Isaac stared at his reflection.
Experimentally, he pulled his lips into a smile, then quickly slipped back into his usual expression. He tried another variation and finally let out an irritated breath.
Smiling really wasn't easy—especially when you hardly ever did it. The few attempts felt as though they were overtaxing his facial muscles, and even he could tell how unnatural and forced the result looked. A sad attempt, quite literally.
Still, he was determined to practice. He had to convince the cop that he wasn't a threat. And how was he supposed to approach the man if he couldn't even manage to smile? For most people, it seemed completely natural. Even babies could do it after just a few weeks. So why did he fail at it?
"Are you practicing for Halloween, or what exactly are you doing?" a voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Isaac flinched instinctively when he saw Noctis standing behind him in the mirror. His heart skipped for a fraction of a second before pounding so hard he could feel it in his ears.
"Do you always have to sneak up on me like that?" he growled.
Noctis tilted his head in amusement. "Did I scare you?"
"I always expect you, so no," Isaac snorted defiantly. He crossed his arms and briefly looked away in embarrassment.
How long had Noctis been watching him contort his face like that?
"Oh?" Noctis grinned. "That almost sounds like my favorite hermit is longing for company."
"I don't need company," Isaac snapped. "What are you doing here again anyway?"
Noctis shrugged. "I wanted to see you. And honestly, to make sure you hadn't died from your wound after all." His gaze traveled over Isaac's face appraisingly. "You look better than you did a few days ago."
Isaac let out a slow breath. "The antibiotics helped a lot." His eyes met Noctis'. "Thank you, Noctis. If you hadn't helped me, this could have ended very differently."
He meant every word exactly as he said it.
Surprise flickered across Noctis's eyes. "Wow. I never thought I'd hear a sincere thank-you from you."
"Don't get used to it," Isaac replied coolly.
Noctis chuckled softly. "All right, all right." He lifted a bag. "Come on, I brought that disgusting swill you like to drink. Wouldn't want anyone to say I'm not a good guest."
"You're less of a guest and more of a regular intruder," Isaac rolled his eyes. "Besides, you just have no taste. Otherwise you'd at least give a good wine a chance."
"An intruder? Ouch." Noctis smirked and pressed a hand to his chest dramatically. Then he rubbed his chin thoughtfully and finally shook his head. "Thanks, but no. I'll stay loyal to my beloved gin."
"However you manage to get that vile stuff down," Isaac muttered as Noctis left the bathroom and headed into the living room.
"I heard that! Don't insult him!" Noctis called back.
"Then finally stop treating that damn alcohol like it's a living being!" Isaac snapped.
Noctis gasped in outrage, carefully took the bottle in both hands, and lovingly stroked the glass. "Don't listen to him, my old friend. He doesn't mean it," he whispered theatrically to the gin bottle. "Someday Isaac will learn to appreciate your virtues." He blew imaginary dust off the label. "He hasn't even taken proper care of you, you poor thing."
"You're such a damn idiot," Isaac sighed. Still, he took two glasses from the cabinet and followed him into the living room.
By then, Noctis had already opened the bottles. He took the glasses from Isaac's hand and filled them with practiced ease. Then he handed him the half-filled wine glass—only to pull it back slightly at the last moment.
"You're not taking any medication anymore, right?"
"A bit late to ask that, don't you think?" Isaac reached for the glass and took it from his hand.
Maybe a glass of wine wasn't such a bad idea in his current situation. He'd been far too stressed over the past few days, and the pain while working had been unlike anything he'd ever had to endure. Still, he'd managed, and he could allow himself a small reward for that.
He took a small sip and savored the taste of his favorite wine. Isaac briefly closed his eyes and let some of the tension slip away.
"Besides, I'm not stupid enough to take important medication together with alcohol. I took the last pill this morning."
"That's my conscientious Isaac," Noctis said with satisfaction. He took a sip as well and sank into the couch with a soft sigh. "Your couch is damn comfortable."
