FIC: A WHOLE NEW WORLD (2/5)
Title: A Whole New World
Chapter: 2/5
Author: carolinablu85
Characters: Luke/Noah, Casey, Reid, Katie, Ethan
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 7,605
Summary: “But when I’m way up here, it’s crystal-clear that now I’m in a whole new world with you.” (AKA, AladdiNuke)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Less than nothing. Negative nothing- what doesn’t belong to ATWT belongs to Disney.
A/N: Written on the accidental prompting of frances_veritas and on the cheerleading of dazzling_icer. Originally starting as a pure cracky-spoofy story, but weirdly evolved into this. Enjoy!
Chapter One |
It was overwhelming at first.
The market was full of people. Everywhere he looked. Some standing, some running around, some buying, some selling. There were shouts and laughter and conversations going on in every direction. Luke blinked in the bright morning sun, shielding his eyes. He couldn’t see the end of the market, it seemed to go on forever.
No walls.
He smiled a little in excitement and took a tiny step forward. And then another and another, trying to avoid the crowds as much as possible, unsure if anyone might recognize him.
He walked along the edges of the carts, with people literally hustling and bustling around him. Vendors must have sensed his fish-out-of-water hesitancy and began calling out to him, or maybe it was to everyone within hearing range.
“Sugared dates! Sugared dates and figs! Sugared dates and pistachios!”
“Fresh fish!”
“Want to buy a pretty necklace?”
The vendors shoved their wares in his face, trying to entice him closer. Luke had only a vague idea of the layout of the city, no idea what to do or where to go or who he could speak to. And there was no one around to tell him how to do these things.
He kind of loved it.
He paused at a fruit cart, wondering if he should have some sort of plan for the rest of his life now, when he noticed a little kid reaching up, straining to pick one of the apples. The poor kid (emphasis on ‘poor’) was in mix-matched clothes that barely fit him, pants torn at the knees, hair just a little too long. Eyeing the food like it was the greatest treasure in the world.
Luke stared at the boy. He was only a little older than Ethan. How could that happen? Where were his parents? Who allowed children to become like this? “You must be hungry,” he smiled at the boy, needing to help. “Here you go.” He picked up the nearest apple, handing it over. The child grinned wide and scampered off.
A dark shadow appeared at his shoulder. “I hope you’re going to pay for that.”
“Pay?” Luke repeated dumbly, turning around. The cart peddler towered over him, glaring with what Luke would describe as the perfect amount of menace.
Pay. Luke was an idiot. He wasn’t in the palace anymore, people had to actually use money out here. It was why there were kids like that.
“I- I don’t have any money,” he stammered, wanting to smack himself in the face. He really hadn’t prepared very well for this, had he? “But, if you let me go to-”
“Thief!” the man bellowed, grabbing Luke by the wrist, yanking him closer.
“No!” he protested, wincing at the tight grip. “I’m sorry, please, just-”
“Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?” A knife suddenly appeared out of nowhere, slicing the air dangerously close to Luke’s skin. The man raised it high, aiming for Luke’s wrist, sending it downwards quickly, brutally, and-
And it miraculously stopped, inches from cutting off Luke’s hand. Luke gasped for breath, turning to see his rescuer.
And found the most amazing blue eyes he’d ever seen.
*******
They stopped at last, out of breath and grinning, on the low-rising roof of a building at the edge of the market, hands full of scraps from half a dozen carts.
“Breakfast,” Casey stated with a definitive nod, “is my favorite time of day.”
“Any time we eat is your favorite time of day,” Noah rolled his eyes, concentrating on peeling a banana, giving Casey the bigger half and biting into his before Casey could notice the difference (Casey was more energetic than he was and required more food, that was the reason).
“True, true,” Casey shifted to reach for his pack, pulling out the wineskin full of juice he pick-pocketed off a market-goer.
Noah cast a casual glance out at the market, half an eye on the lookout for guards, the other half just enjoying the view. And then, well, really enjoying the view, as his attention was caught by someone wandering along the edge of the market, wary, reminding Noah of a kid just learning to walk and figure out the world around him.
And then he caught sight of the person’s face. “Wow,” he initially thought he said it just in his head, but judging by the look on Casey’s face, it had managed to escape his lips too.
The guy was beautiful. Noah had no other way to describe it. An expressive face, open, lively. Bright, inquisitive eyes that took everything in. He wasn’t from around here, that was for sure. Eyes too wide, face too clean, his clothes plain but not showing any wear or tear.
“Noah?” Casey looked one part confused, one part amused. “You look like you just saw like the biggest feast in the world. What are you...” he followed Noah’s gaze to the stranger. “Oh.” Then he chuckled. “Good for you, man. Go say hi.”
Noah was already shaking his head, though he couldn’t turn away. He might’ve been comfortable with being gay, and he might’ve been secure enough to know Casey was okay with it... but that didn’t mean he could approach some random stranger. And definitely not a random stranger who was clearly out of his league.
He self-consciously wiped at his face, knowing there was dirt and grime and stubble along his jaw. Casey rolled his eyes, still smiling. “Is it because you secretly love me? You can tell me the truth. I won’t freak out.” He batted his eyelashes in Noah’s direction.
It was Noah’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, you know you’re the only man for me, Case.” He hurriedly finished up the rest of his food, and by the time he turned back, the stranger was gone.
Just as a little twinge of disappointment hit his stomach, shouts from a nearby cart reached his ears. “Thief!”
Instinct had both Casey and Noah ducking lower on the roof, until Noah realized the shouts weren’t aimed at him. They were aimed at his stranger.
It didn’t happen very often, but sometimes Noah acted without thinking. This was one of those times. Even as Casey let out a noise of surprise, Noah vaulted over the low roof, landing on his feet near the commotion. He quickly slipped through the gathering crowd and lunged for the knife that was swinging down towards his- the stranger.
“Oh sir, thank you!” he spoke in a rush, smoothly disarming the man and hiding the knife out of sight, directing his focus away from the stranger.
“Thank you?” the man repeated back, frowning. In his confusion, he let go of the blond guy’s wrist, who wisely backed away and stood behind Noah.
Noah kept his eyes on the peddler (and on Casey sneaking up from the other side of the cart). “For finding my brother, sir,” he blinked innocently, eyes wide, face open. “We got separated earlier today, and, well,” he lowered his voice conspiratorially. “He’s not quite... all there, you know? I worry about him.”
“Brother?” The man shook his head, coming to his senses somewhat. He looked back and forth between Noah’s dark hair and the blond boy behind him, skeptical.
“I was adopted,” he said immediately. “For a little while.” He hoped his ‘who me?’ face was convincing enough. Casey was almost done... He backed away just a little, pleased when his stranger did too. For good measure, for keeping up appearances (right?), Noah put his arm around him, “Well, we better be going, right...” he trailed off just a little.
“Luke,” he heard a voice say quickly, quietly.
“Luke?” he repeated louder, voice still casual. Even better, Luke put his arm around him too, like they did it a million times. For a tiny tiny moment, Noah wished they had. This didn’t feel like the way Casey hugged him, or Emma, or... actually, those were pretty much the only people who hugged him. This was... this Luke was something different. He shook himself back into the situation at hand.
“Can we go see Mom and Dad now?” Luke asked louder, voice just a little vacant, eyes as wide as- maybe wider than- Noah’s.
He kept himself from grinning. He liked this Luke. “Sure, anything you want.” Casey was giving him the nod from the other side of the cart. Job done. “Well, sir,” he nodded to the even-more-confused-than-ever peddler. “Really, thank you again for finding him. You’re a true hero, sir.”
Someone in the onlookers, someone who sounded remarkably like Casey, let out a sympathetic “aww” and clapped for the peddler. Ever a crowd, others around Casey followed suit, until the man had no choice but to nod and bow his head a little, accepting the praise.
And that was the moment Noah needed. He grabbed Luke’s hand (it fit perfectly in his, how was that possible?) and turned quickly, running for the nearest alley, dragging his new friend along with him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Casey heading in the opposite direction.
“Hey!” the peddler shouted, first in Noah’s direction, then in Casey’s, confused. “What- Hey!” He had no doubt discovered by this point that Casey had made off with a good portion of the fruit on his cart while his focus had been on Noah and Luke.
Speaking of...
He was still holding Luke’s hand. Luke wasn’t trying to pull free. Noah smiled a little, even as he pulled Luke around one more corner, ducking into the alcove of an old building.
He opened his mouth to speak (noticing that his new friend was about to do the same), but hurried footsteps were suddenly following them. Without hesitation, he grabbed Luke by both arms, pushing him into the alcove as far as possible. He pressed in then, shielding, covering as much of Luke’s body as he could with his own, hiding in the shadows.
They were barely breathing, tense, nearly nose-to-nose in the small space. Noah forced himself not to shiver when their eyes locked. “I’m Noah,” he whispered.
Luke’s eyes were round and open, though both sides of his mouth twitched upwards for a second. “Still Luke,” he whispered back, voice maybe a little hoarse. And Noah smiled too, he couldn’t help it. They stayed there even as the footsteps and shouts ran past them and faded into the distance. The danger was over. Noah could take a step back.
He didn’t.
