A Thief, and a Noble

"Get back here!"

"Oh I don't think so, old man!" Fabian shouted back. As a taunt, he quickly took a bite of the apple he had just stolen two minutes ago. This clearly made the shopkeeper angry, which made Fabian run even faster. The good thing about him being so young was that he could run much faster than the old people running the stores. In this town, he was notorious for being a thief, despite his very young age. He was only a little over seven, which caused people to underestimate him. Most people thought the word 'young' meant somewhere around the teens to twenties. Not the single digits numbers. Because he was so young, even though most people knew his exact features, they would never recognize him a second time. Due to this, Fabian could continuously come and rob the same people over and over again without getting caught.

But he had his suspicions. They could be letting him get away, out of pity. At least, he was sure that some people did that. Some of the more able bodied people didn't seem to run nearly as fast as Fabian had anticipated, making him doubt whether or not they were serious about catching him. Those thoughts ran through his head, as he ducked into an alleyway. Much to his luck, there were small outings in the walls, which would allow him to climb up and escape.

He jumped upwards, latching onto one of the outings and hiding right on top of it. The angry store clerk came to the alleyway, pausing in confusion. "Where did he…?" They seemed to wonder aloud. Fabian went deathly quiet, not even breathing. If he was caught here, it would be a lot of trouble for his ass. Much to his favor, the store owner sighed, turning around and giving up on the chase.

The moment Fabian knew that they were gone, he dropped back to the floor, a relieved sigh escaping him. Despite how he acted, he felt pretty empty on the inside. There wasn't anything fun about what was happening. The most 'enjoyment' he could get was by running around. If it was his choice, he'd much rather stop stealing things from other people. But he didn't want to die either.

It was always a question on his mind, whoever his parents had been. He couldn't remember them for the life of him. Not in any way, shape or form. No faces, no memories, no special phrases that might unlock a memory. All he remembered was that he didn't have any parents. He hardly knew how he got to where he was either. His hair was abnormally long for a child his age, and a rather unnatural color. Seriously, what kind of genetics did I get to have purple hair? He sighed, throwing the locks bak over his shoulders. It's so weird…. He took a bite of the apple, finding himself finishing it off quite quickly.

His appearance very much reflected the average poor person. His hair was incredibly messy, and he was rather pale. He had cut a hole into a blanket, wearing it as some type of cloak. There were bandages all over his arms and legs, only wearing a worn pair of shorts, and a stained white shirt. He'd had to steal those very early in his career as a thief. His eyes were dull, he'd seen it before in a puddle of water. Sure, that wasn't very accurate, but he could guess that his teal colored eyes should have been much brighter than how they currently looked.

He didn't really have any place to go. He really just passed out on the streets, whenever he actually went to sleep. That was also an issue he had. He didn't get much sleep, which was probably affecting his stature. But that didn't really matter to him. He had no plans for the rest of his life, but surely something would show up. Something, somewhere, someone even, would show up, and help him out of his situation. He didn't know what it could ever be, or when it could ever happen, but he believed in it.

Despite living in such bad situations, he still believed in both Hydema and God. If he was in this situation, surely he deserved it for some reason. He guaranteed that he was meant to be paying for his parents mistakes. That was the conclusion he had come to. The only thing that had come to make sense to his pitiful existence in life. He sighed, finishing off the apple. That'd not be a very nice mindset…. He thought to himself. Lighten up a bit! It'll get better soon….

"Hello~?"

Fabian jerked back to reality, only now noticing that someone was talking to him. "Huh?" He glanced up, spotting a blonde boy who seemed about his age. Bright yellow eyes, white shirt and a brown vest. They had a small blue bowtie, and dark pants. It was very clear there was a very large economic difference between the two of them. Fabian blinked in confusion, before smiling and standing up. "Oh, why hello there! Don't mind me, just collecting dust!"

The boy tilted his head to the side, seeming confused. "Really? Is it fun?"

