Chapter Text
It was too late in the night to be awake, but here Laurent was anyway. There were still things Oz, Cynthia and he had to figure out, especially this close to the end. He absentmindedly made his way to the office till he was stopped mid-step.
“Makoto is inside. I don’t think we should interrupt,” Cynthia warned and guided them to the kitchen island.
Laurent had a pretty good grasp on Japanese but Makoto’s accent was a lot stronger than he had heard before. He could feel Cynthia ignoring his not-so-subtle attempt at eavesdropping and minding her own business.
“I think we should do whatever you want to do tomorrow. This might not end anytime soon.”
He nodded absentmindedly, “You should go catch some sleep then,” and his attention went back to the muffled noise behind the closed door. He registered Cynthia’s door click in the back of his mind and then the talking stopped.
Laurent prided himself on reading people. That was his job. He had to be good at reading people to turn on them. Play to their weakness, and exploit their blind spots. If he were a better person he would have mourned the part of him that could simply exist around people. If he were a better person, he’d wish he could have used that same skill to comfort someone without knowing he could just as easily make them fall into his trap.
But when he saw how utterly broken Edamura looked when he walked out of the room, he almost acted on that silly thought. “I care about you,” he’d said, and meant it for the first time in a long time. In ways, he didn’t want to unpack yet. In ways he didn’t think he could ever feel again. Yet, he could see the damage he had done wasn’t so easily reversible. Makoto’s sneer spoke a million words, loudest of all, it screamed liar . He honestly felt relieved that his weakness bore no witness. Then a tear slipped from the younger’s eyes and he wished that wasn’t true.
So, when he kissed him, he wished he were a better person. Someone Makoto could trust. Someone he could be vulnerable with. Someone who could make him feel better- tear him apart and put him back together. He wished… and he wished… and he wished. With every kiss, every touch, every breath, he wished.
But when the morning came, the wishes remained with the stars, because who he was was never going to change. He looked at the other boy tangled in the sheets, still keeping his distance from Laurent, even in his sleep. As the sun streamed through the curtains, he forced himself to get his head back in the game and left the sincerity he accidentally let slip the previous night with someone who he knew deserved it and wouldn’t trust it.
Laurent felt like his footing was unsteady for the rest of the day. He hated feeling out of his element, but he knew it would go away. It always did. With his stride, confident as ever, he walked into Farrow’s office. Not the one they usually go to, but the one set up in a hidden warehouse just outskirts of Paris.
He smiled a lazy smirk as he was let into the compound. “Well well, fancy seeing you here Mr Andre Allard. Don’t think we’ve formally met.” He extended his hand ignoring Abby as she set up her equipment.
“Likewise Mr Thierry,” he smiled unaware that the upper hand he presumed to have is not his, “I hope you don’t mind if we give you a quick pat down.”
Laurent almost pitied the poor bastard but retracted his hand anyway. It never failed to amuse him that what bad guys were scared of was getting caught by the presumably ‘good’ ones, and not being outdone by someone more cunning. Laurent wasn’t complaining. The arrogance is exactly what made his job easier.
“And the ring,” Andre asked.
“ Both you and I know better than to show all our cards to the first meeting,” he spoke in French knowing it was likely to wind him up. Laurent was trying to play his hand carefully. There is a tight line to walk when conning a conman, and Laurent thrived in that liminal space.
“ And soon you’ll know better than to disappoint me, Mr Thierry, ” he replied curtly.
Laurent smiled coyly, and whipped the ring box from under his sleeve, “I wouldn’t dare to.” Sitting snug on the red velvet inside was probably the best counterfeit diamond ring he’d ever laid eyes on. He’d personally handled its production and had Cynthia take it around the globe to garner attention months before the con had even sprouted a cohesive sprig.
It was as close to perfect as it could be, and he made sure of it. He also made sure that both Farrow and Andre were eager to get their sticky fingers on it and came searching for him instead.
Andre’s laughter filled the room, “Funny man you are, Laurent Thierry.”
He recognised the sinister undertones to the statement and obliged and dropped his smile, “My apologies.”
“Funny man indeed,” he sneered as Farrow nodded an acknowledgement. She took the ring from his hand with such poise and confidence, that he almost believed she had nothing to lose if this deal didn't go well. She was walking the same tight line and that's what made this game fun.
“Hello beautiful,” he said to Abby, who didn't bother to reply. She took the ring carefully with her gloved hand from Farrow. Laurent was buzzing with excitement now that the final boss of the game was in front of them. And yet, something felt different.
“What are you moping about?”
Makoto registered Cynthia’s voice but he had a lot more going on his mind than he was willing to let on. He shrugged.
“Do you want to talk about last night,” she asked again, voice much softer than before.
But he kept typing away on the laptop, which wasn’t even his. But that was the point. He wanted to leave as many false trails as he could, and considering he had been kidnapped into this heist, he had the advantage of access to all of their devices. His phone, the only device he had carried with him, would have to wait for last. He couldn’t focus on what she was saying, let alone actually answer. So he shrugged again.
