’ve got another thing coming, buddy.” His blunt nails dug into the skin of Jimmy’s arm.
“No— Tango— I—”
“What!?” Tango said. “What could you possibly have to say? You’ve already fooled me once.” He laughed, voice going up a hysterical octave. “If you don’t give me a good answer in 10 seconds, I’m calling security.”
“I-I came to return your shirt!” Jimmy sputtered out. He held up the offending article between him.
Tango blinked, looking completely taken aback.
“You…— what?” Tango slowly let go of his shoulders.
“I came to return it,” Jimmy said. “You were so kind, letting me borrow it, and then I— yeah. I didn’t want to leave things like that. I didn’t want you to think I did, you know, on purpose or anything.”
Tango took a step back, expression guarded. “...Are you stupid?”
Despite himself, Jimmy burst out into nervous giggles. “Stupid? Maybe. I’m starting to think so.”
“You’d have to be, sneaking back into the place you robbed to return something,” Tango snorted.
“Well I never meant to rob you,” Jimmy protested.
“Right,” Tango rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “You just wanted to get me away from the party so I wouldn’t catch you and your little friends in the act. Real low to kiss me for that, by the way.”
“No!” Jimmy cried out, too loudly. He clapped a hand over his mouth. “I mean, no! I didn’t mean to do that at all! I had no idea who you were until you told me. I didn’t know you wanted to k-kiss me—!” He cringed at himself for stumbling over the word ‘kiss’ like some teenager. “I was never supposed to leave the courtyard. You distracted me!”
Tango eyed him suspiciously. “Are you kidding me?”
Jimmy shook his head, looking at the ground.
“Jimmy,” Tango said incredulously. “You have got to be the worst robber in the world.” He took his shirt from Jimmy’s outstretched hand.
Hope fluttered in his chest, wondering if he was taking it as a peace offering.
“I guess you’re wanting your jacket and shirt back, too,” Tango murmured.
Jimmy huffed a laugh. “That would be nice.”
“Too bad.” Tango smirked. “I threw them away.”
Jimmy’s jaw dropped. “You didn’t! Grian’s gonna kill me…”
Tango laughed. “No, I didn’t. Didn’t clean them either, though, so good luck with the stain.”
“I’ll take the stain over the bin.” Jimmy held up his hands. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that you didn’t toss them, but…why not?”
“I thought about it,” Tango said, crossing his arms tighter. “But…figured it was a bad idea to piss off the guy that could ruin my life.”
“I wouldn’t,” Jimmy said. “I would never. I told you your secret is safe with me, and I meant that.”
“Even if I turned you in?” Tango challenged.
“You wouldn’t,” Jimmy said, filling his voice with as much certainty as he could. “I know you wouldn’t.”
Tango made a groaning noise and rubbed his hands over his face. “You know? I think I must be stupid too. Because, for some reason, you’re right.”
Jimmy’s heart began to beat harder. He bit his lip.
They stared intensely at one another for a long moment.
Finally, Tango sighed and dropped his arms. “Let me go get your clothes.”
“Right, right,” Jimmy said breathily. He rubbed his palms on his thighs, taking a step away from the wall. “Thanks.”
Tango grunted in acknowledgement and disappeared into his closet.
“Here,” he said, crossing the room. He pressed the garment against Jimmy’s chest. His red-brown eyes flicked between Jimmy’s, searching for something.
Jimmy could only stare, breath catching in his chest.
“Do you mean it?” Tango said, voice hoarse.
“Um, yes?” Jimmy answered without thinking. “Mean what? I mean, I meant everything, but what—”
“You weren’t…just trying to distract me?” Tango said. “You actually wanted to kiss me?”
Jimmy nodded so fervently, his teeth clicked together. “I still want to kiss you!” he blurted out.
Tango blinked quickly, surprised. A small hopeless smile bloomed on his face. “Really?”
Jimmy nodded again, even harder this time.
“Oh, well, then in that case…”
Jimmy nearly jumped out of his skin at the feeling on Tango’s hands— with Jimmy’s shirt, jacket, and all— sliding up his chest and around the back of his neck, pulling him down. He choked back a sound that was definitely not a whimper when their lips met.
Tango’s mouth was hot against his, sending shivers all through his body. He squeezed his eyes closed, overwhelmed.
“Relax,” Tango murmured against his lips. It was hard not to, with how the feeling of the motion made Jimmy melt. “There we go.”
There was rustle of fabric behind him when Tango dropped his stained clothes to thread his fingers into his hair. Jimmy’s hands had been hanging limply and unsure at his sides, but he brought them up now to rest lightly on Tango’s waist. He was delighted by the way his muscles jumped under his touch.
Tango laughed, pulling away. “That tickles,” he complained. “If you’re gonna touch me, touch me.”
“O-okay.” Jimmy’s voice was embarrassingly shaky. He pressed his fingers more firmly into his side. “Better?”
Tango’s mouth fought a smirk. “Good enough.” He leaned up to kiss Jimmy again. “For now.” This time, when they came together, Tango tilted his head to deepen the kiss. His hand stroked against the curve of Jimmy’s jaw, directing him in the ebb and flow of their motions.
Jimmy’ heart hammered in his chest. He felt the need to be closer, closer to Tango. He wanted this kiss to erase the memory of his betrayed expression. He wrapped his arms around Tango’s middle, pulling him closer. Tango made an appreciative noise, pressing himself against him.
Jimmy broke away from the kiss to hold Tango tighter, hugging him.
“I thought you were going to hate me,” Jimmy admitted. “I was scared.”
“It would have made more sense, if I had,” Tango said. “But I didn’t, and I don’t. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
“Me too!” Jimmy exclaimed. “All week, all I could think about was how things ended and I just wanted to fix it.”
“Consider it fixed.” Tango grinned at him.
“I’m sorry for robbing your mom,” Jimmy said.
“Oh, that?” Tango rolled his eyes. “She’s kind of a hag— she deserved it.”
Jimmy sputtered a laugh.
“Besides,” Tango said, “She got exactly what she wanted for her birthday out of it: attention. Weeping on the news, begging people not to buy her presents to replace the ones that were lost, no, no donate that money to charity! That’s truly what she wants for her birthday! Pfft, ha. So, yeah, you did her a favor. What’d you do with her shit anyway?”
“Sold it,” Jimmy shrugged helplessly. “That’s kind of what we do.”
“Steal from the rich, give to the poor?” Tango asked.
“Yeah, kinda,” he said. “Though we’re not poor anymore.”
“No, I should hope not,” Tango laughed. “After selling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts for a middle aged lady.”
“Doesn’t go as far as you would think,” Jimmy said. “We split it four ways, and our fence never gives us market price. Not like we can complain— selling is the dangerous part. I think we could probably make a similar living in a much less dangerous job, actually—”
Tango cut him off with a hand over his mouth. “This is really interesting, Jimmy,” he said, “and I would love to hear more about it later. But for now—” his eyes sparkled, “there’s something I’ve been thinking about all week.”
“Oh?” Jimmy asked, curious. “What’s that?”
Tango laughed loudly, and pulled Jimmy towards his bed in the center of the room. “Come on.”
“Oh!” Jimmy’s entire face erupted with embarrassment. “Yeah. Yeah! Okay!”
Joel waited anxiously in the shadows below the balcony, flinching each time a flashlight beam passed by where he stood. He hoped the dogs couldn’t smell him.
He checked his watch. Two minutes left before the fifteen he allotted Jimmy were up. He strained his ears for any sound of security or fighting above him. There was none, so he cleared his throat, steeling himself to make the climb up the balcony himself. Jimmy was much taller than he was, but Joel thought he was probably a little stronger. He’d certainly made his fair share of daring escapes during heists. Granted, he was usually going down, not up, but he figured it couldn’t be that much harder.
There was a trellis going up the side of the mansion a few meters from the balcony. Joel started there. The wood held his weight, though the plants that wove their stems through the criss-crosses had thorns.
The things I do for you, babe, he thought.
The farther up he went, the more the trellis wobbled. There would be nowhere to hide, up here, if the security pointed their flashlights towards the noise. He sucked in a breath and climbed the last few feet to put him high enough above the height of the balcony. There was no choice from here but to jump. Going down was always easier than going up, so he pushed himself towards the iron railing with confidence.
Joel caught the railing easily, grinning to himself. He wished someone had been able to see that— not security. Someone besides security.
Dusting off his hands after pulling himself over onto the deck of the balcony, Joel peeked inside the well-lit room. He didn’t immediately see anything— no Jimmy, no Tango Tek. His heart rate picked up as scenarios flooded his mind of Tango calling security on Jimmy the moment he appeared on the balcony, of Jimmy being pinned and searched and cuffed and escorted away, of coming back to Grian without Jimmy— when he heard a noise.
Joel’s eyes widened. He peeked further into the room as much as he dared and yep! He looked away quickly, grinning. Jimmy was far from being in any danger. It looked like Tango was taking good care of him.
Joel walked to the edge of the balcony, farthest from the window and sat down. He supposed he could give Jimmy a little more than fifteen minutes. It was for a good cause, after all.
The entire car ride home, Joel kept casting smirks towards Jimmy.
“Shut uppp,” Jimmy whined, hiding his very flushed face. He was once again wearing a shirt that definitely was not his. He claimed it was because Tango wanted a reason to see him again. Joel suspected that it was because he had stained another shirt.
“What? I’m proud of you, babe.” He reached over and patted his knee. “How long’s it been?”
“Joel!”
Joel laughed.
“You’ve been in a good mood lately,” Grian commented, setting a plate of slightly overcooked and under-peppered eggs in front of Jimmy.
“Hm?” Jimmy looked up, startled. He fought down a blush, memories of Tango filling his mind. “Oh! Um, yeah! That new PS5. It’s really cool!”
“Yeah?” Grian hummed, settling down with his own food. “Do me a favor— keep Mumbo off of it more.”
“Aww, Grian, are you jealous?” Joel jeered from across the table.
“That’s part of it,” he answered, unbothered. “But mostly he’s slacking on his work.”
Mumbo’s delighted chuckle from the other room illustrated his point. Grian rolled his eyes.
“It was a mistake getting that sandbox world game,” he muttered. “He’s far too pleased with himself.”
“Oh, relax,” Joel said. “The Tek heist went without a hitch. It’s not even in the news anymore. Timmy’s boyfriend didn’t spill the beans. His month of being grounded is up now. We should be set for a few months.”
Jimmy nodded enthusiastically, ready to finally stop having to sneak out to see Tango.
“Sometimes it takes a few months to set up a heist,” Grian said.
“I know, I know,” Joel held up his hands. “But you’ve been stressed! Take a page from Mumbo’s book, take it easy. Go get a massage, or a manicure. Mother’s Day is coming up, you know.”
“Exactly, and the summer is one of the most profitable times of year—”
“Grian,” Jimmy groaned. “You need a break.”
Grian turned towards him. “Trying to get rid of me? Are you saying you’re tired of me?”
“No—” Jimmy started.
Grian fixed him with a skeptical stare, eyebrows raised, eyes unreadably dark as always.
“Well—” Jimmy cleared his throat. “I have been stuck in the house with you for the past month.”
“Oh yeah?” Grian snorted. “I’ve been stuck with you. It’s not like you or Joel were going to take care of the house.”
“Come on, Grian, that’s not fair,” Joel cut in. “You have a particular way of doing things, we’d just get in your way.”
Jimmy nodded along. “And I did start doing my own laundry.”
“Hey, how about that?” Joel cheered. “He’s doing his own laundry!”
Grian’s lip quirked up. “Aspirational.”
“Thank you,” Jimmy said.
“Maybe next you’ll learn how to take a shower,” he quipped.
“No, no, Grian,” Joel snickered. “We’d need a good role model for that.”
“I do shower,” he said, offended.
“A washcloth and the kitchen sink do not count as a shower!” Mumbo called in.
Grian’s head whipped towards the living room. “And neither does cologne!”
Mumbo did not respond to that outside of clearing his throat and mumbling something.
“The fact that I’m the most hygienic person in this house is concerning, if I’m being honest,” Joel said.
Both Jimmy and Grian turned towards him. Jimmy cleared his throat awkwardly.
Grian had no reservations about saying what they were both thinking. “Well, yes, you’re the only one who slinks off to the shower for your ‘private time.’ Not sure why you bother, actually. The running water isn’t as loud as you think it is.”
“Ah.” Joel’s face reddened. He coughed. “W-well at least it motivates me to shower. Maybe you should give it a try sometime.”
Grian looked thoughtful. “Hey, Mumbo!” he called. “What would you think about—”
“No!” Jimmy cried. “Joel, look what you’ve done! You’ve gone and given him ideas—”
“I wasn’t the one who brought it up!” Joel threw his hands up, nearly flinging his fork.
Mumbo appeared in the doorway. “What would I think about what?”
“Nothing!” Jimmy and Joel cried.
“Back to your game, go on,” Jimmy continued.
Grian laughed at their distress, only pouting a little when Mumbo shrugged and walked away again. He sighed.
“It occurs to me,” he started, “that maybe you being forever alone, Tim, is starting to become a hazard to our missions.”
Jimmy frowned, both at the insult, and in fear at where Grian was going with this.
“And seeing as you’ve spent the last four weeks without seeing other people, I thought you might enjoy a night out. Just the three of us, like old times.” Grian swirled the orange juice in his glass as he spoke, keeping his gaze fixed on it.
“No Mumbo?” Joel asked, raising an eyebrow.
Grian snorted. “He has his video games, and he has me, so what would he need to go out for?”
Joel shot an amused glance at Jimmy, who rolled his eyes at Grian’s possessiveness.
“Will you be paying for our drinks, since you’re inviting us out?” Joel asked.
“Of course,” Grian said. “I am a gentleman.”
Joel cheered. “It’s a deal then. What do you say, Jim?”
“I feel like it’s going to end in disaster,” he said. “But…why not? I’ll come.”
“Atta boy, Tim!” Grian laughed. “We’ll be your wingmen, too. I’m sure we’ll find someone drunk enough to think you’re handsome!”
“Hey!” Jimmy protested. In his chest, his heart skipped a beat. He didn’t want Grian to try to set him up with other people. Even if Jimmy didn’t pursue anything, he hated the idea of doing that to Tango. Tango would understand, obviously, the need to keep their relationship a secret. Despite the pang of jealousy in his gut at the idea, he knew he would understand if Tango had to flirt with other people to keep up appearances. He cleared his throat, trying to get Grian off of the idea. “I don’t want a drunk hookup.”
“Ohh, Timmy,” Grian cooed. “Has Joel rubbed off on you? Have you become a hopeless romantic too?”
“It’s not that.” Jimmy was blushing. “I just— I don’t want to meet someone special in a bar.”
Joel nodded fervently in agreement.
“Right,” Grian snorted. “We’ll take you to Disneyland then. Maybe you’ll find your Prince Charming there!”
“We’re going to Disneyland?” Mumbo called hopefully.
“No!” Grian said.
Joel’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.
“I’d like Disneyland better than the bar, if this is for me,” Jimmy said.