"Hm, you tell me!" Fabian shot back. "What do you think?"

"I've never really done that. My parents don't typically let me out of the house…." He mumbled, seeming a bit sad. "Anyways, what's your name? My name's Matias!" He said cheerfully.

"Matias'?" Fabian echoed. "Hm… okay! My name's Fabian! Nice to meet you!" Fabian gave the stranger a smile, before cupping their cheeks. "Your cheeks are really squishy!"

"Are they?" Matias asked, raising an eyebrow. Matias then reflected the same jesutre, pressing on Fabian's face. "Your's are too!"

Fabian laughed, taking his hands away. "Wow! You're kinda weird, y'know that?"

"O-Oh." Matias said, frowning a little. "Am I?"

"Yeah!" Fabian replied brightly. "But I'm also weird! We can both be weird together!"

"Oh, yay!" Matias smiled. "Does this mean that you're my friend?"

"Friend…?" Fabian said, testing the word out. He knew what it was, it just didn't seem right for him. He'd been a loner for as long as he could remember. He couldn't imagine having someone else to talk to other than those he stole from. He hummed, thinking to himself for a moment before nodding his head. "Sure! Let's be friends!"

Matias's smile brightened even more, as he gave Fabian a hug. "Yay! I haven't had a friend before!"

"Hm? How come?" Fabian asked. "Is it because you live in a closet?"

"No?" Matias said, seeming confused. "I live in my room."

Fabian snorted. "That's not what I mean, silly! That's a joke!"

"Joke?" Matias quoted.

"Do you seriously not know what jokes are?" Fabian asked.

"No, I'm afraid I don't…."

Fabian sighed. "Apparently you don't know what rhetorical questions are either! Jeez, it's like you never had a childhood! Well, if you've lived only in your room your entire life, then I guess I'll have to be your teacher!" Fabian grabbed Matias's hand, dragging him out of the alley. "C'mon! I've gotta show you around! You can tell me more about yourself later, but for now, let's go explore!"

Matias seemed slightly shocked by the gesture, but his expression quickly shifted to that of an excited smile. "Okay!" Fabian dragged Matias back towards where he had come from, a small idea having entered his head. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see!" Fabian grinned, a certain playfulness in his step. He was having a lot of fun, for whatever reason. Who would have thought that all I would need would be someone to talk to? He laughed slightly, running a little faster. Matias was stumbling slightly, but was keeping pace for now.

Fabian inevitably came to a stop, looking around at the people in the street. Some had stands up, selling fruits and other such food. Matias tilted his head to the side. "Why are we here?"

"Just watch." Fabian smiled, letting go of Matias's hand. He walked up to one of the stalls, spotting some peaches. He hadn't had any recently, but he remembered them being rather sweet. Glancing behind him, he saw Matias staring at him with a nervous expression. Fabian gave him a reassuring smile, turning back to the fruit. He picked up two, turning around and immediately disappearing into the crowd. Matias seemed to lose him, looking around, confusion clearly expressed on his face.

Fabian ran in his direction, shouting out. "Time to sprint!"

"What?"

"Just follow!" Fabian shot back, running past him. Matias didn't ask any other questions, running after the thief, not knowing what was happening. The two returned to the alleyway, as Matias appeared out of breath. Fabian gave him a curious look, before sitting down on the ground. "You okay?"

Matias sat down next to him, breathing heavily. "Why are we running around so much?"

Fabian smiled. "Well, I kinda had to before someone noticed!" He handed over one of the peaches. "Typically I wouldn't take anything twice a day, but since you're here, I got you a peach!"

Matias hesitated. "What does that mean?"

"Stole it." Fabian replied, dropping the peach into Matias's hand. He took the other peach, and bit into it.

"But stealing is bad!" Matias retorted. "You shouldn't do that!"