Up close, he could tell his wayward stranger really was out of place here. His hair and skin were so clean (and smelled amazing). His eyes were open, almost inviting, like he’d never had to hide from anyone before. There was nothing hard or lined about his face, it was soft and... Noah swallowed hard, tried to keep from reaching up to touch Luke. He couldn’t. He’d just get him dirty.
“I-” Noah cleared his throat, ready to say something, ask something, do anything. His hands were still on Luke’s arms. Luke’s chest was against his, every deep breath causing them to connect, brush against each other. Luke’s hands paused in the air somewhere between their hips, and-
“Well!” a new voice cut through the silence, finally giving Noah that push to step back, remember how to breathe. He whirled around, making sure to keep Luke protected behind him, only to see Casey leaning in the doorway of the alcove, a new satchel full of fruit slung on one shoulder. Casey looked back and forth between the two of them, smirking. “Everyone having fun?”
*******
“Did you get everything?” Reid asked, his focus on the papers in front of him.
Katie huffed, dropping her armful of documents onto the table next to him. “Does it look like I might have possibly forgotten something?” she snapped, gesturing to the giant pile.
Reid smirked, ignoring the outburst. “We’re almost done,” he reminded her. He looked up, nodding towards her pile. “Look for reoccurring incidents, the same criminal. A thief. Young, twenty years or so, I think. He’s been in the records for years, guards have never caught him. He’s the one we want, I’m sure of it.”
“Do I get a name?” Katie sighed.
He raised an eyebrow. “If I had the name, would we be doing this?”
Her glare didn’t let up. “And just what are you doing with your time?”
“Research,” he answered succinctly, his attention back on the records in front of him. “Just find me the name.”
“Yes, oh mighty evil one,” Katie grumbled, picking up the first document.
Reid smirked even as he continuing reading. His own research- the reason he was in the Restricted Records to being with- had nothing to do with the thief and everything to do with the Royal Family. Particularly, how Lily herself had come to be in power-
“Hey!” Katie grabbed his arm, waving a paper around. Reid blinked- the shadows settling across the room told him a few hours had passed. “Found it! Him! I think.”
He sighed silently, pocketing the rest of the papers for later. “Yes?”
She shoved the paper into his face. “This kid. Noah. No last name, at least not officially. There’s some notes here speculating that he’s a descendent- son, maybe- of the King of Thieves, but nothing concrete.”
“Noah,” Reid echoed the name, turning this information around in his head. He held a hand out, Katie dropping the paper into his grasp a second later. Scanning the reports, he smirked. “One again, this city’s law enforcement shows its gross incompetence.” At Katie’s look, “The last few weeks of reports have been centered around the same stretch of abandoned buildings in one of the,” he sniffed, “poorer parts of the city.”
“So?”
“So, let’s send a couple guards out to those buildings and find him. Bring him in,” his tone went from suggestion to command. “See if he’s up to the challenge.”
“Are you really sure about this?” Katie made a face. “Just because of these reports? He doesn’t seem that special.”
“Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘diamond in the rough?’” Reid asked. “Looks can be deceiving, dear. Bring him in.”
*******
This was pretty much the most surreal thing Luke had ever been a part of. And that was saying something. He had to stop from pinching himself or waiting for someone to say he was only dreaming. This had to be real.
But seriously. He couldn’t have made up a story that would go this well.
He had no idea what world he had just stepped into, but he was liking it so far. A little dangerous, completely new, completely exciting and freeing. And, just when he did something stupid (some things never change, palace or not), a mysterious stranger steps in and rescues him.
A mysterious, devastatingly handsome stranger. Noah. He liked the name. And he liked the way Noah had held his hand even after they got away, how he’d pressed in close and whispered his name. How he smiled just a little with one side of his mouth, like he had some innate gentleness that kept him from actually smirking.
After his friend (Casey, in another strange introduction) startled them, Noah had let go of his hand but kept close, offering to let Luke stay with them for awhile in case the palace guards were still looking for them.
Like Luke would say no.
He followed them quietly as they slipped through more alleys and streets, half an eye on his rescuers (Noah) and half an eye on the city around him. It was... dirty. He wanted to kick himself for how that sounded, but it was true. It had never really registered that people lived like this. In his city.
Well, this is what he had wanted, right? To see the real world? To be a part of it?
“Up here,” Noah said softly, bringing his attention back. He looked up to see Noah a few rungs up a seemingly random ladder, beckoning him. Casey was already halfway up the building.
“Where are we going?” he asked, voice just as quiet.
Noah smirked now. It was a bravado-smile, not really his. Not that it looked bad on him, of course. “The roof.” Then he turned and scaled the ladder with far too much ease.
Luke half-glared at his back. “Smartass.” He followed up as quickly as possible, proud for not embarrassing himself... and was successful right up until the point he reached the top. He tripped climbing over the roof’s ledge, and would’ve fallen on his face if somebody’s quick hands hadn’t caught him first. As it was, he stumbled into those hands, colliding with the broad, thinly-clothed chest in front of him. He looked up. Blue eyes again. “Sorry.”
Noah just smiled crookedly, bracing him at his elbows until Luke’s feet were under him again. “First time in the city?” His voice was still soft, but Luke could hear the teasing.
It was slightly shocking. Nobody talked to him this way in the palace. He eased away, reluctant, from Noah’s hold. “Is it that obvious?” he asked.
“You do kinda stand out,” Noah admitted. Then he winced, as though realizing what he had just said. They both blushed, and Luke could see Casey off to the side rolling his eyes.
“Alright then,” Casey clapped his hands together. “If you can make it home from here, I’m gonna head back out.”
“Casey-” Noah started to protest.
Casey cut him off with a punch to the arm. “Shut it. If we’re gonna have an extra mouth around-” he punctuated this with a wink that had Noah blushing even deeper. “-Then we’re gonna need some extra food, too. I’ll see what I can scrounge up.” He moved past both of them, back to the ladder. When just his head was still visible, he threw another wink, this time at Luke. “Don’t worry, Princess. Noah will take good care of you.”
It was a good two or three minutes after he was gone that Luke or Noah could look at each other. “Okay,” Noah cleared his throat, gesturing for Luke to follow him. “We’re almost there.” He led Luke across the roof, where another building stood just a few feet away. Noah jumped down to the second roof, turned, and after a second of hesitation, held up his hand to Luke. “Here.”
Luke smiled. “Thanks.” Once again, their hands slid together in that strangely perfect fit. He didn’t want to let go. Again. But he did, keeping quiet, watching as Noah readjusted the satchel Casey had left with him across his shoulder. “You’re a thief,” he blurted out, because he was oh-so smart and tactful.
Noah stood still for a moment, not flinching, not reacting. “Yeah,” he said simply.
“How long?” Luke couldn’t get himself to shut up.
“Forever,” Noah shrugged. “Since I was old enough to. It was the only way to eat, even back then.”
“What about your family?” Luke asked softly, following Noah across the roof to another ladder leading down.
“Don’t have one,” he answered casually. “Never knew my mother. And my father... I can’t remember if he left me or I left him, it was so long ago, but I remember enough to know it was for the best.” He started down the ladder, holding it steady so Luke could climb too. “Met Casey when I was twelve or so. And after his family kicked him out, we stuck together.”
“I can’t imagine...” he trailed off.
“Don’t,” Noah advised. “It’s the past. Not worth thinking about.”
“Noah,” Luke started and stopped, unsure what he wanted to say.
Noah stopped about halfway down the ladder and looked up at him, smiling a little. “I know what I do is wrong. But if it’s between this or me- and Casey- starving to death? I do what I have to.”
“I had no idea the city was like this,” he murmured, again without meaning to. While he’d been sitting in a palace, people like Noah and Casey were-
Noah gave him another shrug. “You get used to it or you don’t. This is the way it’s always been.”
Luke jumped onto the ledge after him, through the window, into the building. It shouldn’t be, he wanted to say.
“Here we are,” Noah ducked under a barely-still together beam that was probably supposed to be a part of the ceiling, and skirted around a pile of bricks on the floor. There were only a few rooms in the building that had doors, and Noah opened one, nodding for Luke to go in first.
“You- you live here?” Luke asked, and could have kicked himself for it. It was a stupid question, he knew.
“Yeah.” Luke watched as Noah closed the door, twisting the handle a few times until it finally shut all the way. “Just me and Casey,” he said with a slight shrug, wiping his hands on his tattered shirt. Luke was pretty sure his heart forgot to beat for a few seconds when Noah offered him a shyer smile. He was embarrassed, Luke could see it. Something in him ached from it. “Sorry, I think it was the maid’s day off.”
Luke forced a smile back, even though a part of him wanted to flinch at the joke. Anything to not be reminded of the life he had just left. “No, it’s okay. This place is great.” And it was. Small, threadbare, with barely enough in it for one person, but still... it felt like a home. It felt comfortable and lived in.
Definitely not like living in the palace, where heaven forbid you got a fingerprint on anything. Or moved something half an inch on its shelf. (He used to do that when he was younger- move the decorative vases around just a little, just enough to drive the maids crazy. It had been a source of great amusement for about a year, to see how far he could push them before anyone started to notice.)
Noah’s smile turned into a grin. “I wouldn’t go with ‘great,’ but thanks for trying,” he teased. And suddenly he was once again that guy full of bravado that Luke had met in the market.
Which reminded him, “Thank you again, for- well, for coming to the rescue back there.”