“It’s not for you,” Grian said immediately.
Jimmy huffed. “But you said—”
Grian waved him off. “Nevermind what I said. We’re going to the bar. Tonight!”
“Tonight?” Jimmy squeaked. He had plans tonight! Tango said he had a surprise for him.
“Yeah?” Grian said, raising an eyebrow. “It’s not like you’ve got anywhere else to go.”
Except he did! He did have somewhere else to go. Panicked, he kicked Joel under the table. Joel glared at him, looking betrayed, until he caught on to his distress.
“Oh! Um! Actually, Grian…” Joel started, eyes darting between Jimmy and Grian. “We…” he trailed off.
“We, um…” Jimmy picked up. “We have a surprise—”
“Yeah, a surprise!” Joel interrupted. “We have a surprise for you. That we were planning.”
Grian did not look impressed. “A surprise?”
“Yes,” Joel asserted. “We wanted to gift you a mani-pedi and a massage. Like I said, Mother’s Day! Haha. And since you’ll have spent all afternoon getting relaxed, you won’t want to ruin it with a hangover tomorrow.”
Grian still looked suspicious, but the nearly unreadable glint in his dark eyes betrayed his interest.
“There’s a nice spa in town. I’ll drive,” Joel cajoled.
Grian rolled his eyes, but Jimmy and Joel both knew him well enough to know that he truly did enjoy a bit of pampering, especially if he didn’t have to pay for it.
“Fine,” Grian sighed, scooping up a forkful of egg. “But someone else is handling dinner.”
“Take away it is!” Joel agreed. From the other room, Mumbo cheered. Jimmy grinned himself.
After Grian had gotten up to change out of his sleep clothes, Joel leaned over to whisper to Jimmy.
“You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Thank you,” Jimmy whispered back. “You’re the best!”
Joel smacked him on the shoulder. “You know it, babe.”
“Are you meeting him tonight?” Joel asked.
Jimmy nodded.
“You know Grian’s gonna find out eventually, right?”
Jimmy nodded again, biting his lip. “I know. I know. But not right now. I want things to stay the way they are, just for a little bit longer.”
Joel shook his head slowly. “Your funeral.”
“I’m happy, Joel,” he insisted. “He makes me really happy.”
His expression softened. “I know. I’m glad.”
“Oh, chauffeur!” Grian called. “I’m waiting!”
“Coming!” Joel responded before switching to a whisper again. “Have fun. Use protection.”
Jimmy could only sputter in response. “That’s not—! Hey!” Joel grinned at him and left.
He rubbed his hands over his face, willing his embarrassment to fade with a groan.
“Everything okay?”
Jimmy looked up. Mumbo stood in the doorway to the dining room, looking bewildered.
“Yes!” he said quickly. “Yes, everything is fine.”
“Oh.” Mumbo blinked. “Did…Grian leave?”
“Joel took him to the spa.”
“That’s good.” Mumbo nodded. “He’ll be in a good mood.”
“Mm, about that!” Jimmy said. “I just want to warn you, Grian is annoyed about you always being on the PS5. He wants you to get some work done.”
Mumbo paled. “Right. Work. Right. I’ll do that, then!”
“Jimmy!” Tango greeted, beaming at him.
Jimmy ran into his open arms, wrapping him up in an embrace. “Tango!” The soft spikes of his blond hair tickled his chin, so he brushed it down with one hand before resting his cheek on the top of Tango’s head. “I missed you.”
“I know,” Tango groaned. “Me too. But hey, listen, I’ve got something to show you!” His garnet eyes glimmered. “Prepare to be amazificated.”
“Preparing!” Jimmy said.
Tango took his hand to lead him down the road, away from the house. Grian was still out with Joel and since Jimmy was now officially allowed out, Mumbo wouldn’t blab, so there was really no reason for Tango to park so far away anymore. But with the way his heart soared every time Tango’s hand slid into his for the short walk, Jimmy couldn’t find it in himself to change anything about what they had.
He didn’t want any of it to change. He didn’t want Grian to find out and be upset. He didn’t want Tango to be so scared about his parents catching on to his orientation. He wanted it to be just the two of them, in their own little world, forever.
“So you know how I told you I like to have these little projects?” Tango started.
Jimmy nodded. “Cars, you mean?”
“Cars, yeah,” Tango confirmed. “But also bikes, quads, that sort of thing. But mostly cars.”
“That’s really cool,” Jimmy sighed. He’d always liked cars. “I don’t even know how to drive.”
Tango squeezed his hand. “That’s okay. I’ll drive you, whenever you want!”
“Really?” he asked. “Even if it’s three in the morning?”
“Whenever you want, Jimmy,” Tango promised. “I’ll take care of you.”
Jimmy blushed. “I don’t need to be taken care of.”
“I know,” Tango amended quickly. “But I want to. And I want you to take care of me.”
“Oh.” Jimmy blushed harder. “Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I want that, too.”
“We’ll take care of each other!” Tango beamed at him.
He had to look away, otherwise he thought he might explode. “S-so your project—”
“Right!” Tango nearly leapt with excitement. “Well…if you’ll look over there…I finished one!”
Jimmy’s head shot around, following Tango’s gaze to where a gorgeous vintage red sports car was parked. It wasn’t the cherry red you usually saw with these kinds of cars, it was darker, richer…a few shades lighter than Tango’s eyes.
“Whoa,” he breathed. “Whoa. She’s beautiful.”
“Isn’t she?” Tango near squeaked.
Jimmy bit his lip, holding back a laugh at Tango’s enthusiasm. Over the last month, he had gotten to know a side of Tango that the public didn’t get to. To the paparazzi (Jimmy knew because he had secretly spent many a night browsing through the candid shots available on the internet), Tango was suave and neat, put-together and aloof. The Tango Jimmy knew was excitable and sensitive, with a head full of ideas and a giant heart. He got the impression that there weren’t a lot of people who knew Tango like this.
“—upgraded her engine , too. Don’t get me started the on the seats, you don’t even wanna know. But, oh! The surprise: I wanted you to be the first person to ride in it.”
“Me?” Jimmy asked, delighted.
“Mhm!” Tango nodded enthusiastically. “I wanna take you somewhere nice.”
Jimmy buried his face in his hands. He was honored that he was the one Tango wanted to show this project to. He was the one he wanted to impress.
“...Do you want to?” Tango asked, after a moment of his silence. “I mean, it might be a bad surprise, now that I think about it—”
“No!” Jimmy reached out and took both of Tango’s hands in his own. “It’s a great surprise. I’m so happy! I’m— I’m glad I get to be the first person you wanted to show it to.”
Tango’s smile was smaller this time, but much softer. “Of course you were. You’re the only one I trust with this.”
He was the only person who would be happy for him. Excited over this. Jimmy frowned and pulled Tango into a hug.
“This is amazing,” Jimmy said. “I have to admit, I don’t even know where I would start with something like this. It’s amazing to me.”
Tango pulled away, grinning cheekily. “You think the outside’s amazing? Just you wait until we hit the road. It’s gonna be the best ride of your life.” He paused, eyes darting down. “Or— hopefully the second best ride of your life—”
“Tango!” Jimmy scolded.
Tango stuck his tongue out at him, opening the passenger side door for him.
The ride was impressive. Jimmy could feel the thrum of the engine all around him, like no matter how fast Tango accelerated them, there was untapped potential still. He was fixated on Tango’s expression as he drove. The late evening sun highlighted the sharp planes of his cheekbones, his nose, his jaw, and lit a halo of fire in his hair. Jimmy let his eyes follow the strong lines along the swell of his biceps, down his toned forearms, to where his hands gripped the wheel. Jimmy knew how those hands felt, against his palms when they held hands, against the nape of his neck when they kissed, down his chest, over his hips, everywhere. It still made him blush to think about, but there was also something so natural about it. Jimmy didn’t have a lot of experiences he would call “intimate,” but with Tango? With Tango, everything was intimate. Not just the evenings they’d spent wrapped up in each other, but the glances they shared, the moments of silence that passed between them, the gentle, blooming trust that had been growing since they first met. All of it was deeper than anything Jimmy had ever known. It had only been a month, yet some part of Jimmy knew he was frighteningly close to in love with this man.
“Tango,” Jimmy said.
“Hm, yeah?” Tango’s eyes flitted away from the road to meet his for just a moment.
Jimmy gulped. His heart hammered, but he needed Tango to know how much he meant to him. He couldn’t risk him slipping away. “Tango, I think I want to fall in love with you.”
The car’s tires screeched as they lurched to a stop.
“Jimmy!” Tango screeched. When the car slowed to an idle on the shoulder of a rural road, he put it into park and turned to Jimmy. “You can’t just say that.” His voice was shaking. “Don’t say that, unless you mean it.”
Jimmy held his gaze. “I do mean it. I mean it. I want to fall in love with you.”
Tango was still. For a moment, the only sign of his reaction was his slowly reddening face and the tears brimming in his eyes.
“Jimmy,” he choked.
In a sudden flurry of movement, he was unbuckling his seat belt and clambering out of his seat, over the center console, into Jimmy’s lap.
Jimmy laughed incredulously. “Tango, what are you doing?”
“Needed to be closer to you,” he murmured. “Slide your seat back.”
And so, there, on the side of a road cutting through a field, they held each other while the sun set.
“Kind of late for a picnic, now,” Tango laughed when they finally arrived at the “somewhere nice” Tango wanted to take them. It was a flat beach on the side of a lake tucked behind miles of sprawling pastures. The far side of the lake was a park. Where they set their blanket, Tango told Jimmy, nobody ever came because it was so difficult to get to.
Frogs chirped all around them and night insects were beginning to buzz. At the edges of the forest on the far side of the lake, fireflies were beginning to gather and dance.
“I think it’s nice,” Jimmy sighed contentedly. “How’d you find this place?”
“I do a lot of driving,” Tango said, picking at the grass. “And out here, there aren’t a lot of people and you can go pretty fast. Vroom vroom!” He mimed holding a steering wheel.
“Be careful!” Jimmy said. “I don’t want you to crash.”
“I’m a better driver than that.” Tango stuck his tongue out at him. Jimmy continued to pout at him until his grin fell. “I’m sorry. I’ll drive safer.”
“Thank you.” He bumped Tango’s shoulder with his own. Tango bumped him back, lingering against him. Jimmy was debating whether or not to lean in for a kiss when Tango sat bolt up.
“Oh yeah! The food!”
Jimmy’s disappointment instantly dissipated when Tango began pulling tupperware out of his backpack.
“I know it’s not the most romantic packaging…” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was excited to see you and just packed things up in a hurry.”
Jimmy was hardly listening to him, prying the lids off to inhale the smell of Tango’s food.
“This is amazing,” he told him. The first time Tango had given Jimmy some of his cooking, he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. The meat was tender, the bread was flaky, and the vegetables were seasoned. “I love everything you cook.”
Tango flushed in delight. “Well, you know, before I had cars, I was all about cooking. I loved hanging out in the kitchen as a kid. My parents always hired these really cool chefs. Some of them were really grumpy, but the ones that weren’t were happy to show me how they do things. I’m not nearly as good as any of them were, but I picked up a few tricks.” He smirked. “And you know what they say, the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Jimmy hadn’t even waited for Tango to pull out the cutlery before digging in, so he could only hum in agreement.
Between the two of them, they made quick work of the food. Maybe it wasn’t the stereotypical romantic evening picnic Tango probably envisioned, but Jimmy was so happy. Tango did insist that they make it romantic by feeding each other the dessert he brought. That lasted for a few bites before Jimmy realized that Tango was giving him smaller and smaller portions.
“Hey!” Jimmy complained. “I thought you were trying to win my heart!”
Tango made a dramatic wounded noise. “I am!” he insisted. “They also say to always leave your man wanting more—!”
“They mean kisses and stuff, not tiramisu—!”
Tango was laughing. “Should I start kissing you less then?”
“No!” Jimmy squawked. “You should give me more tiramisu!”
“More kisses?” Tango pretended to mishear him. “Alright, then!” He leaned in, making loud kissing noises.
Well. Jimmy wasn’t about to turn down the opportunity for more kisses, either. With one hand, he cupped Tango’s cheek and pressed their lips together firmly. Tango made a surprised noise in his throat, but pressed closer in return. Jimmy stroked his thumb along Tango’s jaw in a way he knew he liked. With his other hand, he slid his palm over his shoulder and bicep, appreciating the muscles there. He smiled into their kiss when he felt Tango flex under his touch. Cautiously, he let his hand drop lower, to his forearm, keeping it there.
Over the last month, he’d become much bolder with initiating contact. His days of being startled by the press of a tongue at his lips were behind him. In fact, he was the one to deepen this kiss, loving the way Tango’s appreciative groan felt in his mouth. While he was distracted, in one swift motion, Jimmy slid his hand all the way down his forearm to the container of dessert in his hand, snatching it away.
“H-hey!” Tango cried when he realized what he’d just done.
Jimmy scrambled to his feet, fleeing with his bounty.
“You just robbed me!”
Jimmy shoved a mouthful of tiramisu into his mouth. “I’m a robber!” he called back with his mouth full. “It’s what I do!”
“Betrayal!” Tango wailed, throwing himself to the ground. “How could you, Jimmy? I trusted you!”
“I’m a Bad Boy.” Jimmy smirked, feeling cooler than he had in a long time. “And you’ve just been had.”
“What will I tell the kids, Jimmy?” Tango wheezed.
Jimmy paused. “Wait, we have kids in this scenario?”
Tango guffawed.
“I was being cool!” Jimmy complained. “And now you’re laughing at me.”
“Cool?” Tango repeated. “Well, Mr. Bad Boy, you’re looking pretty ‘cool’ with whipped cream all over your face.”
Embarrassed, Jimmy rubbed at his face. He suspected he was only making it worse.
“Come back over here, Jimmy,” Tango beckoned him. “I’ll help you get it off.”
There was something crafty in his voice that Jimmy didn’t trust, but he approached cautiously anyway. Tango stood from the sand, not bothering to dust himself off. Jimmy really should have seen it coming when he licked a stripe up his cheek.
“That tickles!” he giggled. “Are you a dog?”
“Woof,” Tango said, licking him again.
Jimmy was about ready to let himself just enjoy this when, without warning, Tango wrapped his arms around him and threw them both into the lake.
He let out a shriek flailing his limbs. “Tango! Why would you do that?”
“A betrayal for a betrayal. Now we’re even!” he laughed.
“I can’t believe you’ve done this,” Jimmy complained, clambering out of the chilly water. “My clothes are all wet now!”
“Oh noo,” Tango floated on his back further into the water. “I guess you’ll have to just…take them off.”
“Here?!” Jimmy looked around. There was no lighting except for the fireflies and the occasional car on the distant highway, beyond the pastures.
“Yeah,” Tango said. “Who’s gonna see you? The cows?”
“Well— no, but—” he groaned.
Tango came ashore, shaking his hair out. It fell in limp clumps against his forehead. When he peeled off his wet shirt, Jimmy’s mouth went dry.