Fabian laughed. "Matias, haven't you realized what kind of person I am?" Fabian had realized the moment he'd seen Matias that he was rich. He was also rather sheltered, which made Fabian think of a noble family. The only thing that Matias hadn't shared was his last name, but that didn't really matter. "I'm not exactly like you."

"What do you mean?" Matias asked, seeming confused. "Aren't we the same age?"

Fabian blinked, a little bit surprised by that response. "You… um…." Fabian gave a confused smile, laughing a little. "You're interesting! I've never seen a noble kid be so kind with me!"

"But, why wouldn't they?" Matias asked, leaning forwards slightly. "Isn't it nice to be nice?"

Fabian snorted slightly. "If you haven't noticed, I am kind of a criminal. People don't like criminals!" He took out the peach pit, throwing it at the wall in front of him. He giggled slightly at it, turning back to Matias. "So, what's the promise?"

"Promise?" Matias asked.

"Yeah! I've always wanted to make a promise!" Fabian replied, shifting around. "Like a friendship promise! That's what friends do, right?"

"Oh!" Matias grinned. "Sure!"

"Okay then! Let's think about this!" Fabian hummed in thought, trying to think of something. "Let's make it really cryptic!"

Matias blinked. "How so?"

"Like if we were to mention it in the future, people would be really confused!"

"Okay!"

"Then, we can promise not to betray one another!" Fabian replied.

Matias raised an eyebrow. "How is that cryptic?"

"In the future, if someone gets mad or angry at one of us, the other can defend and mention a promise! That'll be spooky, right?" Fabian grinned, knowing just how childish his ideals were. Of course it would, since he was still a child. "So don't go turning me in! I need to steal in order to live!"

"You do?" Matias said, frowning. "What about your parents?"

Fabian shrugged. "I don't know, I don't remember them at all. I only remember being out on the streets, y'know."

Matias gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

Fabian smiled softly. "You're good! But do you agree to that promise?"