Noah shrugged. “It was nothing. Kind of fun, to be honest.” He sat down on one of the two piles of blankets that was probably supposed to be a bed, and he gestured for Luke to take a seat. “Where’d you come from, anyway?”
Luke flinched again, as he sat on the same bed, though a careful distance away. “Doesn’t matter. I left, and I’m not going back.”
Noah’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow. That bad?”
He stared down at his hands, twisting them together. “Worse.”
Noah was silent for a moment, studying him, before he smiled again. And Luke had to smile back, it was impossible not to when looking at that face. “Well, I can’t guarantee it’s going to be any better here. The only thing we’ve got going for us is the view.” He nodded his head up and to the left.
Luke followed his gaze out through the broken-through cracks in the wall that were generously being considered a window. Framed nearly perfectly in the gap between stones was... the palace. He swallowed hard. “Nice,” he managed to croak out.
“Better than nice,” Noah corrected, oblivious. “There are days here when it gets hard to, I don’t know, keep going. And sometimes it helps to look out there and imagine what it must be like to live in a place like that. I like pretending I could have a life that easy.” He stood then, moving closer to the window, leaning an elbow against the wall and staring out into the distance.
Luke felt that thud in his chest again, despite the topic of conversation. It wasn’t fair that a guy could look that good, all scruffy and smudged with dirt. “I doubt it’s that easy,” he finally spoke, voice wobbling a little. “People always telling you what to do, where to go and how to dress.”
Noah didn’t turn away from the view, but his expression grew sadder. “Better than here,” he said quietly. “Always scraping for food, ducking the guards. Every day is just a fight to make it to the next one.”
Before he knew what he was doing, Luke stood and joined Noah at the window. Their arms just barely brushed together, leaning against the stone. Luke would’ve enjoyed that more, but his thoughts were still stuck on the palace. “You’re not able to live your own life there. You’re not free to make your own choices.”
“Every day I want to leave, and every day I remember that I have nowhere to go,” Noah grimaced, embarrassment and frustration playing out across his face. “Sometimes I feel so...”
“You’re just...” Luke struggled to find the right words.
“Trapped.”
They said it together. And it was all of a sudden like remembering they were both in the same room. Luke turned to Noah, a half-smile on his face that dropped the second he realized how close they were standing to each other. Up close, he could see just how unnaturally blue Noah’s eyes were. Better, brighter, more beautiful than any sapphire Luke had seen, that was for damn sure. And no sapphire had ever looked at him the way Noah was right now.
“Luke,” Noah whispered his name, something in his expression shifting, and once more Luke was seeing the person behind the confidence and bravado. He was seeing Noah. And he really, really liked what he saw.
“Yes?” Luke dared to move even closer, and no desert had ever been as hot as the air between them was right now. He could feel sweat trickling down his back, soaking into his shirt. And he didn’t care. He had never felt like this before, didn’t know it was possible to feel this way. And when Noah dipped his head down, mouth aiming for Luke’s, Luke had to wonder if he had somehow escaped into a fairy tale.
...Right up until the moment the almost-broken door burst open and men- large, armed men- stormed into the room. Palace guards. Luke barely had time to think before Noah was pulling him by the elbow, away from the circling men, cursing under his breath. “How did they find us?”
They’re after me, Luke wanted to say. They know I left the palace and they’re here to take me back, they’re-
Suddenly they were back at the window, and Noah was looking him in the eye. And that was pretty much all Luke could focus on. “Do you trust me?”
“W-what?”
“Do you trust me?” Noah repeated, voice rushed and insistent.
“Yes,” Luke didn’t even have to think about the answer.
The words were barely out of his mouth when Noah grabbed him around the waist and all but threw them both out of the window. His breath was stolen from him before he could cry out (the are you insane?! stuck on his lips), but a few seconds later they landed with thump on a large pile of laundry and blankets in the alley below. A planned escape. Noah had done this before.
The second they landed Noah rolled, pulling Luke nearly on top of him to cushion as much of the blow as he could. Luke allowed himself just a moment to enjoy that sensation before he scrambled to his feet, helping Noah up too. Noah kept an arm around him, pushing him towards the alley’s exit. “Go, go, go,” he chanted under his breath.
But their luck ran out. More guards, bigger ones somehow, was that possible?, were waiting at the street corner, and the original guards rushed out of the building right as Noah tried to pull Luke past. “Got him!” one of them yelled, grabbing Noah by the back of his shirt, yanking him away from Luke.
“What-?” Luke whirled around, shocked, as the entire gang of them focused on Noah, shoving him to the ground and pulling his arms behind his back. They ignored Luke completely. What?
“Go!” Noah shouted, voice muffled by the dirt.
“No!” Luke snapped. He didn’t take orders; he gave them. He pulled at the closest guard, one he recognized from the palace. “Let him go. Now.”
The guard turned to him with a roll of his eyes... and then stopped short. He studied Luke, eyes going wide. “S-sir?” he grabbed the arm of the head guard.
Luke crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow, trying to do his best impression of Lily when the leader faced him. “Your Highness!” He quickly dropped to one knee, the rest of the men doing the same.
Except Noah.
Noah had managed to lift his head, staring up at Luke with about seventeen different emotions flying across his face. Shock being the biggest one. Definitely. Shock.
Luke took a step forward. “Noah, I-”
It seemed to break the spell the guards were under. “Take him away,” the head guard nodded to the squad holding Noah.
“Wait,” Luke tried to take a few more steps forward, but the head guard stopped him. “No, you can’t-”
“I’m sorry, Sire, but I have to bring him back to the palace.” Luke tried to get around him, but the man stood his ground. “I’m under orders, Sire. Lord Oliver’s.”
“What the hell does Reid want with him?” Luke looked past him, pretty close to frantic, as the guards dragged Noah away. Noah’s face was withdrawn, his shoulders hunched. He didn’t put up a fight. No, no, no...
“I don’t know, Sire,” the man answered. “But I have to follow them. You’ll have to take it up with him.” Once Noah was taken out of sight, the guard gestured for Luke to follow him.
His Grand Escape forgotten, Luke marched his way back to the palace. “Believe me, I will.”
*******
“Reid!”
At the sound of his name, in that tone, from that voice, he closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Then he put on his best neutral expression and turned around to face the Prince. “Yes, Luciano?”
There was that quick flash of annoyance on his face (his sole purpose for using that name), and then Luke steeled himself again. “A boy was arrested in the city today, just outside the Central Market. On your orders.”
For just one miniscule second, Reid was nervous. There’s no way Luke could know, right? “Yes, I believe so.”
“I was with him when he was arrested. He wasn’t doing anything to warrant...” Luke shook his head, catching his breath. “He’s a good person. What are the charges against him?”
He had no idea that Luke had been outside of the palace. He also didn’t particularly care, but this was a bit problematic. He searched for the best excuse. “Kidnapping, of course,” he came up with a moment later.
“Kidnapping? You mean me?” Luke’s eyes went wide. At least he bought it. “He didn’t kidnap me, I ran away!”
Which was an interesting piece of information. Reid filed that away for later thought; it might be of use to him in the future. “We had no way of knowing that, Your Highness. But we knew you were missing and you were found with that... miscreant.”
“Well, you know the truth now. Release him,” Luke demanded, stepping closer.
He allowed himself to frown, looking regretful. “I’m sorry, Luke.”
It was his tone, and his use of Luke’s name, that stopped Luke in his frenzied tracks. “What... what for?”
He already suspected. He just didn’t want Reid to confirm it. Inside, Reid was smiling. “His sentence has already been carried out.”
Luke knew what that sentence was, he had to. But, foolishly, he was obviously hoping otherwise. “What sentence?”
“Death,” Reid answered. “He was executed twenty minutes ago.”
*******
Death.
Luke stumbled away, heaving, needing air, his lungs tight and getting tighter. Reid might’ve said something else to him, he didn’t know. He had to get away. He made it outside to the garden before collapsing by the fountain. No. He gasped, hand to his chest, trying to push in air, push away this feeling of-
No.
Those blue eyes stared at him when he tried to shut his own. Blue eyes, slight smile, hand outstretched to help him. The first person to ever show Luke kindness, to smile at him, just because. Not because he was a prince. Not because it was their duty. Just because.
And now he was gone.
He sat there on the ground, curled against the wall of the fountain, trying to breathe deeply. Or at all. Blue eyes. The strength in his arms and in his smile. Do you trust me? Yes. Oh God, is Casey going to find out? I know what I do is wrong. He wasn’t wrong. He was a good person.
He was dead because of Luke.
How much time passed, he had no idea. But at some point there was warmth next to Luke, sitting next to him on the ground. Then it leaned into him a little. Then a hand was on his face. Luke opened his eyes, meeting Ethan’s surprisingly solemn gaze. “Luke,” he said. Nothing else. No questions, no chatter, no pouting. Just his name.
He squeezed his eyes shut again, trying keep sudden tears from leaking out. It didn’t work. He leaned his forehead against his brother’s, trying to smile when Ethan’s little hands wiped away the tears. “It’s my fault,” he whispered, choking on the words. He hugged Ethan tight to him, wishing things- maybe everything- were different.
*******
The Prince. Luke was...
Noah shook his head, but it didn’t help. This was still reality. Luke was still a Prince. He was still a street rat, locked up in a dungeon. Appropriate, right? Noah pulled uselessly on the cuffs and chains that held him again the stone wall. The noise was grating, almost painful to his ears, but it was better than hearing the thoughts in his head.