“Jimmy,” Tango said, eyes bright in the darkness. “Get naked.”
Jimmy did.
“Tangoooo,” Jimmy whined, though he was still catching his breath, pink and pleased. “We’re going to have to walk back to the car in wet clothes now.”
“Nuh-uh,” Tango said. He rolled over in the grass to pull his discarded backpack towards them. He pulled out two bundles of clothes. “I came prepared.”
Jimmy looked from the clothes to Tango and back again. “You planned this.”
“Mhm, mhm!” Tango agreed, grinning. “What can I say?” He cuddled closer to Jimmy. “I like the way you look in my clothes.”
“You’re a pervert!” Jimmy accused him, cuddling back.
“For you?” Tango said. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
It was a silly thing to say, but Jimmy blushed anyway. He couldn’t think of anyone else who made him feel as wanted, as attractive as Tango made him feel. Jimmy considered himself to be a pretty good-looking guy, objectively speaking, but to be an object of desire was something else entirely.
“Did you have fun?” Tango asked. “On the date?”
“I did,” Jimmy said. “Even getting thrown in the lake.”
“I jumped in with you,” he murmured against his collarbone.
Jimmy nodded. “That’s what made it fun.”
“Sorry about the tiramisu,” Tango sighed. “I can actually make you some more, if you want.”
He kissed the top of his damp head. “Bring it on our next date. And we’ll split it fairly. ”
“‘S a deal.” Tango yawned.
Jimmy blinked. “H-hey, Tango, don’t actually fall asleep here.”
“Why not? It’s nice…”
“I can’t drive.”
“...Right.” Tango sighed loudly, sitting up to stretch. “I should really teach you someday.”
“Would you really?” Jimmy asked.
“‘Course!” Tango agreed. “Out of curiosity, how come you never learned?”
Jimmy shrugged, pulling on the dry shirt. “There wasn’t really anyone to teach me. Grian doesn’t know how to drive. Joel does, but he doesn’t really like to do it. Mumbo’s a good driver. I never really thought to ask him, though.”
“Do I get to take your driving virginity, then?” Tango asked.
“Don’t say it like that,” Jimmy said. “But yeah.”
“Oooh, I’m excited,” Tango chuckled. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”
The drive home was mostly quiet, but the silence was comfortable. Jimmy shamelessly watched Tango’s profile while he drove, smiling whenever he glanced over. As much as Jimmy nagged Tango about driving safe, he couldn’t find it in himself to complain about Tango keeping one hand in his.
“Call me?” Tango asked, as they approached the house. The car was safely parked over the hill where the headlights wouldn’t alert anyone in the house.
“About what?”
Tango shrugged. “Anything. I just want to hear your voice sooner than our next date.”
“Oh,” he said. “Okay!” They were walking up the front walk now. Tango should really turn and go back to the car now. Jimmy didn’t let go of his hand. “When will that be?”
“Hmm…” Tango blew a out a breath. “Dunno. If it was up to me, I would just have this one go on forever.”
“That’s too cheesy,” Jimmy said.
“Is it?” he asked. “Worth a shot. But when are you free next?”
Jimmy paused, stopping them from getting any closer. He didn’t want to part ways either.
“Grian wants to drag me out to a bar sometime. I’m not sure when he means to do that. But any other time!”
“What, you don’t have other parties to rob?” Tango teased.
“We have a cool-off period. And your mom’s gifts have us set for a while—”
“I was teasing,” Tango said. “Just let me know when you have time to see me.”
Jimmy nodded, squeezing his hand.
“Goodnight, Jimmy.”
Tango leaned up for a kiss. Warmth radiated from where their lips met, filling Jimmy with a quiet joy. He didn’t let Tango pull away from the kiss. He wanted to invite him in. He wanted to stay like this forever. He wanted—
“Jimmy?”
Grian’s voice turned his blood to ice.
Cautiously, he pulled away from Tango, stepping in front of him to hide him from Grian’s view.
He was backlit against the light of the foyer, but he didn’t look angry as far as Jimmy could tell.
“What’s all this?” he asked. His voice was teasing, not angry.
He doesn’t recognize Tango, he realized.
“U-um, nothing! Nothing, it’s—”
“So this is why you were so cagey about going to the bar!” Grian laughed. “You have got someone!”
“Go,” Jimmy hissed to Tango.
“Jimmy—” Tango started to protest.
“Now, Tango—”
If Jimmy could have shoved words back into his mouth, at that moment, he would have.
“Tango.” Grian’s voice shifted. No longer was it bright and lilting. Now, it was as flat and as cold as ice. “Tango Tek?”
Behind him, Tango was frozen as well.
Heart racing, all Jimmy could think about was protecting Tango. Protecting his secret.
“You can’t tell anyone, Grian!” he begged. “You can’t, he’ll lose everything, please, Grian, you have to promise me, keep this a secret, don’t tell, don’t tell—”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Grian asked, voice steely. “Tell who what? And how the hell did this happen? …And what are you wearing? ”
“Please, Grian, I can explain!” Jimmy’s voice was thin and breathy.
Before he could stop him, Tango stepped out from behind him, placing himself between Jimmy and Grian.
“It’s my fault, not Jimmy’s,” he said. “Blame me.”
Grian’s lip curled. “You don’t have to tell me twice. Get away from Jimmy.”
“Grian! No!” Jimmy cried. He fumbled to take Tango’s hand, standing beside him again. “He didn’t do anything. He’s not going to do anything! Please, listen to me—”
“Grian? What’s going on?”
Jimmy heard Joel’s voice approaching the door.
“Ohhhhh shit…” Joel hissed. “Oh babe, I can’t help you with this. You’re on your own.”
“Help?” Grian repeated. His head whipped around to Joel. “You knew about this?”
“I asked him!” Jimmy’s heart was racing and his vision was tunneling. “This is all on me! Tango, go home! Joel, go. Grian, just talk to me, it’s just me—”
“Nobody move!” Grian ordered.
Behind Grian, Jimmy could see Mumbo poke his head into the foyer before hustling off to his room-slash-office.
“You,” Grian turned towards Joel. “Tell me what you know.”
Joel gulped. His eyes flitted towards Jimmy in apology before he cleared his throat. “After the Tek heist, Jimmy…wanted to return the shirt Tango lent him. So I helped him… sneak back in— and before you yell at me, Grian, you know he would have done it with or without me, so really, I was doing us all a favor—”
“Stop.”
Joel stopped.
“You,” his near-black eyes bored into Jimmy. “Did you really risk putting us all in jail for the rest of our lives to return a shitty Beatles shirt?”
Jimmy ducked his head in shame. As much as he hated to acknowledge it, there really had been no way to know how Tango was going to react. And if Jimmy got caught, Mumbo, Joel, and Grian would not be far behind.
“I’m sorry.”
“‘Sorry’ doesn’t begin to cover it,” Grian hissed. “And you— ” he was looking at Tango. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Tango, to his credit (or perhaps as a testament to how little he knew about Grian) did not back down. He lifted his chin, stance strong where he stood by Jimmy’s side. He grabbed Jimmy’s hand in his own, giving it a squeeze.
“I’m falling in love with the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” Tango answered confidently.
Jimmy’s head shot down to look at him.
Falling in love! he thought. He said ‘falling in love!’
“Tango…” he whispered in awe.
Tango squeezed his hand again, not looking away from Grian.
Grian’s eyebrows rose. “Well. Tim, I think you’ve done it.”
“D-done what, Grian?” Jimmy asked hesitantly.
“You’ve found a bigger idiot than you.” He sighed, rubbing his temples. “You,” he pointed to Tango, “Go. You,” he pointed to Jimmy, “Inside. Now.”
Tango glanced at Jimmy for direction. He shot him a quick smile and a nod, letting go of his hand and approaching the door. From the corner of his eye, he watched him hesitate for a moment before walking away.
The moment Jimmy crossed the threshold, Grian shut the door behind him, crossing his arms.
“Your nails look nice,” Jimmy said.
“Save it.”
Jimmy swallowed hard and nodded. He followed Grian into the house when he walked past him. The silence between them was only broken by the chair scraping against the ground at the table as they moved to sit.
Jimmy felt for all the world like a scolded child.
“So,” Grian began. “I think it’s safe for me to assume you’ve been seeing Tango regularly if he’s already convinced he’s falling in love with you.”
Jimmy nodded his head, staring at the grain of the wood in the table.
“And I think it’s also safe to assume you had an accomplice?” Grian cleared his throat.
Jimmy stayed silent, but the sound of footsteps behind him alerted him to Joel coming to take a seat at the table.
“Unbelievable.” Grian sighed loudly. “And here I was starting to feel bad for keeping you under house arrest this whole month. You’ve been sneaking out this entire time.”
“To be fair,” Joel put in. “It is in-character for us. Sneaking out, and all…”
“So you just couldn’t help yourselves, then?” Grian asked. “You just had to put us all in danger because it’s in-character?”
Joel leaned back in the chair. “Jimmy compared how he felt to how I felt for Lizzie. I think he’s an idiot as much as you do, but I want him to be happy. Isn’t that why we do all this? So we can be happy?”
“I think we’d all be much happier not in prison, if you ask me,” Grian said.
“And are we in prison?” Jimmy challenged, surprising himself.
“What?” Grian turned towards him.
“Are we in prison?” he repeated himself. “Because I feel pretty free, myself.”
Grian’s mouth twisted. “That’s not the point. The point is, that was unnecessarily dangerous and for what? So you can get some dick?”
Jimmy flushed at Grian’s crude words. He was angry angry, then.
“It’s more than that—”
“Is it true love?” Grian sneered. “Tim, grow up. You’re lucky this Tek guy thinks more with his junk than his head, but what about next time some rich asshole wants to get his dick wet? Would you sell us out if he told you he loved you, too?”
Jimmy worked his jaw, staying quiet.
“They say men are pigs, and the richer they are, the truer that is,” Grian continued. He sighed again. “Maybe it’s my fault. I think I’ve sheltered you too much if you can’t understand how fantastically stupid you were.”
“If you want my read,” Joel said softly, “I don’t think Tango’s a bad guy. Kind of naïve, really. Not unlike Jimmy.”
“‘Naïve’ doesn’t mean ‘not dangerous,’” Grian hissed. “What happens when you break up, huh?”
Jimmy’s jaw twitched. ‘When,’ he said. Not ‘if.’
“Do you think Mr. ‘I’m in love with you’ Moneybags is just going to let you walk away if he doesn’t want you to? Or let you say ‘no’ when he really wants a ‘yes?’” Grian frowned.
“I told you,” Jimmy said. “If his parents find out he’s gay, he’s cut off from the family, the money, and the estate.”
“It’s cute that you think rich parents will believe you over their son telling them you robbed them.” Grian placed both hands on the table. “It’s not exactly Mutually Assured Destruction.”
“He wouldn’t.”
“Mhm,” Grian hummed. His shoulders slumped and he ran a hand over his face. “Alright, look. You do whatever you need to do to end things peacefully with Tango Tek. All’s well that ends well, and we can chalk this up to experience—”
“What? No!” Jimmy squawked. “I’m not ending things with Tango!”
“Timmy, come on,” Grian snorted. “Where exactly do you see this going? You’re going to be okay being some rich guy’s dirty little secret?”
“I—”
“What are you going to do if he gets caught, huh? You’re going to be okay with it when he denounces you to his family?” he challenged. “What about when he has to flirt with women to keep up appearances. Are you going to be okay with it then? If he has to get married to someone else because mommy and daddy say so, or else? You’re going to be okay with it when he goes on a month-long trip to the Bahamas and you don’t hear from him the whole time? You’re going to be okay with it when he has kids with someone else who can never know about you? You’re going to be okay when he takes over a company full of dirty, dirty money making decisions to make more, even dirtier money? You don’t think about these things, Timmy.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Jimmy shouted.
Grian’s dark eyes flashed. “Oh, I don’t?” he laughed. “I don’t know how rich men behave when sex is on the line?”
“Grian—” Joel started.
“You don’t know Tango.” Jimmy enunciated each word deliberately.
“Jimmy—” Joel touched his shoulder, trying to get him to back down. Jimmy shrugged him off.
“You think you know everything because you’ve seen the worst of people!” Jimmy shouted. “I think you’re just scared! You wouldn’t let yourself be happy if the universe served it to you on a plate.”
Grian shrugged. “Don’t believe me if you want. But don’t come crying to me when Tango doesn’t turn out to be the dreamboat you think he is.”
“Shut up!” Jimmy shrieked. “I don’t care if you don’t approve of Tango, but you don’t get to say awful things about him when you don’t even know him.”
“Or what?” Grian made a show of rolling his eyes. “You’re gonna cry about it?”
“Maybe I’ll just leave.”
The words sat heavy on the table between them, acrid, like a burnt meal they would have no choice but to choke down.
Grian’s eyes went wide. “Don’t say that,” he said, voice hoarse.
“Or what?” Jimmy echoed Grian’s own words.
“What kind of question is that?” Grian threw his hands up.
“It’s yours!” Jimmy stood. “And here’s what I’m telling you: if you’re asking me to choose between you and Tango, I’m starting to think I wouldn’t choose you.”
Something unexpected happened then.
Jimmy hadn’t really considered what Grian’s reaction would be before he spoke, but he wouldn’t have been surprised by some snarkiness or anger. What he got was…not that.
Grian’s eyes went wider than before and he sat stock-still. Jimmy might have thought he was frozen except for the growing flush across his nose and the gathering wetness in his eyes.
“G-Grian…” Jimmy didn’t know what to do.
Grian looked away in a sharp motion. He stood and walked towards his room without another word.
“Oh dear,” Mumbo said, appearing around the doorway where he likely had been lurking. “I should— he probably—” he blinked a few times. “Hm. I’m going to go check on him.” And he hurried after Grian, muttering a few more ‘oh dear’s under his breath.
Guilt swam in Jimmy’s gut.
It wasn’t fair. Grian could dish it out, but apparently he couldn’t take it. Jimmy hadn’t even been trying to hurt him, he was just saying how he felt! And now Grian’s gone and made him feel bad about it.
He slumped back down into the chair, crossing his arms.
“That went well,” he commented sarcastically to Joel. When Joel didn’t respond, he looked up. “Joel.”
Joel’s jaw was clenched and he was staring straight ahead. “You shouldn’t talk to Grian like that.”
“Huh?” Jimmy sat up. “What do you mean? I was just defending myself! I thought you were on my side.”
“I was. But that was a low blow.” He was frowning.
Jimmy cringed, Joel’s disapproval hitting even harder. “I just meant that Grian really isn’t in charge of us anymore. We’re not kids. He can stop acting like we are.”
“He has a point, Jim. I trust you, and you trust Tango, so I guess I trust Tango, but Grian’s not the same. He’s been protecting us— you, especially— for the better part of a decade. It’s not easy to just stop.” Joel looked over at him. “And as much as you act like it sometimes, you’re not stupid. You know how much Grian loves you.”
“He sure has a funny way of showing it,” Jimmy grumbled.