Matias nodded. "I promise!"

~~~~~~~~

"Boo!"

Matias screamed, turning around and hitting Fabian in the face. "Who are- Fabian?!"

"Ow…!" Fabian whined, rubbing his cheek. "That hurt!"

"I'm so sorry! You startled me!" Matias said, worry on his face. "Are you okay?"

Fabian smiled, letting his hand lower. "Don't worry, I'm just fine!" Fabian grabbed Matias's hand, dragging him away from the streets.

"Where are we going?" He asked. At this point, these two were about eleven years old. They'd been meeting like this almost everyday, heading to random places around town. Matias had gotten less sheltered, and Fabian had been stealing less often. Recently, Matias had been bringing some of his own food to Fabian, which lowered the amount of times he actually needed to steal.

"I dunno!" Fabian admitted, cackling. "But c'mon! Let's just go around!" Fabian ran around the town, eventually dragging Matias out of the town completely. He glanced around, before tumbling into the grass and rolling around.

"Fabian…!" Matias started, slightly amused by his actions. Fabian came to a stop, staring up at his friend with a smile. Matias crouched down next to him, sighing slightly. "What's with you?"

Fabian huffed, crossing his arms and puffing out his cheeks. "Why can't I roll around in the grass? It's fun!" Matias shook his head, smiling softly as he looked up at the rest of the surroundings. He spotted a singletary tree on the hill above them. He poked Fabian in the arm, getting his attention quickly. "Hm? What is it?"

"Look!" Matias said, pointing to the tree. "Isn't that cool?"

Fabian flipped over onto his stomach, following Matias's finger. "Oh! That is cool! Why is there just a tree here?" Fabian stood up, pulling Matias up from the floor. "C'mon! Let's go check it out!"

Matias nodded, walking up with Fabian. They came under the tree, finding the spot to be very shady. Fabian looked at it in awe, getting very excited over such a simple thing. "Why is it out here? I wanna know!" He circled around the tree, lifting his finger and pointing it at the tree. "I need answers, Mister Tree! Tell me how you got here!"

Matias giggled. "Fabian, it's a tree. It won't talk to you."

Fabian blinked at Matias, before huffing angrily and falling backwards into the grass. "Hmph! You can at least play along!"

Matias sighed, sitting down next to him. "Sorry…."

Fabian sighed, nodding his head and closing his eyes. It was very calm, wherever they were. He could almost fall asleep, but he really didn't want to. He was having a good time with Matias, he'd rather it not end.

Matias looked to Fabian, wondering if he was asleep. He glanced at his friend curiously, leaning over his face. His eyes eventually went to Fabian's abnormal hair, starting to mess with it. He picked it up, letting it drop back down. He found it entertaining the way it moved, wondering what else he should do. He took a longer part, and started braiding it.

Fabian cautiously opened one of his eyes, having wondered what Matias had been doing. He stayed silent, not really wanting to startle his friend again. He let Matias finish the braid, before he sat up. "So~ you like my hair, huh?"

"You were awake?!" Matias shouted.

"Mhm!" Fabian snickered. "What, do you like me?"

"Of course I do!" Matias shouted. "Why wouldn't I?"

"No no, that's not what I mean!" Fabian continued. "I mean, do you love~ me?"

It was then that Matias's face went red. "I-I… um, I just liked your hair… it was really long and it felt nice…."

Fabian stuck his tongue out, taking some of his own hair and brushing it against Matias's face. "Hehehe, I'm just teasing!"

Matias blocked his face off with his hands. "S-Stop! That tickles!"

Fabian tilted his head to the side. "Okay then! How about this instead?" He tackled Matias's into the grass, pulling him into a hug. Matias hesitated for a moment, before he hugged back. Fabian let out a happy sigh, closing his eyes again. "Mm… it's warm…." Fabian tilted to the side, no longer on top of his friend.

Matias stayed silent, a bit surprised at Fabian's actions. "Fabian-"

Fabian covered Matias's mouth with the top of his head. "Sorry, I'm a bit tired… but I wanna say something quickly! Can we meet up here, everyday?"

Matias hesitated. "How come?"

"It's comfy…." Fabian replied lazily. "Can't that just be my reasoning?"

Matias sighed, nodding his head and smiling. "Sure… Fabian…."

Fabian snickered. "Thanks, Maimai!"

"Maimai?!" Matias shouted. "W-Where did that come from!"