He sounded exhausted. Dark circles lay beneath his eyes, hard to miss even in the dim light. Isaac hadn't seen him since Thursday, nor had he heard from him.
"Did you have a job?" Isaac finally asked as he leaned back as well, studying Noctis from the side.
Noctis nodded. "Pretty annoying business, but nothing I couldn't handle." He yawned widely and rubbed his eyes briefly. "Just got back."
That seemed to be the end of the topic for him. Since Isaac knew the kind of jobs Noctis did for the Boss, he didn't need any details anyway.
"So?" He tilted his head. "Are you going to tell me what you were doing in the bathroom earlier?"
Isaac tightened his grip on the wineglass instinctively, as if he needed something to hold on to.
"Nothing special," he deflected. "I was just… practicing a bit."
Naturally, Noctis pounced on it immediately. He raised an amused eyebrow and leaned closer to Isaac.
"Practicing?" His lips curled into a grin. "Looked more like you were pulling faces. Trying to scare someone?"
"As if you didn't know exactly what I was trying to do!" Isaac snapped, embarrassed. "Don't pretend you have no idea just to annoy me."
Noctis chuckled softly. "All right, all right, I'll stop." Still, he studied Isaac with undisguised amusement. "But seriously—you should keep practicing. Your smile is really… creepy."
He snuggled deeper into the couch cushions, clearly pleased with himself.
Isaac shot him an irritated look, which immediately set Noctis laughing again.
"But tell me," Noctis began after a while, taking a sip of gin, "why are you trying so hard with this cop?" His voice turned more thoughtful. "Why are you putting in so much effort for the cop? I thought more carefully about what you said. Wouldn't it be easier to get him involved in—let's say—an accident and simply read his notebook? You don't even have to steal it. Just reading it would be enough to give you an advantage, and you'd be rid of that annoying cop too."
Of course Isaac had thought about it. More than once. And every time, he had gotten stuck at the same point.
He took another sip of wine, taking his time before answering. "You know exactly what the Boss thinks of dead cops," he said calmly at last. "He doesn't want dirt in his city. Every one of his chess pieces stays exactly where it is—unless he personally gives the order to kill someone."
Noctis raised an eyebrow. "That's why I'm talking about an accident. No one can really argue with that." A crooked smile appeared on his face. "And believe me, I can make it look so clean that no one will suspect a thing."
"No." Isaac's voice was firm, without hesitation. "The Boss mustn't find out. And you know just as well as I do that he's informed about everything that happens in this city."
Noctis snorted. "You're acting like the Boss cares about every single person here." His gaze was sharp. "He should really be grateful to have people like you who follow him blindly."
Isaac lowered his eyes to his glass for a moment before replying quietly, "I don't follow him blindly."
Noctis let out a slow breath. "You really are a damn stubborn bastard," he muttered at last. Then he looked up again. "Fine. Change of subject. How's it going with the cop?"
"We talked this morning."
Noctis raised a brow. "And?"
"There is no 'and,'" Isaac replied curtly.
For a moment, he considered telling Noctis about the other clan. About the fact that the cop had seen him chase them away. But he discarded the thought immediately.
If Noctis found out, the cop would be a dead man. And that couldn't happen.
"We have a bet," Isaac said finally. "Or did I misunderstand that?"
A challenging smile spread across Noctis's lips. "We do."
"If everything goes wrong, you can still kill him," Isaac said. "Until then, let me try it this way."
Noctis tilted his head. "And?" His gaze slid appraisingly over Isaac's face. "Do you know yet what you'll wish for if you win?"
Right. Isaac hadn't thought about that at all since those idiots from the other clan had come into the café. There had simply been too much going on, and he wouldn't even know what to wish for anyway. He had everything he needed, and he'd only accepted the bet so Noctis wouldn't get any stupid ideas.
Noctis leaned closer. He took Isaac's chin in his hand and tilted his face toward him.