“He sure does,” Joel agreed, smiling at last. He smacked Jimmy on the shoulder. “He’s a weird guy. He’d be lost without us.”
Jimmy smiled ruefully. “Who would he make fun of if I weren’t here? Mumbo?”
“I think he’d make a little Jimmy doll,” Joel snickered.
Jimmy squawked. “That’s creepy!” he protested.
“Exactly, so don’t leave,” Joel said. His expression dropped into something more solemn. His hand on Jimmy’s shoulder tightened. “And Jimmy? Don’t hurt Grian.
“Okay, okay,” Jimmy agreed nervously. “I wouldn’t. Not on purpose.”
“Alright…” Joel let go of his shoulder. “Jimmy?”
“Hm?”
“You would choose us, still, right?”
Jimmy blinked. “Yes, I would.”
“Alright,” Joel said again. “Good. Good.” He cleared his throat. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Jimmy stayed at the table long after Joel left. The house was eerily quiet alone on the ground floor. He ran his fingers along the lines in the wood of the table, lost in thought.
He would stay with Grian and Joel if he were asked to choose. They were his home and his family. But he wasn’t a kid anymore. Most people his age already flew the nest. Some were even starting families of their own.
He folded his arms on the table and rested his chin against them.
One day, he thought, he might choose Tango.
He hoped it wouldn’t break Grian’s heart.
Much later, long after Mumbo returned to his office bedroom downstairs, Jimmy quietly opened Grian’s door.
“Grian?” he whispered.
“Mm?” came Grian’s hummed response from the dark.
Jimmy shut the door behind him, tiptoeing towards the bed.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I— for what I said. Earlier.”
“Mmm,” Grian hummed again. He lifted the blanket in invitation.
Jimmy was much taller and ganglier than he had been years ago, but when he scooted down far enough, he could still rest his head on Grian’s chest and listen to the sound of his heartbeat. The feeling of Grian absently stroking his hair filled him with warmth.
He wasn’t a kid.
He didn’t want to be treated like one.
But, he thought, wrapping his arms tighter around the man who had saved him, sometimes maybe he still needed to be.
“You really think this will be okay?” Tango asked nervously. “I mean, I don’t want to overstep. Grian already doesn’t like me”
Jimmy waved him off. “Grian has his own issues, it has nothing to do with you.” He internally grimaced, remembering his own words from the night Grian had found out about them. He was sure that threatening to leave their little family for Tango had done nothing to endear him to Grian. “Besides,” he said, tucking himself behind Tango to nuzzle his cheek in the soft spikes of his hair, “your cooking would win anyone over.”
It was far from the first time Tango had been over to the house— Jimmy had insisted on bringing him over soon after Grian had cooled down to introduce them on better terms. Joel had been pleased to meet him, shaking his hand firmly. Mumbo had been hesitant at first, following Grian’s lead, but as soon as he’d learned about Tango’s tinkering hobby, he’d been starstruck (Jimmy felt rather lost listening to their conversation, but he was glad they got along). Grian…predictably, was more standoffish. He refused to shake Tango’s hand, or say much of anything to him at all outside of warning him what would happen if he were to ever betray Jimmy. It was annoying, because Jimmy really would prefer Grian not insult or threaten the man he was dating, but it warmed his heart at the same time.
Tango, for his part, took Grian’s attitude towards him in stride.
“It’s okay,” he’d said when Jimmy asked him about it. He’d reached over the blankets to entangle their fingers. “I have nothing but respect for how much he cares about you. We have something very important in common.”
“What’s that?” he’d replied, blushing when Tango kissed his fingers.
His garnet eyes twinkled. “We both love you.”
“You don’t think Grian will be upset?” Tango asked, probably for the tenth time.
“Nevermind what Grian thinks,” Jimmy said. He honestly wasn’t sure what Grian’s reaction would be. While it was true that Grian himself admitted to being a poor cook, he always seemed hurt when anyone else expressed the same. He never cooked for a man he was trying to impress, but Jimmy got the sense that he cooked for their family as a show of affection. Unfortunately. “I want to eat your cooking. And that’s more important at the moment.”
Tango smiled, leaning back and tilting his face up for a kiss. “Alright, alright, that’s all I need to hear.” He reached over to stir a simmering creamy sauce on the stove. “...But seriously, I’m more nervous about impressing Grian than I was about attending the same dinner as members of the royal family.”
“Don’t be nervous!”
Jimmy turned his head to look at Joel who had just entered the kitchen.
“No?” Tango asked hopefully.
“Nahhh,” Joel drawled. “You’re not going to impress him, so there’s no point in worrying about it.”
“O-oh.”
“Joel!” Jimmy scolded. “Don’t say that to him!”
Joel shrugged, strolling towards the stove. “Why not? It’s the truth.” He lifted the lid on one of the pots and took a deep whiff. “I, on the other hand, am already impressed. What kind of Michelin Star chef are you?” He elbowed Tango in the side.
Tango made a noise of embarrassment, looking pleased. “Please, I’m nowhere near as good as the Michelin Stars, but I’m proud of what I can do!”
Joel moved to take Jimmy by the shoulders. “Great work, Tim. You found a great man.”
“I did!” Jimmy preened. “I really did.” He wrapped his arms around Tango’s waist in a hug.
“Aww, love is in the air!” Joel sing-songed. “Like in Lion King, when the cartoon lions are about to fuck.”
“Joel!” Jimmy squawked. “You ruined the moment! You ruined it, that’s what you just did.”
He just laughed, snagging an apple on his way back out. “Call me when it’s time to eat.” As he walked away, he sang, “Caaaaan you feel the looooooove toniiiiiiiight—”
“Sorry about that,” Jimmy groaned. “Ignore him.”
Tango was giggling. “What, you don’t wanna be my Nala? I think I’d make a good Simba.”
“What? Why?” Jimmy snorted.
“I dunno. I think we have a similar roguish hotness.” He grinned.
Jimmy sputtered. “You think…the lion…is hot?”
“What, you don’t?” Tango was holding back laughter. “We’re gonna need to rewatch The Lion King, then. Simba’s got that mane and that chin, Nala’s got that bod…Slim, lithe, not unlike somebody I know.” He turned to face him fully, running his hands down his sides.
“Tango,” Jimmy whined, but he couldn’t fight a giggle of his own. “Knock it off.”
“What, you don’t like the lions? I think it could be fun!” He laughed, waggling his eyebrows. “We can hakuna our matatas.”
“That’s awful!” Jimmy laughed.
Tango made a growling noise, probably intended to be lion-like, and pulled him close to nip at his neck.
Jimmy’s laugh turned into a squeal. “Tango!”
Tango stood on his tiptoes to pepper kisses against his jaw, when an ahem behind them made them freeze.
Grian stood at the entryway of the kitchen, looking murderous.
Tango tried to extract himself from Jimmy as gracefully as he could, taking a few large steps away.
Grian crossed the kitchen primly, placing a grocery bag on the countertop. “From the smell of it, I’m off the hook for dinner tonight, so you can just put this in the fridge,” he said. “Please refrain from canoodling in my kitchen. I prefer my food untainted.” He glared at Tango as he added the last part.
Tango nodded quickly, looking pale. “Understood! No canoodling. Mhm!”
Without another word, Grian left.
Tango stayed frozen for a few more seconds before he buried his face in his hands, groaning. “I can’t believe I just did that. In front of Grian.”
Jimmy stroked his shoulder, embarrassed himself. “If it makes you feel better, I’m sure that’s not the worst flirting he’s ever seen.”
“It doesn’t,” Tango moaned. “It doesn’t make me feel better.”
When Jimmy pulled him into a comforting hug, Tango tucked his head against his shoulder as if to hide, groaning still. He felt a little bad, but Jimmy couldn’t help a giggle.
“Jimmy, are you laughing at me?” Tango whined.
“Sorry,” Jimmy laughed, rubbing his back. “I’m sorry. I can tell you embarrassing Grian stories, if you’d like.”
“Noooo,” he said. “I’m already going to have a hard time looking him in the eye now, I don’t need more reasons.”
Jimmy dropped a kiss into Tango’s hair. “Alright, fair. …But let’s just say he doesn’t have the grounds to be judgy. Just ask Mumbo.”
“Just ask me what?” Mumbo popped his head in.
“Nothing!” the two of them cried in sync.
“Uhh, wait!” Tango said. “Do you think Grian would prefer flan or gelato for dessert? I brought both.”
Mumbo looked a little bemused. “I don’t think he’s a fan of sweets at all, if I’m being honest.”
“Shit,” Tango hissed.
“But if you’re asking me, I’d love some flan,” he smiled awkwardly.
Tango gave him a half-hearted smile in return. “Flan it is, then.”
Jimmy mostly sat and watched Tango prepare the rest of the meal, keeping a safe distance away from him to avoid being tempted into anything Grian would consider canoodling. He was content just observing. Tango wore a pleased and determined expression while he cooked, the tip of his tongue sometimes peeking out between his lips. He was dressed nicely in a button down and vest, and Jimmy was delighted by how his arms looked with his sleeves rolled up around his elbows. His pants were well-fitted as well and Jimmy, with only a little bit of shame, let his eyes drift down to admire his derrière.
“Aaaaaand we’re finished!” Tango turned off the burner and turned around with a flourish. Jimmy startled, sitting up quickly. His cheeks felt red even though he was fairly certain Tango hadn’t noticed him staring.
“If you can show me where you keep the tableware, I’ll set the places if you get the rest of your housemates?” Tango continued.
“S-sure!” Jimmy agreed, jumping up to open the cabinet.
To his surprise, he found Mumbo, Joel, and Grian lingering nearby. Joel looked like his mouth was watering.
“Is it time to eat yet?” he asked hopefully.
Jimmy nodded. “Tango’s setting the places now—”
The three of them hurried past him into the dining room. Even Grian, he noticed.
Jimmy smiled to himself. Even if he pretended otherwise, he was not immune to Tango’s cooking.
“For our appetizers this evening, we have freshly made herb focaccia, served with a dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. May I interest you gentlemen in some wine this evening? I have a fine selection, all recommended by the Tek Family Wine Cellar.” Tango bowed as he spoke, serving out their first course.
“Now this is service,” Mumbo giggled. “What does the chef recommend?”
Tango beamed at Mumbo’s praise. “The chardonnay is particularly excellent and will be a familiar flavor in the main course.”
“A chardonnay sounds wonderful,” Mumbo said.
“Very well,” Tango bowed again. “And for the others?” He glanced around the table.
Grian was glaring at him intensely while tearing off bites of bread. Tango’s expression faltered for a moment as he met his stare before he looked at Jimmy.
Jimmy cleared his throat. Joel was more of a beer kind of guy and Jimmy didn’t drink often, so he ended up just saying, “We’ll take the same.”
“As you wish,” Tango said, shooting Jimmy a wink. Then, his eyes darted to Grian in panic and he hurried into the kitchen.
“Grian,” Jimmy groaned. “Please be nice to him.”
“What?” Grian scowled at him, shoving more bread into his mouth. “I’m just eating bread.”
Jimmy rolled his eyes.
To his surprise, both Joel and Mumbo backed him up.
“Don’t ruin this for us, Grian,” Joel begged. “If Jimmy can manage to keep this guy interested, we can eat like this on a regular basis.”
Mumbo nodded quickly. “This is very nice, actually. I quite enjoy this.”
“Better than my cooking?” Grian asked softly.
The silence around the table was palpable.
“Well…you…you don’t serve appetizers and wine and bow,” Jimmy said hesitantly.
“Or wear tight little dress pants that show off your ass while doing it,” Joel said, smirking.
Jimmy choked on his bread.
Mumbo blinked a few times. “Yeah! Well, um, not what Joel said— I mean, I wouldn’t, uh… nevermind that. But yes, I agree, Tango has good customer service.”
Grian mumbled something with his mouth full that Jimmy thought might have been, “See if I ever show you ‘customer service’ again…”
Tango returned again with wine glasses and a bottle of white wine. When Mumbo got his, he swirled the drink around the glass, holding it up in front of his eyes before taking a whiff and a small, thoughtful sip. Around the table, Jimmy, Joel, and Grian followed his lead hesitantly.
“Mm,” Mumbo said. “Oak aged?”
Tango beamed. “We have a connoisseur!”
Mumbo flushed. “Hardly,” he chuckled. “I just think it’s classy to know a good wine.”
Jimmy kind of felt like it just tasted like wine, a little sour, a little sweet, alcoholic…He hoped Tango didn’t think it was a bad thing that he didn’t know a good wine.
Tango joined them at the table to eat some of the bread. He was close enough that Jimmy could have leaned his shoulder against him, but mindful of Grian’s gaze on them, he didn’t.
“You need a good, hearty bread to pair with balsamic vinegar,” Tango was telling them. “Focaccia was actually eaten in ancient Rome. I like this course because it’s something people could have been eating for thousands of years.”
“Wow,” Joel said, leaning his face in his palm and smiling. “Dinner and a history lesson.”
Jimmy preened. Tango was so smart!
“Well, I’m afraid that’s all I’ve got for the history of the meal,” Tango said. “The rest is— well, why don’t I go get it?”
Jimmy’s mouth watered when Tango set the dishes in front of them. He’d clearly put effort into arranging the food on the plate.
“Tonight, our main course is king salmon in a chardonnay sauce with sautéed artichoke hearts, zucchini, and scallops,” Tango announced, bowing like before.
Jimmy swallowed hard and intentionally did not peek at his butt as he did. He did not miss everyone else at the table’s eyes darting downwards, though.
“You’ve been on your feet for so long today,” Jimmy said. “This looks delicious, why don’t you sit and enjoy it?” He glared at Joel. Joel shrugged in false innocence.
“Don’t mind if I do!” Tango smiled at him as he took his seat. Jimmy did not refuse himself a protective arm around his middle.
The food was delicious. Jimmy knew it would be, of course. Everything Tango made was fantastic. But every bite took him by surprise with how rich it was. The sauce was creamy with a hint of spice without being heavy at all. The salmon was almost buttery with how tender it was. Jimmy had never really understood the idea of pairing wines with foods, but when he took a sip from his glass, everything suddenly made sense.
There was a resounding silence at the table that likely came from everyone else having a similarly religious dining experience.
“Is it good?” Tango asked hopefully.
“‘Good’ doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Joel said, voice rough.
“It’s amazing,” Mumbo said. “Just… amazing.”
Even Grian’s scowl had fallen completely as he ate.
Jimmy smiled at Tango, squeezing the arm around him a little tighter. Leaning in to whisper in his ear, he said, “I think Grian approves.”
Tango’s expression glowed.
Jimmy and Tango laid together in Jimmy’s bed. He was so sated from the meal, he could have fallen asleep right then, cuddled against Tango’s side, if it wasn’t for the fingers fidgeting anxiously with the ends of his hair.
“Are you thinking about something?” Jimmy yawned.
“Hm?” Tango glanced at him. “No, it’s nothing.”
Jimmy waited, not looking away. Tango’s garnet colored eyes flitted nervously around the room, refusing to meet his gaze.