Fabian shrugged. "I dunno, it was the first thing that came to mind. You're my friend, I wanted to give you a nickname…." Matias went silent, as did Fabian. It didn't take long for Fabian to completely fall asleep, leaving Matias to his own thoughts. What's exactly happened to him? He wondered. He sighed, closing his eyes. Well, I can think about that later… I'm a little tired myself…. Matias brought Fabian a bit closer to himself, feeling rather comfortable sleeping in the grass.

Fabian smiled slightly in his sleep, snuggling a bit closer. Matias copied, finding comfort in this hug. It wasn't particularly hot that day, so the sun was sending a gentle warmth onto the both of them. It was a very calming atmosphere, which made him fall asleep quite quickly as well.

What those two weren't aware of was that two people came and found them, sleeping in the grass. One of them gasped, running over to the two. She looked over them, letting out a sigh of relief when she realized they were only asleep. "Hm? Is there something wrong?" The other asked.

The first one shook her head, a soft smile appearing on her face. "No, I was just worried. These two are fine."

"Hm?" The other walked over. She gasped in surprise, a cheerful smile appearing on her face. "Oh that's so cute! Why can't we do something like that?"

"We're adults, Layla." They replied.

Layla shrugged. "I guess, but I mean, why not? These two are clearly not meant to be together."

"How so?"

"Look at the difference." Layla pointed out. "Dark hair, blonde hair. Tiny, tall. ANd it seems rather evident this one is poor, while the other is most likely part of a rich family."

"You can tell all of that?"

"Yeah I can, Harper!" Layla smiled. "That's just the person I am!"

Harper smiled, standing up and looking down at the two. "I guess I can see those differences…."

"Do you know their names?" Layla asked. "I wanna know!"

Harper raised an eyebrow. "How come? I do, but why do you wanna know?"

"I mean, I'm just curious…." Layla huffed. "Can't I be curious for the sake of being curious?"

"Whatever, I guess." Harper smiled, turning back to the kids. "Their names are Fabian and Matias."

Layla grinned. "Aw~! These two are so cute!" She crouched down by Harper, staring at them. "Can we come back here later? I wanna talk to them!"

"Sure, Layla." Harper replied, sighing a little. "But we should probably go now. People are going to find us and suspect something."

"Sure, sure." Layla said, standing up. "Well, let's meet up back here soon so we can talk to these two! Y'know, when they're not passed out in the grass."

Harper nodded, standing up as well. "I'll see you later then, Layla."

Layla started walking backwards, waving goodbye. "Bye bye!" Those two parted ways, leaving Matias and Fabian to sleep in the grass. It would be the very next day, that those two came back and found the same two kids under the tree.

Fabian flicked Matia's forehead. "Ow!" he complained. "What was that for?"

"You lost the game!" Fabian smiled. "It's your punishment for messing up!"

Matias frowned, sighing a little. It was in that silence that he heard footsteps in the grass. They startled him, making him look up, spotting both Layla and Harper .However, he had no clue who those two were. Not in the slightest. Matias was immediately nervous, which caught Fabian's attention. Fabian turned in the direction Matias was looking, staring at the two adults. He blinked, before he smiled. "Oh no! Are you going to arrest me?"

"Arrest you?" Layla asked, before she laughed. "No! Of course not! Why would I arrest a child like you?"

Fabian stood up, pointing at Layla. "Because I'm a mass murderer! I'll lay wasit to this town!"

"Fabian, now isn't the time for jokes like that!" Matias shouted.

"Okay, okay." Fabian sighed. "I steal things. People don't like me too much."

"Really? An innocent kid like you steals things?" Layla smiled. "Is it just food?"

Fabian blinked. "Yeah, that's it! Surprised that you got it just from looking at me!"

Harper frowned. "Why? Is it because your family's poor?"

Fabian shook his head. "More like just me. I don't know who my parents are."

Layla was oddly silent at that comment. Harper glanced at her, wondering what was wrong. She walked towards Layla, dropping her voice to a whisper. "What's wrong?"

"He has a familiar aura. But I can't place my finger on it." Layla sighed, shaking her head and placing a smile back on her face. "Anyways! Nice to meet you two! My name's Layla!"

Fabian blinked, scanning her for a moment before returning the smile. "I'm Fabian! That's Matias! He's a bit shy, so I'll probably do most of the talking."

"That's just fine." Harper smiled. "What are you two doing out here?"

Fabian tapped his lip, closing his eyes in thought. "Hm… just messing around! We're meeting around here now, for a bit more privacy."

"But why would you need that?" Layla prodded.