He’d had this idea of the Prince being some conceited, oblivious jerk. He didn’t care about the people living in his city. He played this game of inviting and rejecting suitors every other week. No one was good enough for him.
He almost groaned out loud at the irony. Well, that part was right. Maybe no one was good enough for him. Definitely not Noah. Because Luke was kind. And brave. And more thoughtful than he had right to be.
And Noah was the poor thief living on his streets who could barely get a meal every day. Damn it, he must have sounded so stupid to Luke. He was a thief, who admitted to having fun stealing from carts and running from guards.
Oh God. He almost kissed him. He wasn’t sure what was worse- that, or the predicament he was in now. This was all so-
“Stupid.”
Noah jumped, as much as he could. He looked up at the barred window high near the ceiling. The only source of light in the cell. Which now also held the silhouette of... “Casey?”
“You’re so stupid. You have the stupidest luck of anyone I’ve ever met. The best luck and the worst, depending on the context. But it’s always stupid.” One of the bars came loose from his window, then another.
“I think I agree with you,” Noah was unable to even work up a glare. “What are you doing here?”
“Emma heard what happened, she told me,” Casey worked the last bar free, then climbed through, dropping into a crouch next to Noah. “Fair warning, it’s going to be all over the block that you were wooing the Crown Prince.” He pulled out a lock pick, going at the cuffs around Noah’s wrists.
He blushed, he was pretty sure. “It wasn’t like that,” he mumbled.
“Better not have been,” Casey retorted. “I would hate if your virtue was taken by some royal, cad, lay-about, rapscallion-”
“Can you even spell rapscallion?” Noah fought against burying his face in his knees to hide.
“It starts with an ‘r’ and ends with ‘you’re an idiot’,” Casey snapped. The cuffs opened with a click, and he crouched down again as Noah pulls his wrists in close, rubbing at the skin. “I know you liked him,” he said, much quieter. “Are you okay?”
“I didn’t know him,” Noah argued. Like it made a difference.
“Obviously,” Casey said, waving a hand at the dungeon around them. “But it doesn’t mean you two didn’t, I don’t know, have something.”
“We didn’t,” he said stubbornly. “He’s a prince. I’m not. I’m just... I’m just a fool.”
“Won’t argue there,” Casey stood up, eyeing the window. “It wasn’t easy getting here, but we could probably, or maybe, or very unlikely, make it back the same way. If we time it perfectly-”
“There is another way.”
Noah scrambled to his feet at the new voice, moving to stand next to Casey, hands up defensively. Casey did the same, both of them facing the shadows at the far end of the cell. “Who’s there?”
A shadow separated from the wall, moved closer. Hunched over, dirty, face half-covered by a cloak. Whoever he was, he looked old and worn. Like he’d been here awhile. “Someone like you. Someone trapped by circumstance.”
He wanted to roll his eyes at the words (dramatic, much?) but desperate times called for desperate measures. Or so he’d heard. “You said there’s another way out?”
“I did,” the half of a face seemed to smile. Though not exactly friendly.
Noah eyed him warily, not trusting the half-face for a second. But, they were pretty much out of options otherwise. “We’re listening.”
“We are?” Casey hissed in his ear. Noah just nodded, eyes still on the prisoner.
The man hobbled forward, hand staying along the wall. At first Noah thought it was for balance, but then he realized the man was feeling along the stone edges. Looking for something. Curious, he took a step forward, only for Casey to drag him back when the wall suddenly gave way under the man’s hand.
“Yeah, because secret passageways always lead somewhere good,” Casey was hissing again, glaring at him, them, all of them.
“Why are you showing us this?” Noah asked, focus still on the prisoner.
The man gave a little nod of his head, conceding Noah’s unspoken point. “I may need a favor in return.”
Ignoring Casey’s quiet, “Oh, of course,” Noah took that step forward again, gesturing for the man to continue.
“There’s a building, just outside the city. The Stenbeck Vault, have you heard of it?”
Noah nodded. Everyone had heard of it. Heavily guarded, the building held all the fortune and possessions of the evil dictator who had once ruled the city, before Noah’s time. “And?”
The prisoner shrugged. “I heard the guards talking when they brought you in. You’re a thief. A good one, judging by their words. I want you to steal something for me.”
“Okay,” Noah said slowly. “What do you want me to steal?”
“Us,” Casey corrected.
“No,” Noah turned to him, quiet, firm. “Me.” He shook his head. “As soon as we get out of the palace, you go home.”
“What?” Casey grabbed his elbow, pulling him a little away from the old man. “A- no. B- I don’t trust this guy. C- bad stuff happens when I leave you alone. You fall in love and you get arrested and you actually let other people see you smile and stuff. D- you can’t tell me what to do.” He crossed his arms, resolute.
But Noah was just as stubborn. “I don’t trust him either, but if it gets us out of here safely, a deal’s a deal. And I’ve gotten you into enough trouble today. I’m not gonna let you risk anym-”
“Let me?” Casey glared. “What if this is a two-man job?”
“It’s not,” the old man spoke up behind them.
Casey ignored him. “What if you need backup?”
Noah smiled. “I’m a street rat, remember? I’ll improvise.”
He snorted, shaking his head. “If anything happens...”
“I’ll be okay. And I’ll feel better knowing you’re okay,” Noah said quietly.
Casey studied him, eye twitching, before giving up with a sigh. “I can’t wait to tell you ‘I told you so’.”
Noah punched his arm. “Same here.” He turned back to the prisoner, steady. “Okay. Let’s go.”
*******
The man’s escape route worked, and soon enough (as quick as they could move with the old man hobbling like he was), he and Noah were outside the city. Noah took a moment to look back at the still-visible outline of the palace, and wondered where Luke was. If he was okay, if his family had worried about him, if he was maybe thinking about N-
“Here,” the old man tapped his shoulder with his walking stick, pointing down the road.
Noah peered into the darkness, wishing he could see better. He still couldn’t get a good look at the man’s face, and that bothered him. “Okay. So you just want this gemstone? Out of everything in the vault?” Noah’s gut really didn’t like this. Casey, though he’d never admit it, was probably right.
“The Gem, it has a parcel with it. Documents I need,” the man explained oh-so-casually.
Noah frowned. He really didn’t like this. But he had given his word. “And you’re really after those, the gem was just supposed to entice me, right?”
The shadowed face looked startled for half a second. “True enough. Get me the documents, and you can keep the gem.”
His eyebrows shot up. That was definitely a better incentive. He nodded. “Okay.” And then he moved off the path a little, heading towards the vault.
Breaking into a building like this was more difficult than his standard grab in the marketplace, but Noah was pretty sure he could handle it. Stay quick, stay calm. It was something his father used to say. One of the few things of value the man passed on to Noah.
Stay quick, stay calm.
He studied the routine the guards took for a few minutes before getting their timing down. Then he counted to twelve silently and ran for it, jumping up and scaling the pipes at one corner of the building until he was level with the second floor. There would be a guard on the roof, he was sure of that.
So instead he swung himself over to a nearby window ledge. A broken-off shingle from the roof was there, and Noah grinned, pocketing it. Hopefully, he wouldn’t need it, but...
The window was locked, but he picked it easily enough, and landed silently on his feet inside the building. Per the old man’s instructions, he headed for the southeast corner of the floor, looking for the small black box that held the gem. Twice he had to stop and hide when a guard passed by, but finally he made it to the corner. And the black box.
Pushing aside a giant rolled up carpet, he picked up his treasure, the gem and papers inside. He stuffed both into his pockets, leaving the box behind so no one would notice the absence, putting the carpet back in place.
He climbed back out his window, still silent, shut and locket it again, and spidered his way back to the pipes. Then he looked down. And almost cursed out loud.
Shift changes. He’d been stupid and forgot about shift changes. There were now four guards standing around chatting, directly under him. Noah hung there for a moment, muscles in his arms starting to burn, before remembering the roof shingle in his pocket. Stay quick, stay calm.
He fished it out and, clinging to the corner of the building, tossed it to the ground a few yards away from him. It broke with a shockingly loud clatter in the otherwise quiet, and the guards immediately heard it, rushing in that direction. Noah allowed himself a smirk as he finally dropped to the ground and dashed away, hiding behind an outcropping of trees to catch his breath.
“All clear,” he heard behind him. “Looks like a tile just fell from the roof. False alarm.”
Noah shook his head. Guards. Dumber than bricks. He melted back into the darkness surrounded the road, heading to the meeting place he’d agreed on with the old man.
And there he was, in a little oasis patch surrounded by the desert. Both the vault building and the city were distant shapes. He could still barely see the palace. Luke.
“You have it?” the man demanded. Still shadowed.
“Yeah,” Noah said, a little breathless still. It had been a long day, what with breaking into a vault and getting arrested and falling in love with a prince and all. He was tired. “Here,” he pulled the parcel of papers out of his back pocket, holding it out. “What do you want with these anyw-”
The old man moved faster than Noah expected, faster than an old man should. Before Noah could react, something hard and heavy- metal, maybe- connected sharply with the side of his head. He dropped to his knees, stunned, trying to blink, to move. His last thought, as a dark shape swung at him again, was that he hated when Casey was right about these things.
Another flash of pain, then nothing.