Finally, he sighed. “Fine, alright, you got me. And stop looking at me with them big ol’ eyes.” He leaned down to kiss him on the forehead.
Jimmy snorted. “So what are you thinking about?”
Tango made a frustrated whining noise. “Well…I was just thinking…so you know how you’re a robber?”
Jimmy sat up. “Y-yes?”
“It’s nothing bad!” Tango reassured him, sitting up as well. “I was actually thinking…what if I…helped you guys on a heist.”
“Helped?” Jimmy blinked. “How?”
“You know…I’m rich…I know rich people…I don’t know what connections you guys have, but I proooobably have more,” Tango said. “Nobody would question a Tek kid showing up in a rich person place.” He nuzzled against Jimmy’s shoulder. “You could be my plus-one.”
“But what about your parents?” Jimmy asked. “Won’t people be kind of suspicious if you keep showing up with me on your arm?”
Tango groaned. “I really want to take you somewhere and show you off. …But you’re right, that’s probably a bad idea.” He flopped back onto the mattress. “I can definitely still get you guys invites to things.”
Jimmy hmm’d. “Normally Joel takes care of that. I think you’d have to ask him.”
“I plan to ask everyone,” Tango said. His fingertips were dragging along Jimmy’s arm, tracing designs. “I just wanted to know what you thought about it, first.”
He blinked. What did he think about it? There wasn’t a lot during heists that his opinion counted for. It wasn’t like he was in charge of things. Half the time, he was pretty sure he was getting in the way more than he helped. If Grian asked his thoughts on something, there was a nonzero chance that he was asking so that he could make sure to choose the opposite. But Tango? Tango was asking because he wanted to know. He cared about Jimmy’s opinion on this above all. It made his heart flutter.
Shifting to lay back down beside Tango, Jimmy tucked himself against his side. “I think,” he yawned, “that I would love to have you on our side for a heist.”
Tango beamed. “Really? You’re serious?”
“I’m serious,” Jimmy nodded. “I mean it!”
“You’re the best!” Tango rolled over to pull him into a bone-crushing hug.
He gasped at the pressure, but grinned at Tango’s joy. “I don’t know if Grian is going to let you, still,” he reminded him.
“I know,” Tango groaned. “I’ll win him over. What does he like? What does he want to steal?”
“Jewelry, mostly, if I’m being honest,” Jimmy said. “Earrings, especially.”
“I did notice he always has some real fancy ones in! That’s perfect, actually. There’s a fashion show in the city next month for a designer my family was interested in working with. I’ve never been, clothes aren’t my thing, but I know that they always bring pieces for sale, and there’s a whole line of jewelry— my father was looking for a replacement gift for my mother after, well…” He snickered and Jimmy joined him.
“And I think I can manage to win Joel over with a bit of cooking,” Tango continued. “What do you think Mumbo would think?”
“Mumbo?” Jimmy repeated. “I think he would rather you didn’t make him give important input to the way we run things.”
“No?”
Jimmy shook his head. “Just convince Grian and Mumbo will happily go along with it.”
They chatted about ideas how Tango could help them with heists— getaway cars, exclusive invites, connections, funding— until Jimmy started to doze off.
“Jimmy?” Tango whispered, just before he was asleep.
“Hm?” he hummed groggily.
“I’m glad you robbed me.”
Jimmy giggled. “I’m glad I robbed you, too.”
“Straighten your vest, Tim,” Grian ordered, turning around from the front seat to look back at him. “And don’t look so anxious.”
“Right!” Jimmy said.
Tango reached over to straighten his clothes out for him, tugging at the sides until the fabric sat flat.
“Don’t worry,” he reassured him, giving him an admiring once over. “You look great! I should hire you as my assistant for real.”
Jimmy blushed.
“No flirting once we’re on the job!” Joel complained from his other side. Normally, the five of them would not have all fit into their car. However, for appearances, they had borrowed one the larger, nicer cars from the Tek estate. Jimmy had wanted a limousine, but both Grian and Tango made a face when he’d suggested it.
Joel, as Jimmy suspected, wasn’t thrilled about Tango taking over part of his job, but he was willing to be bribed with his cooking.
“Yes, no flirting,” Grian agreed. “In fact, I think you’d make a more convincing assistant if you didn’t say anything at all.”
“I know, I know,” Jimmy groaned. “I’ll keep a lookout.”
“Good boy,” Grian praised. “Okay, you have your role. Let’s go over this from the top. Mumbo?”
“I’m the chauffeur. I drop you all off and find somewhere discreet to park, not too far away, where I can coordinate and communicate to you all.”
“Good. Joel?”
“I’ll excuse myself quickly and find my way to the maintenance area. There’s a small hallway that has access to most of the building. Mumbo will let me know the code to get in. Once I’m in, it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time to let you in, Grian,” Joel rattled off dutifully.
“Yes, which brings me to my role,” Grian said. “It’s tricky because it relies on other people. I’ll find a security guard to schmooze up to and then faint. If all goes according to plan, they should bring me to the only good place to rest quietly, the VIP viewing room, just off the exhibition room. If not, I’ll just get close enough to snag their keycard off of them and pass it to Jimmy. I’d be the prime suspect if security notices a card missing, so if that’s the way things go, we need to be quick about it.”
Jimmy nodded.
“...Tango,” Grian prompted.
“Right! I will be representing the esteemed Tek estate and keep the executives distracted trying to get my attention and talking about finances.”
“Whoa,” Jimmy said. “You should like a fancy business man.”
Tango grinned at him. “Years of training.”
Grian rolled his eyes. “Once I’m in the room, or once Jimmy can let me into the exhibition rooms if we end up doing Plan B, it’s up to Mumbo to guide Joel to me and deactivate the pressure sensitive locks long enough for me to get into the cases. I will get the goods to Joel and find my way back out of the exhibition rooms.”
“I’ll get them out through the back of the building where Mumbo will be waiting,” Joel finished.
“And the rest of us will sit normally through the fashion show and sit through whatever search we’re subjected to as soon as they realize the jewels are missing,” Tango said. “I don’t think they’ll search me hard, if they’re trying to make a good impression on my family, so if Jimmy has the card, I’ll hold it.”
Grian nodded.
They crossed over the bridge into the city.
Jimmy never liked being in the city. The narrow streets and towering buildings made him feel trapped. As a kid, he’d never really been anywhere except his family’s rural town. His first time in a city had been while he’d been in foster care and he didn’t like thinking about that time in his life.
The show was uptown— of course it was uptown. Jimmy stared out the window as they passed grand theaters and museums with green malls of grass surrounding them.
“It’s there,” Tango pointed out to Mumbo. “Just join the valet line.”
“Right,” Mumbo agreed.
Jimmy rubbed his hands together, nerves setting in. On most heists, he had a lot of freedom in his role. His biggest responsibility, outside of keeping watch, was to not mess up. Now, he was acting as Tango’s assistant. Tango’s reputation was on the line here.
He nearly jumped when Tango’s hand ran down his arm and over his wrist to thread their fingers together.
“You’ll do great,” Tango reassured him. “Rich people don’t notice anything.”
From the front seat, Grian snorted.
“Assistants really mostly stand there,” Tango continued, ignoring Grian. “You have the clipboard and the ear piece, and you’re dressed perfectly for the role! I promise, nobody will suspect a thing.” He kissed the back of Jimmy’s hand.
“You’re sure this is your first heist?” Jimmy joked. “You’d think I was the inexperienced one.”
Tango laughed. “I just know how rich functions work. If you don’t get caught, we have nothing to worry about.”
“Sounds like you’ve been doing your fair share of sneaking around,” Joel commented.
“It’s the most fun a rich kid can have without being cut off,” Tango replied. “Misbehavior is fine, as long as you don’t get caught. Anything can be fixed if you throw money at it except for reputation.”
Jimmy couldn’t help but feel like the entrance of the building they were approaching was unimpressive. Especially compared to the grandeur of the larger buildings uptown, it looked like…well, a back door.
“I was expecting a red carpet,” Grian pouted.
“Sorry,” Tango said. “The red carpet entrance is more for the headlining celebrities, famous for their faces. Most people would rather avoid the whole caboodle, so the back entrance.”
Grian crossed his arms and muttered something about the designer he was wearing, but otherwise, kept his mouth shut.
A member of the staff, dressed in a meticulously pressed shirt and white gloves that reminded Jimmy of a cartoon character, approached the car. Tango rolled down his window.
“Mr. Tek?”
Tango waved at him. “And my cohort.”
“Right this way, sirs,” the man directed them.
Jimmy fell into step behind Tango, trying his best to look like this was normal for him. He watched Tango walk in front of him. He seemed so at ease, from the confident tilt of his head, to the relaxed line of his shoulders, flattered by the angles of the tailored gray suit he wore. He looked cool and collected, and achingly handsome. Jimmy bit his lip.
Get a hold of yourself, he mentally scolded himself.
At least he didn’t have to wear a tie. Tango said he looked too authoritative when he tried one on (and Jimmy had blushed hard, having never been described as “authoritative” before in his life). He wore a simple powder blue button down under a fitted gray vest (a few shades darker than Tango’s suit) and slacks. Between Grian and Tango, they managed to gel his hair back so that it was shiny and flat. It was actually kind of itchy, but he still preferred it to a tie.
Grian looked very comfortable in a loose cream colored paisley shirt half tucked his waistband and some ridiculous shiny Italian shoes. A pair of brown sunglasses concealed his dark eyes. He must have felt Jimmy’s gaze on him, because he gave him a side eye. Jimmy looked away quickly.
He knew Grian was excited about this heist. A quick look into the designers that would be there had him giddy , as much as he tried to hide his excitement whenever Tango was present for their planning.
Joel, on the other hand, was dressed inconspicuously in an unremarkable suit. His goal was to blend in and not catch anyone’s eyes. Jimmy felt a little jealous of him for that, but he wouldn’t want to go sneaking around. He would be too anxious about being caught. Really, he didn’t know how Joel did it.
The inside of the museum was much more ornate than the nondescript back entrance. Cushy armchairs were occupied by people dressed to the nines in avant garde fashion statements. Grian fit right in.
“Mr. Tek!”
A balding man in a cummerbund approached Tango, bowing low and shaking his hand.
“I’m Neil Guy, we spoke before over the phone. I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Mr. Tek. We’ve been eager to work with your family for some time, so I hope the show is to your liking. Let me or any of the staff know if there is anything we can do to make the experience more enjoyable.”
“Thank you, Mr. Guy,” Tango said politely. His voice sounded different. Smoother, calmer, and, well, authoritative. Jimmy really hoped his blush was not obvious. “I’ll be sure to do that.” He turned to the rest of them. “Come along.”
Jimmy couldn’t see Grian’s face, but he fought back a smirk imagining how sour his expression must be from being ordered around by Tango.
“I have to say,” Joel giggled when they were out of earshot of others, “these things are much less stressful when we’re actually invited. I almost don’t know what to do with myself.”
Tango preened. “I’m glad to hear it. Connections are useful things.”
“No kidding.” Joel grinned. “I guess we just…wait? Until the show starts?”
Grian nodded. “I need to find a security guard to build a rapport with—”
Joel snorted. “‘Build a rapport,’ please, Grian. You can say ‘seduce.’”
Behind his glasses, Grian rolled his eyes. He did, however, unbutton another button on his loose shirt.
“Oh god,” Tango murmured.
“What?” Jimmy yelped. “What is it?”
“Don’t look now, but there’s a man over there who’s trying with everything he has to get me to agree to marry his daughter.”
Bristling, Jimmy shot his head around. “Where?”
Grian grabbed his chin to stop him. “He said don’t look, Tim.”
“Sorry, right, sorry!” Jimmy hissed, ducking his head.
Tango smiled at him affectionately. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing he could ever do to convince me.” He reached over like he was going to take Jimmy’s hand but faltered, reaching for the clipboard instead at the last minute. “Just pretend to be busy. Tell me about a schedule or something.”
“Oh! Um…” Jimmy stuttered nervously. “Schedule?”
“Mhm,” Tango hummed. “Tell me all about the meetings I have this evening, after the show.”
“Meetings, right. Um!”
“Like with…Mr. Jumbo! He had an acquisition offer for me, didn’t he?” Tango prompted, eyes glimmering mischievously.
Jimmy nodded quickly. “Yes. Yes! This evening, after the show, you have a dinner meeting with Mr. Jumbo to discuss his acquisition offer.”
“Mhm, really?” Tango said, staring very intently at the clipboard.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jimmy saw a man approaching. He resisted the urge to step in front of Tango.
“Yes, it’s very important. Mr. Jumbo is not a patient man,” Jimmy said. Next to him, Grian sputtered, disguising it with a cough. “And he— he probably already has a lot of offers, so it’s essential we make the deal tonight.”
“Oh wow, essential?” Tango repeated. “We should probably show up early then.”
“Yes, sir, I do recommend that.”
Jimmy gripped the clipboard hard, fighting the desire to hide his reddening face with his entire willpower. Tango leered at him playfully.
“Excuse me, Mr. Tek?” an accented voice interrupted.
Tango’s expression turned sour for just a moment before he turned to acknowledge the man.
“Mr. Vissoli.” Tango offered him a tight smile.
“How wonderful it is to see you here!” the man pulled Tango’s hand into his own in an overly firm shake. “You know Vanessa, my daughter, will be modeling today. She’s really grown up to be quite beautiful. It’s been so long since the two of you have spent time together. What would you say to taking her to dinner after her performance?”
Jimmy did step forward then. “I’m sorry, sir, but Mr. Tek has a prior engagement this evening.” He may have put a little too much emphasis on the word “engagement.” Oh well!
“Another time then?” Mr. Vissoli requested meekly, looking up at Jimmy.
Jimmy pulled one of the business cards Tango had given him off the clipboard. “Mr. Tek is a busy man. You’ll have to make an appointment at this number.”
“Right.” Mr. Vissoli took the card.
“I, on the other hand,” Grian said, sidling forward, “am very free this evening.” He lifted his glasses to blink, doe-like, at the man.
Mr. Vissoli balked. “I— um— well—” he cleared his throat. “Excuse me, gentlemen.”
Grian gave him a coy wave that made him hurry off.
“Coward,” Grian said when he was out of earshot. “I saw him looking.”
Tango choked on a laugh. “Really? Well, most people here aren’t used to being openly propositioned.”
Grian glanced around and shrugged. “A lot of these people look like they could have been my clients once upon a time.”
“Ah.” Tango’s eyes widened. He looked at Jimmy as if looking for guidance on how to respond. Jimmy shrugged. Tango settled on just nodding awkwardly.
Joel slapped Jimmy on the shoulder. “Good work, babe! You were all ‘Mr. Tek is a very busy man.’ I think he was scared of you!”
“Scared?” Jimmy repeated, pleased. “Of me?”
Joel nodded. “You are tall, you know.”
“I am,” Jimmy agreed. “I am pretty tall.”
Tango leaned towards him (not enough to touch) and said, “Good to know you can ward off unwanted suitors.”
“I’ll ward them all off, don’t you worry, Tango!” Jimmy promised.