"Isaac," Noctis said softly. His voice sounded almost like a purr.
Isaac's heart began to race. Noctis was so close that only a few centimeters separated them. He swallowed, searching for an escape. Why did Noctis always have to get so close to him?
"Why are you so curious?" Isaac asked, pulling back slightly.
But Noctis followed his movement gently. Up close, he looked incredibly tired. Dark circles framed his eyes, yet he looked at him with that amused expression that told Isaac he was thoroughly enjoying the situation.
"Oh? Since when do you have that teasing tone?" he asked, amused. His thumb brushed lightly over Isaac's cheek.
Heat rose in Isaac's face. He pushed Noctis gently but firmly away and turned his gaze, trying to regain his composure.
"Stop it," he murmured, embarrassed. "Your ridiculous ways are rubbing off on me."
"Are you saying you're learning from me?" Noctis's voice carried that suggestive undertone that threw Isaac off every single time.
"Unfortunately, nothing useful," Isaac replied dryly.
Noctis smirked. "You're not denying it," he said triumphantly. "So?" He leaned a little closer. "Want to learn other things from me?"
His voice dropped to a lazy whisper, sending shivers down Isaac's spine. Reluctantly, he felt his body respond to the closeness. What things did he mean? At this point, knowing Noctis, it could damn well be anything.
"I-I can do without that," he said hastily.
What if this bastard meant something physical?
Then again, Noctis got right up in his space but never actually did anything. It was always just teasing, driving Isaac crazy, and he knew perfectly well that Noctis was only playing with him. Simply because that was his character.
"Shame…" Noctis murmured, tiredly.
But before Isaac could escape and get away, Noctis rested his head on Isaac's chest and stayed completely still. He lay half on top of him in a position Isaac couldn't really call comfortable.
Isaac held his breath.
What the hell is he planning now?
"N-Noctis?" he asked quietly. But Noctis didn't move. He lay heavily on him, breathing slow and steady.
…Has he fallen asleep?
Carefully, Isaac shook him. No response. Instead, Noctis draped an arm around him and snuggled closer, as if he'd been searching for exactly that spot.
Isaac tried to push him off, to at least get him a little way down from himself. But Noctis was heavy, and every movement made Isaac's gunshot wound throb painfully. His muscle protested, burned, simply refusing to function.
Finally, Isaac gave up and let his head sink wearily against the backrest.
He would have liked to wake Noctis, but he had looked so utterly exhausted that there was no way he had fallen asleep on him intentionally. Isaac exhaled slowly. Besides, Noctis had helped him after his injury. He hadn't ratted him out to the Boss, and he had been there when Isaac truly needed help.
He deserved this rest. Even if Isaac was now trapped underneath him.
At least I went to the bathroom first, he thought dryly.
Carefully, he adjusted himself as best he could without waking Noctis. He reached for one of the softer couch cushions and tucked it under his head. A quiet sigh escaped him as he finally found a somewhat comfortable position.
His heart was still racing faster than normal. Of all people, the one who regularly embarrassed him with his teasing and made him behave so differently than usual was now asleep on top of him. Absentmindedly, Isaac ran his hand through Noctis's dark hair. It was surprisingly soft, and he smelled good.
Had he showered before coming here?
If Noctis had been that tired, why had he even come by? He could have just slept at home.
Isaac sighed quietly. He still had so much to do.
When Noctis woke up, he would definitely kick him out and get back to the painting. He had already wasted enough time. But Noctis continued to sleep peacefully, and eventually Isaac's own eyelids grew heavy. His hand still rested in Noctis's hair as his eyes closed.
He shouldn't have given in to the wine and should have sent him home immediately. But he hadn't drunk with him in a long time, and the thought of not being completely alone that evening outweighed his desire for rest.
Noctis's weight bothered him less and less, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep too.
It was so pleasantly warm that he didn't even miss his blanket.