Darkness.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Chapter: 2/5
Author: carolinablu85
Characters: Luke/Noah, Casey, Reid, Katie, Ethan
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 7,605
Summary: “But when I’m way up here, it’s crystal-clear that now I’m in a whole new world with you.” (AKA, AladdiNuke)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Less than nothing. Negative nothing- what doesn’t belong to ATWT belongs to Disney.
A/N: Written on the accidental prompting of frances_veritas and on the cheerleading of dazzling_icer. Originally starting as a pure cracky-spoofy story, but weirdly evolved into this. Enjoy!
Chapter One |
It was overwhelming at first.
The market was full of people. Everywhere he looked. Some standing, some running around, some buying, some selling. There were shouts and laughter and conversations going on in every direction. Luke blinked in the bright morning sun, shielding his eyes. He couldn’t see the end of the market, it seemed to go on forever.
No walls.
He smiled a little in excitement and took a tiny step forward. And then another and another, trying to avoid the crowds as much as possible, unsure if anyone might recognize him.
He walked along the edges of the carts, with people literally hustling and bustling around him. Vendors must have sensed his fish-out-of-water hesitancy and began calling out to him, or maybe it was to everyone within hearing range.
“Sugared dates! Sugared dates and figs! Sugared dates and pistachios!”
“Fresh fish!”
“Want to buy a pretty necklace?”
The vendors shoved their wares in his face, trying to entice him closer. Luke had only a vague idea of the layout of the city, no idea what to do or where to go or who he could speak to. And there was no one around to tell him how to do these things.
He kind of loved it.
He paused at a fruit cart, wondering if he should have some sort of plan for the rest of his life now, when he noticed a little kid reaching up, straining to pick one of the apples. The poor kid (emphasis on ‘poor’) was in mix-matched clothes that barely fit him, pants torn at the knees, hair just a little too long. Eyeing the food like it was the greatest treasure in the world.
Luke stared at the boy. He was only a little older than Ethan. How could that happen? Where were his parents? Who allowed children to become like this? “You must be hungry,” he smiled at the boy, needing to help. “Here you go.” He picked up the nearest apple, handing it over. The child grinned wide and scampered off.
A dark shadow appeared at his shoulder. “I hope you’re going to pay for that.”
“Pay?” Luke repeated dumbly, turning around. The cart peddler towered over him, glaring with what Luke would describe as the perfect amount of menace.
Pay. Luke was an idiot. He wasn’t in the palace anymore, people had to actually use money out here. It was why there were kids like that.
“I- I don’t have any money,” he stammered, wanting to smack himself in the face. He really hadn’t prepared very well for this, had he? “But, if you let me go to-”
“Thief!” the man bellowed, grabbing Luke by the wrist, yanking him closer.
“No!” he protested, wincing at the tight grip. “I’m sorry, please, just-”
“Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?” A knife suddenly appeared out of nowhere, slicing the air dangerously close to Luke’s skin. The man raised it high, aiming for Luke’s wrist, sending it downwards quickly, brutally, and-
And it miraculously stopped, inches from cutting off Luke’s hand. Luke gasped for breath, turning to see his rescuer.
And found the most amazing blue eyes he’d ever seen.
*******
They stopped at last, out of breath and grinning, on the low-rising roof of a building at the edge of the market, hands full of scraps from half a dozen carts.
“Breakfast,” Casey stated with a definitive nod, “is my favorite time of day.”
“Any time we eat is your favorite time of day,” Noah rolled his eyes, concentrating on peeling a banana, giving Casey the bigger half and biting into his before Casey could notice the difference (Casey was more energetic than he was and required more food, that was the reason).
“True, true,” Casey shifted to reach for his pack, pulling out the wineskin full of juice he pick-pocketed off a market-goer.
Noah cast a casual glance out at the market, half an eye on the lookout for guards, the other half just enjoying the view. And then, well, really enjoying the view, as his attention was caught by someone wandering along the edge of the market, wary, reminding Noah of a kid just learning to walk and figure out the world around him.
And then he caught sight of the person’s face. “Wow,” he initially thought he said it just in his head, but judging by the look on Casey’s face, it had managed to escape his lips too.
The guy was beautiful. Noah had no other way to describe it. An expressive face, open, lively. Bright, inquisitive eyes that took everything in. He wasn’t from around here, that was for sure. Eyes too wide, face too clean, his clothes plain but not showing any wear or tear.
“Noah?” Casey looked one part confused, one part amused. “You look like you just saw like the biggest feast in the world. What are you...” he followed Noah’s gaze to the stranger. “Oh.” Then he chuckled. “Good for you, man. Go say hi.”
Noah was already shaking his head, though he couldn’t turn away. He might’ve been comfortable with being gay, and he might’ve been secure enough to know Casey was okay with it... but that didn’t mean he could approach some random stranger. And definitely not a random stranger who was clearly out of his league.
He self-consciously wiped at his face, knowing there was dirt and grime and stubble along his jaw. Casey rolled his eyes, still smiling. “Is it because you secretly love me? You can tell me the truth. I won’t freak out.” He batted his eyelashes in Noah’s direction.
It was Noah’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, you know you’re the only man for me, Case.” He hurriedly finished up the rest of his food, and by the time he turned back, the stranger was gone.
Just as a little twinge of disappointment hit his stomach, shouts from a nearby cart reached his ears. “Thief!”
Instinct had both Casey and Noah ducking lower on the roof, until Noah realized the shouts weren’t aimed at him. They were aimed at his stranger.
It didn’t happen very often, but sometimes Noah acted without thinking. This was one of those times. Even as Casey let out a noise of surprise, Noah vaulted over the low roof, landing on his feet near the commotion. He quickly slipped through the gathering crowd and lunged for the knife that was swinging down towards his- the stranger.
“Oh sir, thank you!” he spoke in a rush, smoothly disarming the man and hiding the knife out of sight, directing his focus away from the stranger.
“Thank you?” the man repeated back, frowning. In his confusion, he let go of the blond guy’s wrist, who wisely backed away and stood behind Noah.
Noah kept his eyes on the peddler (and on Casey sneaking up from the other side of the cart). “For finding my brother, sir,” he blinked innocently, eyes wide, face open. “We got separated earlier today, and, well,” he lowered his voice conspiratorially. “He’s not quite... all there, you know? I worry about him.”
“Brother?” The man shook his head, coming to his senses somewhat. He looked back and forth between Noah’s dark hair and the blond boy behind him, skeptical.
“I was adopted,” he said immediately. “For a little while.” He hoped his ‘who me?’ face was convincing enough. Casey was almost done... He backed away just a little, pleased when his stranger did too. For good measure, for keeping up appearances (right?), Noah put his arm around him, “Well, we better be going, right...” he trailed off just a little.
“Luke,” he heard a voice say quickly, quietly.
“Luke?” he repeated louder, voice still casual. Even better, Luke put his arm around him too, like they did it a million times. For a tiny tiny moment, Noah wished they had. This didn’t feel like the way Casey hugged him, or Emma, or... actually, those were pretty much the only people who hugged him. This was... this Luke was something different. He shook himself back into the situation at hand.
“Can we go see Mom and Dad now?” Luke asked louder, voice just a little vacant, eyes as wide as- maybe wider than- Noah’s.
He kept himself from grinning. He liked this Luke. “Sure, anything you want.” Casey was giving him the nod from the other side of the cart. Job done. “Well, sir,” he nodded to the even-more-confused-than-ever peddler. “Really, thank you again for finding him. You’re a true hero, sir.”
Someone in the onlookers, someone who sounded remarkably like Casey, let out a sympathetic “aww” and clapped for the peddler. Ever a crowd, others around Casey followed suit, until the man had no choice but to nod and bow his head a little, accepting the praise.
And that was the moment Noah needed. He grabbed Luke’s hand (it fit perfectly in his, how was that possible?) and turned quickly, running for the nearest alley, dragging his new friend along with him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Casey heading in the opposite direction.
“Hey!” the peddler shouted, first in Noah’s direction, then in Casey’s, confused. “What- Hey!” He had no doubt discovered by this point that Casey had made off with a good portion of the fruit on his cart while his focus had been on Noah and Luke.
Speaking of...
He was still holding Luke’s hand. Luke wasn’t trying to pull free. Noah smiled a little, even as he pulled Luke around one more corner, ducking into the alcove of an old building.
He opened his mouth to speak (noticing that his new friend was about to do the same), but hurried footsteps were suddenly following them. Without hesitation, he grabbed Luke by both arms, pushing him into the alcove as far as possible. He pressed in then, shielding, covering as much of Luke’s body as he could with his own, hiding in the shadows.
They were barely breathing, tense, nearly nose-to-nose in the small space. Noah forced himself not to shiver when their eyes locked. “I’m Noah,” he whispered.
Luke’s eyes were round and open, though both sides of his mouth twitched upwards for a second. “Still Luke,” he whispered back, voice maybe a little hoarse. And Noah smiled too, he couldn’t help it. They stayed there even as the footsteps and shouts ran past them and faded into the distance. The danger was over. Noah could take a step back.
He didn’t.
Up close, he could tell his wayward stranger really was out of place here. His hair and skin were so clean (and smelled amazing). His eyes were open, almost inviting, like he’d never had to hide from anyone before. There was nothing hard or lined about his face, it was soft and... Noah swallowed hard, tried to keep from reaching up to touch Luke. He couldn’t. He’d just get him dirty.