"If you couldn't tell, me and Matias aren't exactly from similar origins." Fabian waved his hand. "Y'know, me being a thief, him being a sheltered kid."

"I-I'm not like that anymore, Fabian…." Matias mumbled.

Fabian sighed, patting Matias's hair. "I know, I know! But you know how different we actually are!"

Layla laughed. "You two are so cute together!"

"O-Oh, um… thanks…." Matias looked down, hiding his face away from the adults.

"Wait… in which way?" Fabian asked, raising an eyebrow.

Layla snickered. "I'm not telling you~!"

Fabian frowned, pouting a little at that statement. "No fair! Well then, my turn! I'd say you two are like a couple!"

"W-What?" Harper stuttered slightly. Layla went quiet at that comment as well, seeming to not have expected such a response from Fabian. Layla then smiled, patting Fabian on the head.

"Well on that awkward note, we're going to leave you two be now!" Layla turned around, walking away. "See you two later!"

Matias hesitated for a moment, before speaking up. "Um… will you be coming back?" He asked.

Harper thought for a moment, before she slowly nodded her head with a smile. "Yes. We will come visit you all some other time. We've got business to attend to."

Layla gasped. "You're going to let me see the kids again?!"

"More like the both of us," Harper replied, walking up next to her. "Now come on, we've got things we need to deal with."

"Right, right." Layla looked back, waving over her shoulder. "You two have a good time! Bye bye!"

Fabian smiled, waving back to Layla. "Bye bye!"

The moment the two were finally out of earshot, Layla spoke up. "Holy fuck those two are so fucking precious."

"Woah, language." Harper laughed a little. "Why are you even reacting this way? Why with just those two kids?"

Layla opened her mouth to reply, but remained silent, realizing she didn't have an argument for this. "Oh… um… I don't actually know. I just… like them, I guess." Layla sighed. "Maybe it's because of that odd familiar feeling that the Fabian kid has? Or maybe just their chemistry! I mean, we did find them passed out in the grass hugging each other like two boy- I uh… I mean best friends."

Harper frowned. "You were not going to say that. You shouldn't go assuming things like that, y'know?"

"Hey, I'm not saying anything!" Layla shrugged. "It's just a bit of teasing! With one look, I know that Fabian likes teasing people! So why not give him a taste of his own medicine?"

Harper sighed, shaking her head. "You are so… awfully petty…."

Layla smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry Harper. I'll pull the 'I request-" Harper quickly covered Layla's mouth, a slightly angry expression on her face.

"Don't say that!"

Layla smacked Harper's hands away, giggling to herself. "I was kidding! Kidding, kidding. I wasn't going to finish my sentence! You cut me off right before I was about to cut myself off."

"You make absolutely no sense." Harper observed.

"Neither do you!" Layla replied, giving her a smug smile.

Harper smiled softly, shaking her head and focusing on the horizon. "Well, that's expected by things like us. We're not normal, and we never will be."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was at age thirteen, that life started taking a turn for the worse. "Fabian, there's something I'm wanting to try with you today!" Matias spoke up suddenly, smiling at the sky.

"Hm? And what's that?" Fabian asked, leaning towards him. "Are you gonna-"

"It's not what you're thinking!" Matias shouted, cutting him off quickly. "I can guarantee that!"

Fabian puffed his cheeks out, crossing his arms. "You didn't even let me finish…."

Matias sighed, ruffling Fabina's hair. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to get what I have to say out first." He took his hand away, pointing back towards the town. "I want to try… helping people!"

"Helping?" Fabian asked. "In what way?"

"Just, y'know. Everyday, normal average things." Matias replied, picking a blade of grass. "Carrying things, letters, shopping, anything like that. I just want to try it out. And, I don't know. I'm pretty sure it feels good to help someone out, so why don't we try it?"

Fabian stayed silent, an unsure expression adorned on his face. "Matias, I'm not so sure. I'm a bit more recognizable now, since I'm older. People might just arrest me if they actually look me directly in the face."

"You've been laying lower, I'm sure you'll be okay!" Matias grinned. "And plus, there will be people to defend you, right? I'm pretty sure Layla and Harper are in town right now, so they'll probably stick up for you!"