“Listen, Edamura, I know it's hard with this life to feel like any relationship is sincere. It's harder still to maintain a relationship as loving as the one your parents had. You should give him a chance to explain himself. If I know anything about Oz-”
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, “Cynthia, while I appreciate it, it's fine. It’s just a lot to wrap my head around. I know dad loved my mom. It is not about that though. But, thank you.” Makoto knew she cared about him. But he also didn’t want one more person to tell him how to feel about the situation at hand. He was tired. He wanted to get away.
She nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. A long while passed as they sat there in silence doing their own thing. The silence, however, was just as much a curse for him right now, because eventually the same thoughts he’s been trying to keep at bay crept in.
Nothing. You are nothing. A nobody. Nobody wants you.
That’s fine. He didn’t want anybody either.
Ha. Liar.
Focus, he told himself. Just focus . He could spiral all he wanted when he was out of here.
He saw the concerned looks from his dad and Dorothy, but he ignored them, just as he did Cynthia. Just as he has been doing about Laurent and last night. He needed to focus now. Everything else could wait. Everyone else seemed to think that about Makoto and his feelings, and only felt right to do the same right now.
Laurent felt drained. It wasn’t a particularly long day, but it felt like one. His gut churned with something noxious he couldn’t get to stop. He hated it. He hated having to deal with it. All that, and he still didn’t want to go home.
Standing in front of the door his hand wavered. But he took comfort in the fact that the person he wanted to avoid would probably be running away at the sight of him anyway. The thought, however set out a fresh set of noxious feelings that he’d barely managed to curb.
He breathed in slowly and intentionally and contemplated taking another round around the block when the door opened.
“Oh, uh,” Edamura’s eyes widened as he froze in place.
“Hello to you too,” Laurent replied, “a little late in the night to be taking a walk, don’t you think?” He ignored the emotions that were bubbling up.
“Uh,” his hands fidgeted for a moment and then they stopped, “I think it’s none of your business what I do,” and walked past him.
“Ah yes,” he had his hands in his pockets “But today it unfortunately is.” Makoto ground his teeth beside Laurent, refusing to meet his eye, but Laurent refused to look away. “You can take your walk later Edamame, we have things to discuss today.”
They didn’t.
He could have easily done this tomorrow. Or the day after. And despite all his inhibitions about meeting those amber eyes again, he didn’t want them out of sight for too long. Not today. Especially not today.
He wrapped his arm around the other’s waist and spun him so they faced each other. Makoto was startled and tried to pull away. His grip stayed strong, “I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye before leaving,” he whispered.
Makoto’s gaze wavered, still resolutely avoiding his, but the red on the tip of his ears gave him away. “You never do.”
“So you’re upset for a different reason then?”
“I told you that I don’t expect anything from you.”
“What if I wanted you to?”
At that he looked directly at him for the first time all day, eyes cold as the air outside, “I don’t want to, Laurent.”
Laurent felt like the air was punched out of his lungs as he pushed him away. He smirked; the coy mask made him feel safer. Makoto stood there for a while longer waiting for Laurent to say something. When he didn’t, Makoto sighed and walked in.
Abby removed the gloves she was wearing and put them neatly in a corner as Farrow walked in.
“Anything else you need to be done for the night?” So close to the end is when they need to be most vigilant. If her past experiences are anything to go by, Murphy's law applied to the penultimate chapter of every con she's been a part of. It's always about how creatively you can make it work in your favour. As much as she hated it, that's where Laurent's expertise lay and that's why she will happily be a part of his little team when he asks for it.
“Just one thing,” Farrow said, “Edamura Makoto. I need you to find him and let him know his precious family ring is about to be sold.”
Abby didn’t attempt to hide her confusion because even to Petra the authenticator, this request didn’t make sense. “You want me to tell the husband? Doesn’t Andre want to purchase the ring?”
“And he will. You’ll learn soon enough, darling, that when you’re working with people in the business of lying, you have to keep them on their toes if you want to get your way. It’s the job.”
“But, what if he doesn’t-”
“Trust me. I know his kind. He’ll want to get rid of the merchandise sooner which means he’ll be more pliable to our bargain,” she slipped her a piece of paper. “This is his number and where you can find him. I’m sure you’ll charm your way into his mind.” Abby nodded. “Get it done by tomorrow. Call me if you need any more details. He’s a naive one, won’t take you too much time to convince,” Farrow said with the confidence of someone who’d kept detailed notes on him for months.
“Consider it done.”
Why did she have to be the one to break Makoto’s heart again? The bastard who calls himself the ‘mastermind’ of this operation should. She almost considered letting Laurent know before going to Makoto, but fuck that bastard. If fate had its plans set, who was she to deny it? Laurent will get to know… eventually. For right now, she needed to go do some plotting with one Edamura Makoto. She’d be damned if she let that fool be broken over a con again.