“I-” Noah cleared his throat, ready to say something, ask something, do anything. His hands were still on Luke’s arms. Luke’s chest was against his, every deep breath causing them to connect, brush against each other. Luke’s hands paused in the air somewhere between their hips, and-
“Well!” a new voice cut through the silence, finally giving Noah that push to step back, remember how to breathe. He whirled around, making sure to keep Luke protected behind him, only to see Casey leaning in the doorway of the alcove, a new satchel full of fruit slung on one shoulder. Casey looked back and forth between the two of them, smirking. “Everyone having fun?”
*******
“Did you get everything?” Reid asked, his focus on the papers in front of him.
Katie huffed, dropping her armful of documents onto the table next to him. “Does it look like I might have possibly forgotten something?” she snapped, gesturing to the giant pile.
Reid smirked, ignoring the outburst. “We’re almost done,” he reminded her. He looked up, nodding towards her pile. “Look for reoccurring incidents, the same criminal. A thief. Young, twenty years or so, I think. He’s been in the records for years, guards have never caught him. He’s the one we want, I’m sure of it.”
“Do I get a name?” Katie sighed.
He raised an eyebrow. “If I had the name, would we be doing this?”
Her glare didn’t let up. “And just what are you doing with your time?”
“Research,” he answered succinctly, his attention back on the records in front of him. “Just find me the name.”
“Yes, oh mighty evil one,” Katie grumbled, picking up the first document.
Reid smirked even as he continuing reading. His own research- the reason he was in the Restricted Records to being with- had nothing to do with the thief and everything to do with the Royal Family. Particularly, how Lily herself had come to be in power-
“Hey!” Katie grabbed his arm, waving a paper around. Reid blinked- the shadows settling across the room told him a few hours had passed. “Found it! Him! I think.”
He sighed silently, pocketing the rest of the papers for later. “Yes?”
She shoved the paper into his face. “This kid. Noah. No last name, at least not officially. There’s some notes here speculating that he’s a descendent- son, maybe- of the King of Thieves, but nothing concrete.”
“Noah,” Reid echoed the name, turning this information around in his head. He held a hand out, Katie dropping the paper into his grasp a second later. Scanning the reports, he smirked. “One again, this city’s law enforcement shows its gross incompetence.” At Katie’s look, “The last few weeks of reports have been centered around the same stretch of abandoned buildings in one of the,” he sniffed, “poorer parts of the city.”
“So?”
“So, let’s send a couple guards out to those buildings and find him. Bring him in,” his tone went from suggestion to command. “See if he’s up to the challenge.”
“Are you really sure about this?” Katie made a face. “Just because of these reports? He doesn’t seem that special.”
“Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘diamond in the rough?’” Reid asked. “Looks can be deceiving, dear. Bring him in.”
*******
This was pretty much the most surreal thing Luke had ever been a part of. And that was saying something. He had to stop from pinching himself or waiting for someone to say he was only dreaming. This had to be real.
But seriously. He couldn’t have made up a story that would go this well.
He had no idea what world he had just stepped into, but he was liking it so far. A little dangerous, completely new, completely exciting and freeing. And, just when he did something stupid (some things never change, palace or not), a mysterious stranger steps in and rescues him.
A mysterious, devastatingly handsome stranger. Noah. He liked the name. And he liked the way Noah had held his hand even after they got away, how he’d pressed in close and whispered his name. How he smiled just a little with one side of his mouth, like he had some innate gentleness that kept him from actually smirking.
After his friend (Casey, in another strange introduction) startled them, Noah had let go of his hand but kept close, offering to let Luke stay with them for awhile in case the palace guards were still looking for them.
Like Luke would say no.
He followed them quietly as they slipped through more alleys and streets, half an eye on his rescuers (Noah) and half an eye on the city around him. It was... dirty. He wanted to kick himself for how that sounded, but it was true. It had never really registered that people lived like this. In his city.
Well, this is what he had wanted, right? To see the real world? To be a part of it?
“Up here,” Noah said softly, bringing his attention back. He looked up to see Noah a few rungs up a seemingly random ladder, beckoning him. Casey was already halfway up the building.
“Where are we going?” he asked, voice just as quiet.
Noah smirked now. It was a bravado-smile, not really his. Not that it looked bad on him, of course. “The roof.” Then he turned and scaled the ladder with far too much ease.
Luke half-glared at his back. “Smartass.” He followed up as quickly as possible, proud for not embarrassing himself... and was successful right up until the point he reached the top. He tripped climbing over the roof’s ledge, and would’ve fallen on his face if somebody’s quick hands hadn’t caught him first. As it was, he stumbled into those hands, colliding with the broad, thinly-clothed chest in front of him. He looked up. Blue eyes again. “Sorry.”
Noah just smiled crookedly, bracing him at his elbows until Luke’s feet were under him again. “First time in the city?” His voice was still soft, but Luke could hear the teasing.
It was slightly shocking. Nobody talked to him this way in the palace. He eased away, reluctant, from Noah’s hold. “Is it that obvious?” he asked.
“You do kinda stand out,” Noah admitted. Then he winced, as though realizing what he had just said. They both blushed, and Luke could see Casey off to the side rolling his eyes.
“Alright then,” Casey clapped his hands together. “If you can make it home from here, I’m gonna head back out.”
“Casey-” Noah started to protest.
Casey cut him off with a punch to the arm. “Shut it. If we’re gonna have an extra mouth around-” he punctuated this with a wink that had Noah blushing even deeper. “-Then we’re gonna need some extra food, too. I’ll see what I can scrounge up.” He moved past both of them, back to the ladder. When just his head was still visible, he threw another wink, this time at Luke. “Don’t worry, Princess. Noah will take good care of you.”
It was a good two or three minutes after he was gone that Luke or Noah could look at each other. “Okay,” Noah cleared his throat, gesturing for Luke to follow him. “We’re almost there.” He led Luke across the roof, where another building stood just a few feet away. Noah jumped down to the second roof, turned, and after a second of hesitation, held up his hand to Luke. “Here.”
Luke smiled. “Thanks.” Once again, their hands slid together in that strangely perfect fit. He didn’t want to let go. Again. But he did, keeping quiet, watching as Noah readjusted the satchel Casey had left with him across his shoulder. “You’re a thief,” he blurted out, because he was oh-so smart and tactful.
Noah stood still for a moment, not flinching, not reacting. “Yeah,” he said simply.
“How long?” Luke couldn’t get himself to shut up.
“Forever,” Noah shrugged. “Since I was old enough to. It was the only way to eat, even back then.”
“What about your family?” Luke asked softly, following Noah across the roof to another ladder leading down.
“Don’t have one,” he answered casually. “Never knew my mother. And my father... I can’t remember if he left me or I left him, it was so long ago, but I remember enough to know it was for the best.” He started down the ladder, holding it steady so Luke could climb too. “Met Casey when I was twelve or so. And after his family kicked him out, we stuck together.”
“I can’t imagine...” he trailed off.
“Don’t,” Noah advised. “It’s the past. Not worth thinking about.”
“Noah,” Luke started and stopped, unsure what he wanted to say.
Noah stopped about halfway down the ladder and looked up at him, smiling a little. “I know what I do is wrong. But if it’s between this or me- and Casey- starving to death? I do what I have to.”
“I had no idea the city was like this,” he murmured, again without meaning to. While he’d been sitting in a palace, people like Noah and Casey were-
Noah gave him another shrug. “You get used to it or you don’t. This is the way it’s always been.”
Luke jumped onto the ledge after him, through the window, into the building. It shouldn’t be, he wanted to say.
“Here we are,” Noah ducked under a barely-still together beam that was probably supposed to be a part of the ceiling, and skirted around a pile of bricks on the floor. There were only a few rooms in the building that had doors, and Noah opened one, nodding for Luke to go in first.
“You- you live here?” Luke asked, and could have kicked himself for it. It was a stupid question, he knew.
“Yeah.” Luke watched as Noah closed the door, twisting the handle a few times until it finally shut all the way. “Just me and Casey,” he said with a slight shrug, wiping his hands on his tattered shirt. Luke was pretty sure his heart forgot to beat for a few seconds when Noah offered him a shyer smile. He was embarrassed, Luke could see it. Something in him ached from it. “Sorry, I think it was the maid’s day off.”
Luke forced a smile back, even though a part of him wanted to flinch at the joke. Anything to not be reminded of the life he had just left. “No, it’s okay. This place is great.” And it was. Small, threadbare, with barely enough in it for one person, but still... it felt like a home. It felt comfortable and lived in.
Definitely not like living in the palace, where heaven forbid you got a fingerprint on anything. Or moved something half an inch on its shelf. (He used to do that when he was younger- move the decorative vases around just a little, just enough to drive the maids crazy. It had been a source of great amusement for about a year, to see how far he could push them before anyone started to notice.)
Noah’s smile turned into a grin. “I wouldn’t go with ‘great,’ but thanks for trying,” he teased. And suddenly he was once again that guy full of bravado that Luke had met in the market.
Which reminded him, “Thank you again, for- well, for coming to the rescue back there.”
Noah shrugged. “It was nothing. Kind of fun, to be honest.” He sat down on one of the two piles of blankets that was probably supposed to be a bed, and he gestured for Luke to take a seat. “Where’d you come from, anyway?”