Fabian blinked, considering his options for a moment. He tapped his lip in thought, before his mouth curved upwards into a smile. "Sure, why not? It'll be a good change of pace." Fabian stood up, taking Matias's hand. "C'mon, let's go."

The two walked back into town, as Fabian glanced towards any points of interest. He wasn't entirely sure where Matias wanted to start, so he was just going to keep quiet for now. "So,..." Fabian started. "Where to?"

"Huh?" Matias blinked. "Oh! Right, um, uh… I don't really know, to be honest I didn't think I'd get this far…."

Fabian gasped, appalled. "Matias, how could you?" He asked. "You don't even have faith in your best friend? I can't believe you!"

"I'm sorry…." Matias mumbled.

Fabian sighed. "Matias, joke."

"Oh." They stayed silent for a moment, seeming stumped at what to do next. Matias glanced around, before he spotted a younger kid searching around in some bushes. They seemed distressed. "Fabian, look."

"Hm?" Fabian turned, spotting the kid as well. "Oh! Well, it was your idea, let's go!" He stated, grabbing Matias's hand and dragging him away. "Hey there! Do you need help?"

"H-Huh?" The girl looked up at them, tears in her eyes. "W-Who are you?"

"No one in particular!" Fabian replied, crouching down next to her. "Anyways, you seem to be searching through these bushes pretty frivolously. You lose something?"

She nodded, sniffling slightly. "M-Mhm. I-I lost my mom's ring…."

Fabian sucked in air through his teeth. "A ring? God, that's going to be impossible to find…." He shook his head, shrugging. "Well, whatever! I've been told to do these things, I might as well!" At that notion, he dove into the bushes, not a care in the world.

The girl yelped in surprise, scooting back. Matias sighed, crouching down next to her. "Sorry… he's reckless like that…."

"O-Oh…." She mumbled. "Is he going to be okay…?"

"He should be. I doubt he'll get hurt in there." Matias smiled slightly. "But he's still an idiot, for going in like that."

"I can still hear you!" Fabian shouted, muffled slightly by the leaves. Matias merely laughed, which made Fabian a little bit angry. The three sat around for a couple more minutes, before Fabian's head popped out of the bush. "I found it! At least, I think so." He fully exited the bushes, sighing. There were leaves all in his hair, as well as a lot of scratches on his face. He raised his hand, showing off a small ring. "Is it this?"

The girl gasped. "Y-yeah!" Fabian dropped the ring into her hands, standing up and scratching at the multiple bandages on his arms. She stood up, bowing her head. "T-thank you so much!"

Fabian blinked, before he smiled. "No problem! Anyways, let's go Matias! Onto the next thing!" Without hesitation, Fabian took Matias's hand once again and ran away from the clearing. The girl waved goodbye, before turning around and running in the direction of her home. "That was fun! Minus the scratches on my face."

Matias smiled. "I'm glad! Do you wanna keep going around?"

Fabian smiled, nodding his head. "Sure! Let's do this for as long as possible!"

The two quickly lost track of time, getting too caught up in the job they'd assigned each other. This wouldn't have been such an issue, if it wasn't for Matias's parents. Like Fabian had said, he was something like a noble. If they learned of his little friendship with a thief on the street, who knew what could happen. He had a certain curfew, and they could get suspicious if he missed it. Which was exactly what happened that day.

"What time is it?" Fabian asked, a slightly worried expression on his face.

Matias blinked, before the realization spread on his face. "Oh shit!"

"Matias! Language!" Fabian huffed. "If you're going to say anything, don't go swearing!"

"S-Sorry… um…." He glanced at the clock, seeing it was eleven forty-six p.m. "Oh no…."

"What?" Fabian looked at the clock. "Oh…."

Matias sighed. "I'm going to be in so much trouble…."

"I'm sure you'll be okay!" Fabian grinned. "Now go on home! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Matias nodded, smiling back. "Bye bye…." He waved goodbye, getting a returning wave from Fabian. He stood up, running back home.

Fabian sighed, looking away and staring up at the stars. What next? He wondered. I wondered what'll happen in the future. I'm going to have to think of something…. He shrugged, standing up and stretching. Well, I guess I should go find some place to sleep tonight. I can think about that later. Probably ask Matias for any ideas.

Fabian left the alleyway he was previously in, walking back towards the tree outside the town. He'd recently found it a pretty good spot to fall asleep, most of the branches secure enough to sleep in. When he arrived, he quickly jumped up and climbed into the branches, laying down on his back. Thankfully it isn't too cold around here, otherwise I'd be screwed beyond belief. He sighed, closing his eyes. I hope Matias'll be okay….