“Don’t you mean ‘Mr. Tek?’” Tango smirked. “Or ‘sir—’”
“No flirting on the job,” Grian complained.
Tango took an entire step back. “Right. Right.”
Grian rolled his eyes and walked away to investigate a framed art piece on the far wall.
Tango leaned over towards Jimmy. “Later though—”
“Oh come on!” Behind them, Joel scoffed.
Tango grinned sheepishly at him. “We should probably move to the main room.”
Jimmy stuck close behind him while they walked. He’d been on dozens of heists in his life, and yet with Tango here, things felt different. He knew, of course, that Grian and Joel always had his back, just like he had theirs. None of them would ever let each other get hurt. Tango? Tango seemed to believe him. No, it was more. He had no doubts in him.
To Grian, he was still a hapless starving teenager who needed to be comforted from nightmares. To Joel, he was his slightly-less-competent partner in crime. To Tango? To Tango, he was worthy. He was admired.
It absolutely went to his head.
He straightened his posture, dropping his shoulders, and raised his head. He was representing Tango Tek, who trusted him to do his job. He wouldn’t let him down.
Ahead of them, Grian suddenly paused, eyes going wide. Then, a grin slowly spread across his face.
“Boys,” he said. “I think my job just got much easier.”
Jimmy followed his gaze to where a security guard leaned against the wall.
“Is that—” Jimmy started.
“That’s the hot guy!” Joel laughed. “Ohh, Grian. Go have fun! But not too much fun— we still have a job to do.”
“I can multitask!” Grian stuck his tongue out at Joel and strode towards the familiar security guard.
Tango leaned back towards Jimmy. “They’ve got a history?”
“You could say that.” He nodded. “Grian’s been flirting with this poor guy at pretty much every fancy to-do in the area for the past few months.”
“Huh.” Tango’s eyebrows crept upwards. “And he doesn’t suspect…you know, anything?”
Jimmy shrugged, shaking his head. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
They watched for a moment.
The security guard noticed Grian’s approach and his face lit up in recognition. He scrambled to straighten his posture, leaning towards Grian. Whatever he said made Grian’s shoulder’s shake with laughter.
Joel smirked. “As long as Mr. Hot Security Guard doesn’t throw a wrench in things, I’d say we’ve got this in the bag.”
Jimmy nodded quickly in agreement, biting his lip with excitement. “Come on, come on, the show’s starting!”
He didn’t know what to expect from a fashion show, if he was being honest. Both Mumbo and Grian took care to dress sharply and know fancy brand names, but Jimmy was clueless to the whole thing. Even so, he found it delightful to watch models strut down the low stage in eccentric pieces.
“Are people expected to wear this stuff?” Jimmy whispered, leaning down to get close to Tango’s ear.
Tango looked up, putting their faces enticingly close. “Nah. Or at least I don’t think so. These are just concepts. They tone it down for everyday stuff.”
A lady shuffled by in front of them, wearing a skintight dress covered in tiny reflective mirrors with feathers bursting at the cuffs and collar and a number of cutouts.
“...Usually.”
Jimmy bit back a snicker and he could hear Tango doing the same.
Suddenly the comm crackled in his ears.
“ Um…” Mumbo began. “We have a bit of an issue.”
“What is it?” Joel’s voice came over.
“Grian is leaving the location. He is not headed towards the private viewing room.”
Jimmy whipped around, forgetting any subtlety. He caught sight of Grian, limp in the arms of the security guard, who was walking towards the exit.
Grian clearly couldn’t move without alerting that man that he was conscious, but his eyes were wide and he blinked rapidly at Jimmy. Jimmy nodded quickly, not understanding what Grian was trying to communicate to him, but knowing it was important.
As Jimmy watched, Grian let his hand slip from where it had been curled against his chest. It fell over his side towards the floor.
There.
Jimmy spotted it.
Grian had dropped the key card.
“E-Excuse me, T— sir.” Jimmy extracted himself from Tango’s side.
He was awkwardly tall to be pushing through the crowd, unlike Grian who was lithe and short or Joel whose muscular frame filled him out well for his height. But this was his job and he would do it.
He didn’t want to call attention to the fact that he was picking something up. As he’d seen Joel do many times, he stepped casually on the key card and stood, pretending to watch the show from here. Only when he was sure that nobody was watching, he stooped, pretending to tie his dress shoe. As he stood, he carefully tucked the card into his sleeve. From here, he could see down the hall and out a window. The guard had brought Grian outside to lay on a bench. He was sitting up now, holding his head and fanning himself.
“Got it,” he murmured into the comm. He could have sworn he saw Grian’s shoulder drop in relief. “When are you going to be able to come get it?”
There was a crackle in his ear. Then, “Oh, I’m fine…No, I don’t think I’ll be able to. I—” and then the comm cut out again.
I don’t think I’ll be able to.
Well.
That was a problem.
Jimmy walked awkwardly down the restricted hallway, cringing as each footfall of his stupid fancy shoes made an impossibly loud noise.
“I’m not sure I’m cut out for this,” he hissed.
“Sure you are, babe!”
Joel encouraged him.
“You’re almost to me, and I can take over.”
“I’m no Grian,” Jimmy groaned. “I feel like I’m being watched.”
“No,” a calm voice said in his ear. Tango. “You’re not Grian, you’re Jimmy. You can do it. You are doing it!”
Jimmy’s lips quirked, just a little. “Thanks Tango. I love you.”
“Boo,” Joel said. “Don’t make me listen to this.”
“Next door on your right,” Mumbo directed. “Wait! That door’s live.”
“Live?” Jimmy repeated.
“An alarm will go off if you open it,” Mumbo explained. “I’m sorry, I swore I deactivated it. …This will take me a few moments. Jimmy, could you continue in Grian’s role after all? The exhibit room is at the end of the hall. I think I can get Joel’s door to pause long enough to pass off the goods, but I wouldn’t risk it twice.”
Jimmy gulped.
“He can do it!” Tango answered for him. “Go for it, Jimmy.”
“I-I’ve never done the heisting part!” he hissed.
“Today’s your lucky day,” Joel snorted.
“I don’t even know what I’m looking for!”
“Easy! If it’s shiny, grab it!” Joel directed.
“Thanks.” Jimmy rolled his eyes. He entered the exhibit room using the card.
The room was dark except for the emergency lights on overhead. In cases along the wall, he could see dozens of pieces of jewelry— massive necklaces, elegant earrings, and more rings than there were fingers in the building.
“Do I just…grab stuff?”
“Wait!” Mumbo said. “Wait until I’ve deactivated the pressure alarms!”
“R-Right.” Jimmy cleared his throat, embarrassed.
“Okay,” Mumbo said after a few moments. “As soon as I hit go, the pressure alarm will— hopefully— be off. It seems they have an extra layer of security that refreshes security programs at intervals, so it won’t last. I can’t tell you how long that interval is, so don’t dawdle.”
“Don’t dawdle,” Jimmy repeated. “Right. Won’t do that.”
“Ready?”
“To open an alarmed case that may go live while I’m stuck in it at any moment?” Jimmy laughed nervously. “Yep! I’m ready!”
“And…go!”
Jimmy fumbled with the lock, picking it in record time, and slid the glass open with more force than was strictly necessary. He scooped up the display mats, gathering tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of precious gems and metals against himself. He strung necklaces over his arms and shoved his pockets full of as many rings as he could.
Earrings, he thought. Get Grian some earrings.
He didn’t stop to choose. Instead he made sure to grab them all, even if he had to skip over some very shiny bracelets.
“Stop, stop, stop! It’s refreshing!”
Jimmy launched himself away from the glass like it was made of lava. Above the case, a green light went on again, but no audible alarm sounded.
“Am I safe?” he asked. His voice was shaking.
“For now,” Mumbo said. “Find Joel, he’s just inside the door you passed. Make the handoff quick. We’re looking at a matter of minutes between refreshes.”
Feeling bolder now that he successfully completed the first part, Jimmy swaggered down the hall. Outside the door, he began to transfer the jewelry into a position that he could quickly hand them off to Joel.
He was about to knock for Joel to open up when a noise down the hall made him freeze. Footsteps.
“Someone’s coming!” he hissed into his comms. “Joel, open the door!”
“I can’t, it’s live!”
“Mumbo!” Jimmy hissed, pressing himself against the door.
“J-Just a second!”
The footsteps drew closer.
“Mumbo, now!” Jimmy whispered.
“Wait! Wait…”
The footsteps were approaching the corner. He was going to be caught red handed, covered in jewelry.
He couldn’t even talk now without being caught.
“NOW!”
The door opened inwards and Jimmy tumbled backwards. He nearly squawked, but Joel’s hand over his mouth silenced him.
He watched a shadow appear around the corner as the door slipped closed with a click. He didn’t dare breathe until several moments passed with nothing happening.
“Hey,” Joel greeted, grinning down at him. “That was a close one.”
“Too close,” Jimmy agreed. “I never want Grian’s job again.”
“Hand over the jewels,” Joel said. “And get out of here. Otherwise you might not even get another heist.”
“Right.”
Jimmy carefully pulled the necklaces and bracelets off his wrists and emptied his many pockets of rings and earrings.
“Good haul!” Joel commented. “Think you can make it back?”
“Do I have to? Can’t I just escape with you?”
Joel snorted. “You wanna keep the keycard on you? No. Mumbo, is the door still safe?”
“Should be,” Mumbo said. “But it’s going to reset soon.”
“Well, that’s your cue!” Joel said, opening the door and shoving Jimmy back outside. “Don’t get caught!”
The door clicked shut once more.
The walk back out to the main room seemed much shorter than his walk in. He was able to slip back in easily. With a little bit of confidence as well as his clipboard, nobody gave him a second look.
“There you are! Did you find a pen?” Tango waved him over.
Jimmy was about to ask what he meant when he realized that Tango was talking to a number of fancy looking bald men.
“Yes sir!” He pulled the pen out of his clipboard, brandishing it out for Tango to take.
“Thank you. As I was saying, we would be interested in discussing this acquisition further. There was a lot of promise from a few of your models, but as an investment, I’m not convinced.”
“Of course, sir. We can set up a meeting. Any time! What works for you?”
Tango waved the man off, gesturing Jimmy forward.
That means give him a card, Jimmy recalled. He pulled a business card off the clipboard and handed it to the man wordlessly, looking to Tango for approval.
Tango didn’t look back at him.
He knew it was just to avoid causing suspicion but it still caused a pang of hurt in Jimmy’s chest.
“If you will excuse me, gentlemen,” Tango said. “One of my guests needs assistance.” He nodded towards where Grian and the security guard re-entered the room, the security guard supporting him with an arm around his waist.
“Grian,” Tango called. “Are you alright? I saw you faint.”
Grian nodded. “Oh, I’m fine,” he said. He was using an affected voice that made him sound particularly posh and boyish. “I just needed some air. It’s so stuffy in this room.”
“They should fix the ventilation!” the security guard agreed enthusiastically. “It’s a fire hazard.”
Tango nodded towards the guard. “And you are?”
“Scar, security!” He shook Tango’s hand firmly. “I took your friend here outside for some air.”
“Thank you,” Tango said politely. “Maybe I should get my chauffeur to take him home. What do you think, Grian?”
“Oh yeah, that’s a great idea,” Scar said. “I can escort you guys out the back door, so you don’t have to deal with the crowd. Let me just…” his brows furrowed as he patted around his front. “I can’t… find my card…”
Jimmy sucked in a breath. It was still on him. It was tucked under the papers of his clipboard. As subtly as he could, he nudged it out until it fell onto the ground.
“Your card?” Grian asked innocently. “Business card?”
“No,” Scar said, beginning to look around. “My key card. It lets me into the back rooms and down the maintenance hallways. I swore, I just had it before I went outside.”
“Is that it?” Grian pointed at the ground beside Tango.
“Oh!” Scar stooped to pick it up. “Thanks, you really saved me a lot of trouble there!”
“Happy to help!” Grian smiled sweetly.
Scar’s face went a little pink while he smiled back.
Jimmy nearly laughed. He’d seen Grian do his work before, it was never a surprise to see him putting on the act, but it was funny. He sort of felt bad for the security guard. Poor sucker, he had no idea what kind of game Grian was playing.
“I took care of business here,” Tango said. “So if you want, Grian, we can leave early.”
“I was really hoping to see the exhibits after the show…” Grian sighed. “I’m a big fan of earrings.”
“I’ve noticed,” Scar said, looking a little starstruck still. “You’ve had a different pair every time we’ve met.”
“But…I am still feeling faint…” Grian sighed dramatically. “I’m sorry, Mr. Tek, I think it’s a better idea if we go.”
Scar stiffened beside them, holding a hand up to his ear. “Um…actually…I just received word that we’re not supposed to let anyone leave…”
“Huh?” Grian blinked quickly. “Did something happen?”
Scar nodded. “I’m sorry, you won’t be able to see the exhibits.”
“That’s alright, I was already planning to leave—”
“They’ve been stolen,” Scar whispered.
Grian gave a convincing gasp. “For real?”
Jimmy stepped forward in front of Tango, like a good protective assistant. “Are we in any danger?”
“Probably not,” the security guard said. He glanced at Grian. “But you guys should probably stick by me to be safe.”
The lights in the room went on and the music stopped. The models on stage looked around in confusion.
“May I have your attention?” a grizzled man stepped onto the low stage. “We are locking down the show. Some of the exhibit jewelry has been stolen.”
Some? Jimmy suppressed a giggle. Try all!
“Please cooperate with the search and then you will be released,” the man continued.
Police officers entered the room.
Jimmy knew that there was nothing incriminating on any of them— Joel and Mumbo would be long gone by now. Even so he felt a spike of anxiety.
“Scar,” Grian murmured to Scar. “I might pass out again.”
“It’s okay! I’ll see what I can do!”
With that, the security guard hurried off towards one of the police officers, pointing back over in their direction.
“Well done , Grian,” Jimmy leaned over to whisper. “You have that guy wrapped around your finger.”
Grian shrugged. “Too easy.”
Scar returned. “I was with him the entire time,” he was saying. “And he’s ill. If you can do a quick search, I can escort them out.”
The officer shrugged, waving Grian over.
Jimmy watched, amused, how Grian kept his impossibly dark gaze fixed on Scar while the officer patted him down, looking as innocent as he could. He stumbled forward when the officer finally gave him the all clear and the security guard nearly knocked Jimmy over to support him.
Jeez, he was laying it on thick. It was clearly working, though!
Tango let himself be pat down, then Jimmy, and then they were free to go.
Jimmy tried not to visibly gloat as the other showgoers glared at them for being released early while they had to wait for their inspection and interview.
The security guard supported Grian all the way outside, so they couldn’t break character yet. Tango pretended to dial a number of his phone, activating his comm when he held it up to his ear.
“Yes, bring the car around,” he said. “As soon as possible, my guest is sick.”
“Dropping Joel off,” Jimmy heard Mumbo respond in his own comm. “Give me two minutes.”