Luke flinched again, as he sat on the same bed, though a careful distance away. “Doesn’t matter. I left, and I’m not going back.”
Noah’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow. That bad?”
He stared down at his hands, twisting them together. “Worse.”
Noah was silent for a moment, studying him, before he smiled again. And Luke had to smile back, it was impossible not to when looking at that face. “Well, I can’t guarantee it’s going to be any better here. The only thing we’ve got going for us is the view.” He nodded his head up and to the left.
Luke followed his gaze out through the broken-through cracks in the wall that were generously being considered a window. Framed nearly perfectly in the gap between stones was... the palace. He swallowed hard. “Nice,” he managed to croak out.
“Better than nice,” Noah corrected, oblivious. “There are days here when it gets hard to, I don’t know, keep going. And sometimes it helps to look out there and imagine what it must be like to live in a place like that. I like pretending I could have a life that easy.” He stood then, moving closer to the window, leaning an elbow against the wall and staring out into the distance.
Luke felt that thud in his chest again, despite the topic of conversation. It wasn’t fair that a guy could look that good, all scruffy and smudged with dirt. “I doubt it’s that easy,” he finally spoke, voice wobbling a little. “People always telling you what to do, where to go and how to dress.”
Noah didn’t turn away from the view, but his expression grew sadder. “Better than here,” he said quietly. “Always scraping for food, ducking the guards. Every day is just a fight to make it to the next one.”
Before he knew what he was doing, Luke stood and joined Noah at the window. Their arms just barely brushed together, leaning against the stone. Luke would’ve enjoyed that more, but his thoughts were still stuck on the palace. “You’re not able to live your own life there. You’re not free to make your own choices.”
“Every day I want to leave, and every day I remember that I have nowhere to go,” Noah grimaced, embarrassment and frustration playing out across his face. “Sometimes I feel so...”
“You’re just...” Luke struggled to find the right words.
“Trapped.”
They said it together. And it was all of a sudden like remembering they were both in the same room. Luke turned to Noah, a half-smile on his face that dropped the second he realized how close they were standing to each other. Up close, he could see just how unnaturally blue Noah’s eyes were. Better, brighter, more beautiful than any sapphire Luke had seen, that was for damn sure. And no sapphire had ever looked at him the way Noah was right now.
“Luke,” Noah whispered his name, something in his expression shifting, and once more Luke was seeing the person behind the confidence and bravado. He was seeing Noah. And he really, really liked what he saw.
“Yes?” Luke dared to move even closer, and no desert had ever been as hot as the air between them was right now. He could feel sweat trickling down his back, soaking into his shirt. And he didn’t care. He had never felt like this before, didn’t know it was possible to feel this way. And when Noah dipped his head down, mouth aiming for Luke’s, Luke had to wonder if he had somehow escaped into a fairy tale.
...Right up until the moment the almost-broken door burst open and men- large, armed men- stormed into the room. Palace guards. Luke barely had time to think before Noah was pulling him by the elbow, away from the circling men, cursing under his breath. “How did they find us?”
They’re after me, Luke wanted to say. They know I left the palace and they’re here to take me back, they’re-
Suddenly they were back at the window, and Noah was looking him in the eye. And that was pretty much all Luke could focus on. “Do you trust me?”
“W-what?”
“Do you trust me?” Noah repeated, voice rushed and insistent.
“Yes,” Luke didn’t even have to think about the answer.
The words were barely out of his mouth when Noah grabbed him around the waist and all but threw them both out of the window. His breath was stolen from him before he could cry out (the are you insane?! stuck on his lips), but a few seconds later they landed with thump on a large pile of laundry and blankets in the alley below. A planned escape. Noah had done this before.
The second they landed Noah rolled, pulling Luke nearly on top of him to cushion as much of the blow as he could. Luke allowed himself just a moment to enjoy that sensation before he scrambled to his feet, helping Noah up too. Noah kept an arm around him, pushing him towards the alley’s exit. “Go, go, go,” he chanted under his breath.
But their luck ran out. More guards, bigger ones somehow, was that possible?, were waiting at the street corner, and the original guards rushed out of the building right as Noah tried to pull Luke past. “Got him!” one of them yelled, grabbing Noah by the back of his shirt, yanking him away from Luke.
“What-?” Luke whirled around, shocked, as the entire gang of them focused on Noah, shoving him to the ground and pulling his arms behind his back. They ignored Luke completely. What?
“Go!” Noah shouted, voice muffled by the dirt.
“No!” Luke snapped. He didn’t take orders; he gave them. He pulled at the closest guard, one he recognized from the palace. “Let him go. Now.”
The guard turned to him with a roll of his eyes... and then stopped short. He studied Luke, eyes going wide. “S-sir?” he grabbed the arm of the head guard.
Luke crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow, trying to do his best impression of Lily when the leader faced him. “Your Highness!” He quickly dropped to one knee, the rest of the men doing the same.
Except Noah.
Noah had managed to lift his head, staring up at Luke with about seventeen different emotions flying across his face. Shock being the biggest one. Definitely. Shock.
Luke took a step forward. “Noah, I-”
It seemed to break the spell the guards were under. “Take him away,” the head guard nodded to the squad holding Noah.
“Wait,” Luke tried to take a few more steps forward, but the head guard stopped him. “No, you can’t-”
“I’m sorry, Sire, but I have to bring him back to the palace.” Luke tried to get around him, but the man stood his ground. “I’m under orders, Sire. Lord Oliver’s.”
“What the hell does Reid want with him?” Luke looked past him, pretty close to frantic, as the guards dragged Noah away. Noah’s face was withdrawn, his shoulders hunched. He didn’t put up a fight. No, no, no...
“I don’t know, Sire,” the man answered. “But I have to follow them. You’ll have to take it up with him.” Once Noah was taken out of sight, the guard gestured for Luke to follow him.
His Grand Escape forgotten, Luke marched his way back to the palace. “Believe me, I will.”
*******
“Reid!”
At the sound of his name, in that tone, from that voice, he closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Then he put on his best neutral expression and turned around to face the Prince. “Yes, Luciano?”
There was that quick flash of annoyance on his face (his sole purpose for using that name), and then Luke steeled himself again. “A boy was arrested in the city today, just outside the Central Market. On your orders.”
For just one miniscule second, Reid was nervous. There’s no way Luke could know, right? “Yes, I believe so.”
“I was with him when he was arrested. He wasn’t doing anything to warrant...” Luke shook his head, catching his breath. “He’s a good person. What are the charges against him?”
He had no idea that Luke had been outside of the palace. He also didn’t particularly care, but this was a bit problematic. He searched for the best excuse. “Kidnapping, of course,” he came up with a moment later.
“Kidnapping? You mean me?” Luke’s eyes went wide. At least he bought it. “He didn’t kidnap me, I ran away!”
Which was an interesting piece of information. Reid filed that away for later thought; it might be of use to him in the future. “We had no way of knowing that, Your Highness. But we knew you were missing and you were found with that... miscreant.”
“Well, you know the truth now. Release him,” Luke demanded, stepping closer.
He allowed himself to frown, looking regretful. “I’m sorry, Luke.”
It was his tone, and his use of Luke’s name, that stopped Luke in his frenzied tracks. “What... what for?”
He already suspected. He just didn’t want Reid to confirm it. Inside, Reid was smiling. “His sentence has already been carried out.”
Luke knew what that sentence was, he had to. But, foolishly, he was obviously hoping otherwise. “What sentence?”
“Death,” Reid answered. “He was executed twenty minutes ago.”
*******
Death.
Luke stumbled away, heaving, needing air, his lungs tight and getting tighter. Reid might’ve said something else to him, he didn’t know. He had to get away. He made it outside to the garden before collapsing by the fountain. No. He gasped, hand to his chest, trying to push in air, push away this feeling of-
No.
Those blue eyes stared at him when he tried to shut his own. Blue eyes, slight smile, hand outstretched to help him. The first person to ever show Luke kindness, to smile at him, just because. Not because he was a prince. Not because it was their duty. Just because.
And now he was gone.
He sat there on the ground, curled against the wall of the fountain, trying to breathe deeply. Or at all. Blue eyes. The strength in his arms and in his smile. Do you trust me? Yes. Oh God, is Casey going to find out? I know what I do is wrong. He wasn’t wrong. He was a good person.
He was dead because of Luke.
How much time passed, he had no idea. But at some point there was warmth next to Luke, sitting next to him on the ground. Then it leaned into him a little. Then a hand was on his face. Luke opened his eyes, meeting Ethan’s surprisingly solemn gaze. “Luke,” he said. Nothing else. No questions, no chatter, no pouting. Just his name.
He squeezed his eyes shut again, trying keep sudden tears from leaking out. It didn’t work. He leaned his forehead against his brother’s, trying to smile when Ethan’s little hands wiped away the tears. “It’s my fault,” he whispered, choking on the words. He hugged Ethan tight to him, wishing things- maybe everything- were different.
*******
The Prince. Luke was...
Noah shook his head, but it didn’t help. This was still reality. Luke was still a Prince. He was still a street rat, locked up in a dungeon. Appropriate, right? Noah pulled uselessly on the cuffs and chains that held him again the stone wall. The noise was grating, almost painful to his ears, but it was better than hearing the thoughts in his head.