The next day, Fabian woke up with a start. He blinked, slightly surprised at how quick he'd gotten up. He looked around, remembering that he'd fallen asleep in a tree. For whatever reason, a large feeling of dread hung over his head. He couldn't place where it was coming from, deciding to climb out of the tree and figure it out later. He sat down, leaning onto the tree and crossing his arms. He was waiting for Matias to come around.

He wasn't quite sure what time it was, but he was pretty sure he'd be coming around very soon. This wasn't one of the days Harper or Layla would come around, though. One of them would be coming back in about a week or so. They would always bring some type of activity or food for the two kids, which brought all of them a lot of entertainment. Fabian closed his eyes, drifting off slightly and getting lost in his own little world.

He waited.

And waited.

To the point where the sun was reaching noon. Fabian stood up from his spot under the tree, glancing around. There wasn't a single sign of Matias. It made him worried. No, it was beyond worry at this point. He wasn't sure what had happened, and he needed to figure it out. He started running back into town, a new sense of determination filling him. He had to go find Matias, or else he wasn't sure what he'd do. Fabian had never realized how much he depended on his friend. It was only occurring to him right now, that Matias was practically the only reason he was even alive. Before he'd met him, Fabian was probably close to dying. Not physically, but mentally.

So if there was anything he could do, he needed to find his best friend. His only friend. He sprinted through the streets, making the people walking around stare at him with shock. What Fabian hadn't realized was that him and Fabian had gotten a bit famous around town. Something like an inseparable duo. They had seen Matias without Fabian, but not very much. But seeing Fabian without Matias, that hadn't been anything anyone had seen at all. Panic and fear started filling the young thirteen-year-old. More and more piled on, bringing Fabian into a state of fight-or-flight or sorts.

He turned a corner, and spotted something he never wanted to see.

One of the buildings in town had collapsed overnight, and Fabian could see rubble completely blocking off the entire street. Fabian hesitated, taking cautious steps towards the destruction. There were crowds of people around the wreckage, forcing Fabian to push through people in order to get to the front.

Red.

Dried blood was splattered across the streets. It made Fabian freeze up, not knowing how to react. He'd never seen such a large amount of blood. He glanced up slightly, spotting the large amount across the boulders as well. Someone had died under those rocks. He decided to listen to the other people around him, trying to determine who it was.

"Who was it…?"

"I don't know…."

"I… I heard it was a young kid."

Fabian's breathing hitched at that comment. "Y-Young?" He mumbled.

The people around him glanced down, spotting Fabian. Much like other people, they realized what exactly was missing. A small realization spread across their faces, connecting the dots much like Fabian. "Oh no…."

"Was it really them…?"

"I'm so sorry…."

Fabian covered his mouth, stepping back and running into someone behind him. He quickly whipped around, looking up at the man above him. His eyes widened, slightly in fear and in sorrow. Before anyone could say anything, he started running away. Tears immediately started building up in his eyes, as he ran.

He kept running, barely paying attention to the people he was running into. He was stumbling, unable to keep himself steady under the crushing realization he'd just made. His emotions suddenly started crashing down on him, crippling him with the pain of what had happened. He dropped down in the middle of the street, bawling his eyes out. It didn't even matter to him that there were countless people watching, he'd lost it. He'd lost it all, and it was his fault. If he hadn't kept Matias out so late, he wouldn't have gotten caught in that collapse.

There was complete silence, as people allowed Fabian to sob out all his emotions. It almost felt as if the entire town had grown silent, Fabian's wails taking up that space. The lonely little thief had found someone to talk to.

But now… that thief was alone, once again. And this loneliness would last for the rest of his life.

At least, that's what the thief thought.