When the car pulled around, Jimmy was about to just get into the backseat when he realized he should probably open the door for Tango.
“Sir,” he said.
Tango nodded, taking his seat.
The security guard seemed reluctant to let go of Grian. Jimmy resisted rolling his eyes. He opened the door.
“I’ve got him from here,” he said.
“I can help him into the car—”
Jimmy took Grian’s hand and extracted him from Scar.
“Thank you for your help,” Jimmy said dismissively.
He didn’t even feel bad when Scar looked disappointed. The guy didn’t actually have a chance with Grian and the sooner he learned that, the better. It wasn’t Jimmy’s job to chase suitors away from Grian, but that didn’t mean he was okay with guys acting entitled to him. He wasn’t their Grian. He was his Grian.
Grian did roll his eyes at him while Jimmy helped him into the car.
Jimmy got in and shut the door behind him.
Mumbo drove away.
“That,” Tango said, sitting back on the couch, “went way smoother than I was expecting!”
Jimmy collapsed onto the couch next to him, laughing. “That was smooth to you?”
Tango shrugged. “I was kind of scared of the building blowing up or something. I can live with a patdown.”
“I dunno,” Joel said, eyes wide. “When Mumbo said you guys were being pat down, I nearly had a blummin’ heart attack! That’s the closest we’ve ever come to being caught!”
“We weren’t going to be caught,” Grian said, rolling his eyes. “The closest was definitely the Butterfly Gala.”
“Right,” Joel wheezed. “Don’t remind me!”
Tango turned to Jimmy, leaning against him. “What happened at the Butterfly Gala?”
Jimmy shrugged. “I wasn’t there. That was before they let me in on the heists.”
“You were a baby,” Grian cooed, leaning over the side of the couch to squish his cheeks. “Of course we didn’t let you.”
“I was seventeen!” he complained.
“A baby,” Grian repeated, dropping a kiss to the top of his head.
“Hmph.” Jimmy crossed his arms, feeling embarrassed.
Tango laughed, throwing his arm around him. “So even if you weren’t there, do you know the story?”
“Of course.” Jimmy’s lips quirked up. “It was a gala in a butterfly garden and there was a family of mice terrorizing the guests. Joel was hiding with some of the decorations he was stealing when someone else tried to hide there.”
Joel groaned, hiding his face.
“No way,” Tango laughed. “How did you get out?”
Grian giggled. “He found a mouse on the ground and put it down the lady’s dress.
Joel ground louder. “Look, it got us out of that situation!”
“Not arguing with that!” Grian said, still laughing. “Maybe we should carry mice on missions more often.”
“Noo,” Jimmy said. “Nope, nope, nope, nooooo. No mice.”
Tango squeezed him. “Aww, baby, are you scared of mice?”
“You aren’t?” Jimmy shuddered. “They have— these— little beady eyes!” He waved his arms emphatically.
“Just like Grian!” Joel snickered.
“Yes!” Jimmy said. “Just like Grian. That’s what makes him so scary.”
“Real scary,” Joel said. “Like when he makes goo-goo eyes at that security guard.”
“It’s part of an act,” Grian said. “It’s to my advantage if he thinks I’m a damsel in distress.”
“Yes, so you can swoon into his arms.” Jimmy pressed the back of his hand against his forehead and slumped backwards into Tango’s lap.
“And he can take you outside for some air,” Tango joined in on the teasing.
Jimmy froze up momentarily, worried how Grian would respond to Tango teasing him. Luckily, he seemed to be in a good enough mood from the successful heist and just laughed.
“Yeah…I’m not exactly after his brains,” Grian snorted. He leaned over the couch. “Did you know? He didn’t even try to take advantage of my weakened state. Am I losing my touch?”
“Or maybe he’s just that much of a gentleman,” Joel suggested.
Grian rolled his eyes. “Doubtful. I think it just didn’t occur to him.”
“Good news, everyone!” Mumbo entered the room cheerfully. “I compared what we got to the database from the show. We’re looking at 200 grand easily if Pearl and BigB have buyers.”
Jimmy cheered. “Nice! There it is!”
“Wait, 200 grand each, or…?” Tango asked.
“Slow down there, rich boy,” Grian sneered. “It’s 200 between the five of us.”
“Oh, I don’t need a share!” Tango waved his hands in front of him. “I’m just happy to help!”
“Fine, suits me,” Grian agreed. “It’s 200 between the four of us. That’s not bad!”
“Mm,” Tango hummed. “We could go bigger.”
Jimmy sat up. “Do you have something in mind?”
Tango nodded eagerly. “You have no idea. As they say, the rich get richer… I know some gigs we could do.”
Grian tilted his head.
His lip quirked up at the corner.
“Do tell.”
Jimmy woke up with a groan. Tango wasn’t next to him. He sighed. Most of the time Tango stayed with him at least until he woke up. Sometimes he went to the gym and came back. On increasingly rare occasions, he spent the night back at the Tek estate.
“People start to ask questions if I’m gone without a trace for so long,” Tango had told him. “That’s the problem with being rich. People can find things out if they want to.”
Jimmy had cuddled closer to him. “I know. Do what you need to do.”
Tango sighed, clenching his jaw. “I just wish I didn’t have to. I wish I could just…hold your hand whenever I wanted. Take you out to parties. There’s a summer house on the beach that’s in my name. I wish I could take you there and not have to worry if the housekeeping staff are paying too close attention.”
Jimmy kissed his shoulder. “I’m okay with just this. I don’t need any of that.”
Tango was silent for a few moments.
“Tango?”
He turned to face him. “I’m starting to think I don’t, either.”
Tango’s side of the bed was cold now. Jimmy wasn’t sure where he’d gone. Slipping on some house shoes, he shuffled out of his room and was immediately hit by the delicious smell of breakfast. That was to say Tango breakfast, not Grian breakfast.
“Good morning!” he called as he entered the kitchen.
Tango turned from the stove, beaming. He was wearing a frilly pink apron Joel gifted him since he started cooking for them so often. Jimmy had assured him he didn’t actually have to wear it and Tango seemed actually offended by that suggestion.
“Good morning, sunshine!” Tango greeted. “You hungry for breakfast?”
“I’m hungry for hugs,” Jimmy said. “Since I didn’t get any this morning.”
“You did,” Tango laughed. “You were just mostly asleep. Don’t you remember?”
“I was completely asleep, I don’t remember that at all!” Jimmy complained.
Tango laughed, opening his arms. “Alright, then come here.”
Jimmy tucked himself against Tango, resting his chin in his hair. Tango held him around the middle, arms strong and warm. He shuffled them to the side, reaching around Jimmy to adjust the pan on the stove.
“Are you cooking while hugging me?”
“I’m a man of many talents,” Tango said. “And I didn’t want breakfast to burn.”
“Oh my god,” Joel said as he entered the kitchen. “This? This is disgusting.”
“Well!” Tango huffed, offended. “You don’t have to have any, then.”
“No, not the breakfast,” Joel said. “The breakfast is wonderful. I thought Grian put a firm ‘no canoodling in the kitchen’ rule into place?”
“Grian isn’t here,” Jimmy said, sticking his tongue out.
“Yes, I am.” Grian entered the kitchen as well, a bleary-eyed Mumbo following behind him.
“We have no privacy here,” Jimmy complained. “Tango, you need to take me away from this awful house.”
“Don’t you dare take our Tim away!” Grian gasped.
“Jimmy, don’t take our cook from us!” Joel said at the same time.
“I’m getting mixed signals here,” Tango laughed. He nuzzled Jimmy. “But you will have to let go so I can serve out breakfast.”
Jimmy let him go reluctantly, taking his seat at the table.
“So,” Tango started as he set the loaded plates in front of everyone. “My birthday is coming up.”
“Happy birthday!” Jimmy clapped.
Tango smiled. “Thanks. I was wondering if you guys would maybe…consider coming to the party?”
Grian raised his eyebrows. “As a heist?”
“No,” Tango laughed. “As guests. I imagine it’s probably been a hot second since you’ve been to a party without robbing it.”
“That’s…true, actually,” Jimmy said. “I’m definitely going to come.”
“I love parties!” Joel said. “Count me in!”
“I’m not letting you two go alone,” Giran said. “Mumbo, we’re going too.”
Mumbo blinked. “Are we? I don’t usually do the inside part of parties.”
“I’ll protect you,” Grian promised.
“Alright,” he agreed. “It sounds like fun. That is, if I was invited as well.”
“Of course you are, Mumbo!” Tango exclaimed. “You guys have been more welcoming than my family has ever been to me. I’d rather any one of you be there than half the people my parents are going to invite. Plus, hey, it’s a great place to find more connections.”
Joel perked up at that. “Hey, you’re right. If I get more contacts in the rich people world, recon is gonna get ten times easier.”
Grian looked interested in that.
Joel nudged his side. “And I’m sure there will be plenty of young rich men ready to be seduced.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’ve been out of that business for a while. If they want to get with me, they’ve gotta do the work.”
“I was just saying.” Joel held his hands up in surrender. “Thought you might be a little pent up from not managing to seduce that security guard.”
Mumbo cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Can we not talk about seducing people over breakfast?” Jimmy complained.
Tango burst out laughing.
“What, and you weren’t putting your hands all over Tango ten minutes ago?” Joel shot back.
“We were hugging! Hugging!” Jimmy said. “You know? Affection?”
“Hmmm…” Joel narrowed his eyes. “Sounds fake.”
Jimmy threw his arms in the air in exasperation.
Tango rubbed his back comfortingly, laughing. “He’s just jealous he doesn’t have what we have.”
“That’s true,” Jimmy huffed, defiantly leaning against Tango while making eye contact with Joel.
“Grian! Grian, they’re canoodling again!” Joel complained.
Grian just sighed and shoved a forkful of French toast into his mouth.
“When is your birthday, exactly?” Jimmy asked, leaning in when Tango scratched his fingers through his hair.
“Oh, not until next month. But…well, you went to my mom’s party. You know how a Tek birthday goes.” He snorted.
“Hopefully this one will have less explosives involved,” Jimmy joked. “Less robbery, too.”
“No explosives and no robbery?” Grian said. “That doesn’t sound like a party at all!”
Tango smirked. “I’ll see what I can do about the explosives. I’ll let you be on robbery detail.”
Grian smirked back, nodding.
“It’s supposed to be a surprise,” Tango said. “I suspect that’s mostly so that my mom can have control over what happens and I can’t invite anyone ‘unsavory.’”
“Like us?” Joel asked.
Tango nodded. “People without trust funds and other such degenerates.”
“Wow, no degenerates either?” Grian said. “Your parents really don’t know how to throw a party.”
“I definitely agree.” Tango smiled. “Which is why I go find out the plans anyway and invite the people I want. Normally, it’s just my buddies who I’ve known since boarding school. But now I have my wonderful boyfriend—” he paused to kiss Jimmy’s cheek, “and his friends.”
“We’re your friends too,” Mumbo said. “Or, I hope at least.”
Tango looked extremely touched. “I hope so, too. I want you to be.”
“Anyone who cooks this good is a friend of mine,” Joel enthused.
Even Grian sighed. “I’ve come to tolerate you.”
Tango’s expression did something then. Jimmy couldn’t tell exactly what it was for a few moments. The corners of his mouth tugged downwards, his eyes went wide. He looked quickly away.
“Thank you, guys,” his voice was thick with emotion. “That…that means a lot to me.”
“Tango, are you crying?” Jimmy asked.
“Trying not to,” he said, laughing breathily.
Jimmy wrapped his arms around him comfortingly.
Something Tango had said to him at one point came back to him.
“I feel more at home here, with you, than I ever have before.”
Jimmy had smiled at him while he rubbed shampoo through Tango’s hair. “What makes you say that?”
“Just— I dunno—” He groaned in frustration. “I want to be here. I wanna be myself here. I feel stable with you.”
Tango stepped forward in the shower to rinse the suds out of his hair.
“I’m glad,” Jimmy said. “But what brought this on?”
“Your turn,” Tango said, grabbing the shampoo. “I was just thinking about it. It kind of feels like I’m being pulled in a bazillion different directions by everyone else. Here, I’m just pulled to you.”
Jimmy leaned down to kiss him.
Now, he took Tango’s hand in his. “You’re home here.”
His eyes were shiny when he looked up. “I am.”
“It’s on a boat!” Joel squeaked, looking delighted. “Tango, your party is on a boat!”
“Mhm,” Tango agreed, looking amused.
“I love boats,” he said.
“Did I say your parents didn’t know how to party…?” Grian laughed. “Because I’m about to take that back.”
Jimmy could feel the EDM coming from the massive boat anchored in the bay as they approached it.
“Mr. Tek.”
A few men in fully black suits with sleek sunglasses approached. “We’re here to escort you.”
“Great!” Tango said, rolling his eyes. “Come on, guys.”
One of the men held up his hand. “Just you.”
“It’s all of us or none of us,” Tango said defiantly. “They can walk behind, but they stay with me.”
The men looked at each other. Jimmy wasn’t really sure how they communicated to each other through their nearly opaque sunglasses, but they must have agreed on something because they both nodded.
Jimmy was shuffled in line behind the suited men who followed closely behind Tango. The music dropped, entering into a build-up as they climbed the ramp on the pier up to the deck.
The climax came right as Tango set foot on the boat, cutting off at the perfect moment of suspense.
“Everyone welcome Tangoooooo!”
Jimmy hadn’t realized just how packed the boat was until the cheer that went up hit him like a physical force.
Ahead, he watched Tango wave charmingly, a classic, beautiful smile on his face. Jimmy tried to come up behind him, but the suited man held out an arm to stop him.
The beat came back in, resolving the tension, and the party stopped holding its breath.
The arm holding him back disappeared, so he approached Tango cautiously. He leaned in to shout in his ear to be heard.
“This is crazy!”
He could see Tango laugh, but he couldn’t hear him.
“I know!” Tango shouted back. “Let’s find a place to sit!”
Jimmy tilted his head. “Don’t you have a seat of honor?”
Tango smirked. “I do. But I have a secret.”
“Huh?”
Jimmy wasn’t sure if he had misheard.
“I said, ‘I have a secret!’” Tango said. His lips moved, but even shouting, Jimmy couldn’t hear him over the beat.
“What’s that?”
The music dropped and suddenly Jimmy could hear again.
“I’m not planning to stay for dinner.”
With that, he grabbed Jimmy’s hand— he grabbed his hand. They were holding hands. In public. At Tango’s party.
“Tango?” Jimmy squeaked. “Tango?”
Tango just laughed, pulling him forward through the crowd.
“Happy birthday, Tango!” a very curvy girl greeted Tango.
“Thanks, Steph!” he said politely, moving on.
Jimmy could see her expression fall as Tango walked away.
“Tango, we love you!” someone else shouted.
He smiled and waved in their general direction, but didn’t slow.
“Where are we going?” Jimmy asked.
“There are some people I want you to meet,” Tango said. “My friends.”
“TANGO!”
He laughed. “And there they are.”
A short blond man dressed like he was going to the club waved frantically to Tango. Next to him stood a tall dark-haired man whose suit sleeves were strained badly at the seams.