He’d had this idea of the Prince being some conceited, oblivious jerk. He didn’t care about the people living in his city. He played this game of inviting and rejecting suitors every other week. No one was good enough for him.
He almost groaned out loud at the irony. Well, that part was right. Maybe no one was good enough for him. Definitely not Noah. Because Luke was kind. And brave. And more thoughtful than he had right to be.
And Noah was the poor thief living on his streets who could barely get a meal every day. Damn it, he must have sounded so stupid to Luke. He was a thief, who admitted to having fun stealing from carts and running from guards.
Oh God. He almost kissed him. He wasn’t sure what was worse- that, or the predicament he was in now. This was all so-
“Stupid.”
Noah jumped, as much as he could. He looked up at the barred window high near the ceiling. The only source of light in the cell. Which now also held the silhouette of... “Casey?”
“You’re so stupid. You have the stupidest luck of anyone I’ve ever met. The best luck and the worst, depending on the context. But it’s always stupid.” One of the bars came loose from his window, then another.
“I think I agree with you,” Noah was unable to even work up a glare. “What are you doing here?”
“Emma heard what happened, she told me,” Casey worked the last bar free, then climbed through, dropping into a crouch next to Noah. “Fair warning, it’s going to be all over the block that you were wooing the Crown Prince.” He pulled out a lock pick, going at the cuffs around Noah’s wrists.
He blushed, he was pretty sure. “It wasn’t like that,” he mumbled.
“Better not have been,” Casey retorted. “I would hate if your virtue was taken by some royal, cad, lay-about, rapscallion-”
“Can you even spell rapscallion?” Noah fought against burying his face in his knees to hide.
“It starts with an ‘r’ and ends with ‘you’re an idiot’,” Casey snapped. The cuffs opened with a click, and he crouched down again as Noah pulls his wrists in close, rubbing at the skin. “I know you liked him,” he said, much quieter. “Are you okay?”
“I didn’t know him,” Noah argued. Like it made a difference.
“Obviously,” Casey said, waving a hand at the dungeon around them. “But it doesn’t mean you two didn’t, I don’t know, have something.”
“We didn’t,” he said stubbornly. “He’s a prince. I’m not. I’m just... I’m just a fool.”
“Won’t argue there,” Casey stood up, eyeing the window. “It wasn’t easy getting here, but we could probably, or maybe, or very unlikely, make it back the same way. If we time it perfectly-”
“There is another way.”
Noah scrambled to his feet at the new voice, moving to stand next to Casey, hands up defensively. Casey did the same, both of them facing the shadows at the far end of the cell. “Who’s there?”
A shadow separated from the wall, moved closer. Hunched over, dirty, face half-covered by a cloak. Whoever he was, he looked old and worn. Like he’d been here awhile. “Someone like you. Someone trapped by circumstance.”
He wanted to roll his eyes at the words (dramatic, much?) but desperate times called for desperate measures. Or so he’d heard. “You said there’s another way out?”
“I did,” the half of a face seemed to smile. Though not exactly friendly.
Noah eyed him warily, not trusting the half-face for a second. But, they were pretty much out of options otherwise. “We’re listening.”
“We are?” Casey hissed in his ear. Noah just nodded, eyes still on the prisoner.
The man hobbled forward, hand staying along the wall. At first Noah thought it was for balance, but then he realized the man was feeling along the stone edges. Looking for something. Curious, he took a step forward, only for Casey to drag him back when the wall suddenly gave way under the man’s hand.
“Yeah, because secret passageways always lead somewhere good,” Casey was hissing again, glaring at him, them, all of them.
“Why are you showing us this?” Noah asked, focus still on the prisoner.
The man gave a little nod of his head, conceding Noah’s unspoken point. “I may need a favor in return.”
Ignoring Casey’s quiet, “Oh, of course,” Noah took that step forward again, gesturing for the man to continue.
“There’s a building, just outside the city. The Stenbeck Vault, have you heard of it?”
Noah nodded. Everyone had heard of it. Heavily guarded, the building held all the fortune and possessions of the evil dictator who had once ruled the city, before Noah’s time. “And?”
The prisoner shrugged. “I heard the guards talking when they brought you in. You’re a thief. A good one, judging by their words. I want you to steal something for me.”
“Okay,” Noah said slowly. “What do you want me to steal?”
“Us,” Casey corrected.
“No,” Noah turned to him, quiet, firm. “Me.” He shook his head. “As soon as we get out of the palace, you go home.”
“What?” Casey grabbed his elbow, pulling him a little away from the old man. “A- no. B- I don’t trust this guy. C- bad stuff happens when I leave you alone. You fall in love and you get arrested and you actually let other people see you smile and stuff. D- you can’t tell me what to do.” He crossed his arms, resolute.
But Noah was just as stubborn. “I don’t trust him either, but if it gets us out of here safely, a deal’s a deal. And I’ve gotten you into enough trouble today. I’m not gonna let you risk anym-”
“Let me?” Casey glared. “What if this is a two-man job?”
“It’s not,” the old man spoke up behind them.
Casey ignored him. “What if you need backup?”
Noah smiled. “I’m a street rat, remember? I’ll improvise.”
He snorted, shaking his head. “If anything happens...”
“I’ll be okay. And I’ll feel better knowing you’re okay,” Noah said quietly.
Casey studied him, eye twitching, before giving up with a sigh. “I can’t wait to tell you ‘I told you so’.”
Noah punched his arm. “Same here.” He turned back to the prisoner, steady. “Okay. Let’s go.”
*******
The man’s escape route worked, and soon enough (as quick as they could move with the old man hobbling like he was), he and Noah were outside the city. Noah took a moment to look back at the still-visible outline of the palace, and wondered where Luke was. If he was okay, if his family had worried about him, if he was maybe thinking about N-
“Here,” the old man tapped his shoulder with his walking stick, pointing down the road.
Noah peered into the darkness, wishing he could see better. He still couldn’t get a good look at the man’s face, and that bothered him. “Okay. So you just want this gemstone? Out of everything in the vault?” Noah’s gut really didn’t like this. Casey, though he’d never admit it, was probably right.
“The Gem, it has a parcel with it. Documents I need,” the man explained oh-so-casually.
Noah frowned. He really didn’t like this. But he had given his word. “And you’re really after those, the gem was just supposed to entice me, right?”
The shadowed face looked startled for half a second. “True enough. Get me the documents, and you can keep the gem.”
His eyebrows shot up. That was definitely a better incentive. He nodded. “Okay.” And then he moved off the path a little, heading towards the vault.
Breaking into a building like this was more difficult than his standard grab in the marketplace, but Noah was pretty sure he could handle it. Stay quick, stay calm. It was something his father used to say. One of the few things of value the man passed on to Noah.
Stay quick, stay calm.
He studied the routine the guards took for a few minutes before getting their timing down. Then he counted to twelve silently and ran for it, jumping up and scaling the pipes at one corner of the building until he was level with the second floor. There would be a guard on the roof, he was sure of that.
So instead he swung himself over to a nearby window ledge. A broken-off shingle from the roof was there, and Noah grinned, pocketing it. Hopefully, he wouldn’t need it, but...
The window was locked, but he picked it easily enough, and landed silently on his feet inside the building. Per the old man’s instructions, he headed for the southeast corner of the floor, looking for the small black box that held the gem. Twice he had to stop and hide when a guard passed by, but finally he made it to the corner. And the black box.
Pushing aside a giant rolled up carpet, he picked up his treasure, the gem and papers inside. He stuffed both into his pockets, leaving the box behind so no one would notice the absence, putting the carpet back in place.
He climbed back out his window, still silent, shut and locket it again, and spidered his way back to the pipes. Then he looked down. And almost cursed out loud.
Shift changes. He’d been stupid and forgot about shift changes. There were now four guards standing around chatting, directly under him. Noah hung there for a moment, muscles in his arms starting to burn, before remembering the roof shingle in his pocket. Stay quick, stay calm.
He fished it out and, clinging to the corner of the building, tossed it to the ground a few yards away from him. It broke with a shockingly loud clatter in the otherwise quiet, and the guards immediately heard it, rushing in that direction. Noah allowed himself a smirk as he finally dropped to the ground and dashed away, hiding behind an outcropping of trees to catch his breath.
“All clear,” he heard behind him. “Looks like a tile just fell from the roof. False alarm.”
Noah shook his head. Guards. Dumber than bricks. He melted back into the darkness surrounded the road, heading to the meeting place he’d agreed on with the old man.
And there he was, in a little oasis patch surrounded by the desert. Both the vault building and the city were distant shapes. He could still barely see the palace. Luke.
“You have it?” the man demanded. Still shadowed.
“Yeah,” Noah said, a little breathless still. It had been a long day, what with breaking into a vault and getting arrested and falling in love with a prince and all. He was tired. “Here,” he pulled the parcel of papers out of his back pocket, holding it out. “What do you want with these anyw-”
The old man moved faster than Noah expected, faster than an old man should. Before Noah could react, something hard and heavy- metal, maybe- connected sharply with the side of his head. He dropped to his knees, stunned, trying to blink, to move. His last thought, as a dark shape swung at him again, was that he hated when Casey was right about these things.
Another flash of pain, then nothing.
Darkness.
TO BE CONTINUED...