“Hey, how are my favorite degenerates?” Tango said.
“Better now that you’re here,” the blond said, fluttering his eyelashes.
Jimmy tensed, unsure if he was flirting for real. He only relaxed when Tango squeezed his hand reassuringly.
“Jimmy, these are Zed and Skizz, my best friends. Zed, Skizz, this is Jimmy. My boyfriend.”
Jimmy felt his eyes go wide. “Tango! But—”
He laughed. “It’s fine, I trust these guys. Besides—”
“Besides, I’m the one who proved to our entire friend group that our parents would not accept us if we came out,” Zed said. Despite his words, he sounded almost proud. “Tango was the only one who stuck by me after.”
“I’d rather have you as a friend than any of those—”
“Tango,” Zed cooed. “Don’t hate them. They were scared. It’s not like it’s been easy for you to stay friends with me.”
Tango jaw was still set in frustration. “But I don’t care about that. You’re my friend. I’m not just going to give that up.”
Zed grinned. “You’re such a sweetheart.” He turned to Jimmy. “I hope you know how lucky you are. Tango’s the best guy I know.”
Jimmy nodded fervently. “I’m the luckiest.”
“No way,” Tango said softly. “That can’t be true, because I’m the luckiest.”
The dark-haired man— Skizz— shook his head. “I can’t believe this. You became sappy!”
“That’s what happens when you’re in love.” Tango stuck his tongue out. “Maybe if you’re very lucky, it will happen to you one day, too.”
“‘In love!’” Zed repeated. “That’s big.”
“I call best man at your wedding!” Skizz laughed.
“Fine, then I call man of honor!” Zed said.
“Isn’t that normally…” Skizz trailed off.
Zed smirked. “It’s a gay wedding. There are no rules.”
Jimmy’s face felt like it was on fire. “W-Who said anything about a wedding?”
“It’s between the lines,” Zed said. “Implied.”
“Yeah,” Skizz agreed. “When you guys talk, all I’m hearing is ‘married, married, wedding, married.’”
Jimmy turned, tucking himself behind Tango.
“Okay, okay, stop teasing, guys,” Tango said. “His friends are the dangerous type and crazy protective of him.”
“‘Dangerous?’” Jimmy repeated. “Joel? Grian?”
“I like the sound of that.” Grian appeared behind them. “‘Dangerous.’”
“Well, you are a man outside the law,” Tango said. “I was just telling my friends how you wouldn’t take kindly to anyone else messing with Jimmy.”
Grian shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m not sure I’d say that just because I didn’t take kindly to you…”
“See?” Tango said. “Scary.”
“Tell me about this business you have ‘outside the law,’” Zed said, sidling up to Grian.
“No.”
“Oh, come on,” Zed begged. “I’m not gonna tell anyone.”
“Still no.”
“Then why is that guy talking to Skizz?” Zed pouted. He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder to where Joel was speaking animatedly to Skizz.
Grian blinked. “Joel!” he scolded.
Joel said, “Haha!” and fled.
Skizz looked after him in bewilderment.
“You two met…because he robbed you?” he asked Tango.
“Yep.” Tango’s lip quirked up.
“Oh, wow,” Zed gasped. “Not…not exactly the meet-cute I was expecting. What would your parents say if they knew you were dating a criminal?”
“Probably freak out because he’s a man.”
“Right,” Skizz laughed. “But if he was a lady burglar, they’d be over the moon.”
Tango rolled his eyes. “Yeah, knowing them? Probably.”
Skizz raised his eyebrows at Jimmy. “Any chance you do any drag? You’re a pretty guy, it might fool them long enough to give their blessing.”
“P-Pretty?” Jimmy sputtered.
“What?” Tango turned to him. “You are pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous.”
“Stop it,” Jimmy said weakly.
“I’m serious,” Tango said. “From the first time I saw you, I thought so. I was nervous.”
“You were nervous?”
He recalled their first meeting, at a party, in some ways, not dissimilar to this. Tango had seemed to suave to him then, even when he spilled a cocktail down his shirt.
“Yeah,” Tango laughed breathlessly. “I was thinking ‘there’s no way my mom invited a guy this cute.’ And hey, I was right!”
“Aww,” Zed cooed. “Okay, maybe it was a meet-cute.”
Tango puffed out his chest. “I also had him shirtless within ten minutes of meeting—”
Jimmy smacked his hands over his mouth. “Tango!”
“Ooh, Tango you dog,” Skizz laughed.
As Tango caught up with his friends, reminiscing about their school days and taking turns telling Jimmy embarrassing stories about each other, a number of people came by to wish Tango a happy birthday. He was always polite and brief with them. Jimmy watched his expression, his posture, and how much he changed whenever someone approached. It was like he was becoming someone different before his eyes. One moment he was Tango, the man Jimmy loved, next he was Mr. Tek, polite and aloof. Each time someone approached, Tango pulled his hand out of his seemingly without even thinking about it. Jimmy wouldn’t have even noticed someone coming half the time if it weren’t the sudden empty chill against his palm.
It broke his heart for Tango.
Tango sighed, when he saw movement on the stage at the bow of the ship.
“I’m gonna have to go up and make a speech soon.”
“A speech?” Jimmy squeezed his hand.
He shrugged. “Thank everyone for coming. Schmooze up to business partners and investors. Make jokes that suggest that I’m open to finding ‘the right woman,’ just something to throw suspicion off my trail. You know.” He flashed Jimmy a tight, tired smile.
“I’m sorry,” Jimmy murmured.
“Ehh.” Tango waved him off. “I’m used to it.” His expression was unreadable for a moment. “Hey, do you want to dance?”
“Dance?” Jimmy blinked. “Here?”
“Right, it’s almost slow dance time!” Zed said. “Skizz, may I have this dance?”
“Sure!” Skizz agreed. “Because nobody else would.”
Zed stuck his tongue out at him and they hurried towards the center of the deck where the dancefloor was.
“It’s my birthday,” Tango said. “And all I want is to dance with you. So, what do you say?”
He held his hand out to Jimmy. Around them, the lights changed from bright reds and blues to soft pinks and purples. The music slowed to a swelled. Soft piano and classical words flowed in.
“I would love to.”
Tango beamed.
He led Jimmy onto the dance floor. It was crowded with couples pairing up and singles standing to the side looking disappointed.
“You know how to lead?” Tango asked.
Jimmy shook his head. “I don’t even know how to dance.”
Tango’s smile kept him from feeling too embarrassed about the admission.
“I’ll lead then. You just hold on to me.”
Jimmy put his arms around Tango’s shoulders. Tango held him around the middle, hands steady and warm.
Slowly, he swayed them. “Not too bad, huh?”
“It’s nice,” Jimmy whispered.
Slowly, Tango coaxed him into a pattern of movements. Jimmy couldn’t do much besides watch his feet and try to follow along, but Tango didn’t seem to mind. He ran a hand down Jimmy’s arm to interlace their fingers, holding their hands out to rock them back and forth.
“See, you’re getting it,” Tango said softly.
“People are watching,” he whispered fearfully. “Won’t they—”
“I don’t care.”
Jimmy blinked. “Huh?”
“I want to dance with you. They can fuck off.”
“T-Tango!” Jimmy wheezed a laugh.
“Hey.” Tango’s expression turned mischievous. “Let’s give them something to watch.”
With that, he tightened his grip on Jimmy’s waist and hand, pulling him into a quicker pace.
“Whoa! Hey!” Jimmy giggled. “Tango!”
“Just relax!” Tango said. “I gotcha.”
Jimmy did, letting Tango guide his movements. Their footwork was completely out of sync, Jimmy stumbling clumsily, but he couldn’t care. Tango’s expression was full of life, his garnet eyes full of fire while they were fixed on Jimmy’s face. He wanted to see him like that forever.
The dance floor around them cleared to give them space to prance.
“Ready for a spin?” Tango laughed.
“No!”
“Too late!”
Tango let go of his waist, gently pushing him under their interlocked hands.
“Ack!” Jimmy just barely ducked under them, shuffling inelegantly.
“You can do better than that. Again!”
And under Jimmy went again, better prepared this time.
“And a pirouette!”
Tango held his hand up as high as it would go, spinning his wrist to encourage Jimmy to spin himself. Laughing, Jimmy did.
“I’m getting dizzy,” he said.
Tango caught him out of the spin, pulling him back in.
“Good, that means now I can do this!”
Suddenly, the world tilted around Jimmy, with Tango’s arms around him in a dip. He caught himself by throwing his arms around Tango’s shoulder’s pulling him close.
Their faces were only a few inches apart, both breathing a little hard, both grinning. Jimmy couldn’t help being pulled in, tilting his mouth up.
Tango looked equally captivated until his gaze caught something behind Jimmy.
His expression dropped into the empty one Jimmy knew.
“It’s speech time,” he told him, standing them both up. “I…”
Jimmy stepped away from him, understanding. “It’s okay, Tango.”
“No— I—” Tango caught his hand. He leaned in. “Jimmy, I love you.”
Jimmy nodded. “I know. I love you, too.”
Tango nodded, looking determined.
He approached the stage with a set to his shoulders that looked out of place with the polite expression on his face.
Standing now, Jimmy could see Tango’s parents, wearing matching disapproving frowns while Tango came to stand beside them.
When his mother turned to address the crowd, her expression transformed into something over-bright. “Thank you, thank you for coming, everyone. We really are forever grateful to have so many wonderful friends and supporters.” She clapped her hands together. “My son would like to say a few words to thank everyone for coming to his birthday celebration.”
A round of applause filled the deck of the ship.
Jimmy saw her lean over to say something sharp to Tango before he took the microphone. It made his fists clench.
“Yes, thank you! Thank you everyone!” Tango smiled a fake smile. “So…it’s my birthday!”
A cheer went up, filled with birthday wishes.
“It’s my birthday,” Tango said again. “One year older. One more trip around the Sun.” He nodded, pulling the microphone off its stand to pace the stage. The boat rocked hard as a gust of wind blew over. Tango managed to keep his balance with ease. “Really starts to make you think: what really matters? Right? Yeah, it make you all introspective-y. So, what really does matter? Friends? I’d say friends matter. So I’d like to thank my friends for coming!”
Another cheer went up and Tango smiled politely.
They weren’t his friends. Jimmy knew who Tango’s friends were.
“Yeah, friends matter. What else?” he asked the crowd rhetorically. There were a few laughed and called out answers. “Nobody here is gonna say it, so I will: money! Money matters.”
The laughter spread across the deck.
“That’s funny, huh?” Tango’s grin turned a little sharper. “Yeah, money matters, especially to this lot. So thank you to our investors, and business partners, and not to mention, shady lawyers who keep the Tek estate intact, huh? Let’s hear it for those guys!”
The laughter continued with people clapping.
“Big, big round of applause. Yay, money!” Tango himself laughed. “Let’s see, what are we missing? We’ve said friends, friends matter. Money matters. What’s left? Oh yeah! Love. Love matters!”
There was a smattering of whistles and cheers.
Jimmy rolled his eyes.
“Make jokes that suggest that I’m open to finding ‘the right woman,’” was next.
He looked away.
“We all love love!” Tango looked out over the crowd when Jimmy glanced up. He caught his eye. Tango’s expression turned almost sad— longing. The wind stopped and the ship rocked back the other way. “Don’t we?” His question was softer this time.
The crowd cheered louder than before.
“We love you, Tango!” somebody called.
“Do you?” Tango’s expression hardened.
The crowd roared.
“You love me? You love love?”
Behind Tango, Jimmy could see his mother narrowing her eyes.
“Because, I gotta be honest with you all: I don’t think you do!”
People gasped and laughed, assuming Tango was joking or leading up to something.
Jimmy narrowed his eyes too.
“I mean it! I don’t think you do! I think if you saw what love really looked like, you would think it was horrible. I think you would hate it!”
The laughter in the crowd turned awkward.
Tango stared straight forward, meeting Jimmy’s eyes.
“I think if you saw real love, you’d want to rip it apart. You wouldn’t understand it. I think it would scare you.”
Jimmy felt pulled forward by Tango’s expression, like they were anchored together. His feet carried him forward. Around him, a hum rose up as people murmured in confusion. Tango kept his eyes locked on his.
“I’m in love.”
Jimmy’s gasp was only one among hundreds.
“I’m in love,” Tango repeated, nodding. Swallowing.
Jimmy reached the base of the stage.
Tango looked at him like the rest of the crowd wasn’t there.
“I’m in love,” he said. “And all I want to do is finish my dance with the man I love.”
Things seemed to go in slow motion, then.
Tango pulled him onto the stage.
Screams broke out in the crowd.
Tango’s parents’ jaws dropped.
Jimmy didn’t care about any of it. He threw himself into Tango’s arms.
“I love you,” Tango said.
“I love you, too.”
With that, Tango pulled him into a dip once more. This time, they didn’t stop. While the boat rocked around them, they held onto each other in a passionate kiss.
For that moment, everything was perfect.
“TANGO!”
A woman’s shriek sounded behind them.
Tango’s mother threw herself at them, hands flying.
Tango easily pushed her to the side. He grabbed Jimmy’s hand, running towards the bow.
“What are you doing?” Jimmy asked.
“Trust me?” Tango said, throwing a leg up on the railing.
Jimmy laughed, realizing what he was doing. He stepped over himself. “Always.”
Tango pulled them both overboard.
“You know, I’m not as sad about it as I thought I’d be.”
Jimmy looked up to where Tango was standing over the couch.
“It’s okay to be sad, you know,” he told him, putting down his book.
He smiled. “I know. But I’m not.” He leaned down to kiss Jimmy. “I’m happier than I have ever been.”
“Me too.”
“Me too!” Joel called in. “I’ve never eaten this good!”
“Joel! We were having a moment!”
“You had your moment,” Grian said, poking his head out of Mumbo’s office when he heard Jimmy’s shouting. “When you jumped off a yacht!”
“It’s okay, Jimmy,” Tango comforted. “They can be part of the moment, too.”
“Okay, but not this moment,” Jimmy said petulantly, kissing Tango again.
Tango laughed.
“Are you sure you’re not sad?” Jimmy asked, concerned. “At all? I mean…you did lose your family.”
Tango shook his head. “I lost my money. I found my family.”
“Aww, Tango,” Joel cooed. “We love you, too!”
“Joel. Moment,” Jimmy complained.
“Family is all about being annoying, don’t you know?”
Jimmy groaned, pulling Tango down onto the couch next to him. “It’s not too late for you to escape these guys, you know. We could run away together.”
“I’m not trapped,” Tango said, resting his head against Jimmy’s shoulder. “I’m home.”
He remembered that night, all those weeks ago, when Tango held him and opened up to him, something he’d told him.
“It kind of feels like I’m being pulled in a bazillion different directions by everyone else. Here, I’m just pulled to you. It’s like I’m a boat and all the expectations are the tide. I felt like I was going to sink. And then I found you.”
Jimmy nuzzled Tango’s blond spikes.
“I found you, and you’re my anchor.”