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The invitation arrived folded into a perfect triangle of black paper, and sealed with a gold wax that was bright enough to cut. Inconspicuous by itself, but that matter only worsened at the symbol Tobias could recognize even when in a drunken stupor.
A serpent that was mid coil as it swallowed its own tail.
He turned the letter being his fingers, allowing the wax circle to flash as he considered the weight of the implication. It was for a gala, but not just any gala. It was exclusive with masks not as a suggestion but a requirement, and those alone made it dangerous.
This was the kind of place where secrets went to be traded and for trouble to follow shortly after. So naturally, he went dressed in his finest.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
The ballroom glittered like a treasure hoard had spilled open. Countless chandeliers dripped crystal light above, velvet drapes the color of spilled wine hung where needed, and guests hidden behind masks of lacquered gold, porcelain white and feathers littered about.
Tobias slipped inside the room like he belonged there, wearing a coat tailored to perfection, and a simple black and gold mask that paired well with his hat in obscuring a little more than just his eyes. He preferred it that way. Let them underestimate him.
Nobles. Crime lords. Spies pretending to be nobles and nobles pretending to be crime lords. Standard fare until…
"Well, I'll be damned."
That voice. Low, gravel worn, carrying amusement like a loaded gun.
Tobias didn't turn right away, because he didn't need to. Instead the corner of his lips twisted upward until he finally spared a glance over his shoulder.
Malcom Graves stood by the bar with his mask pushed halfway up his forehead like he couldn't be bothered to wear it properly. With that, his broad shoulders, and smug grin, trouble was practically radiating off of him.
"Thought this was supposed to be a classy joint," Graves said, knocking back something amber and expensive. Much different than the practically motor fuel he typically downed in gallons. "Didn't realize they let cardsharps in."
"They don't," Tobias replied smoothly, drifting closer. "I came in through the window."
Graves huffed a laugh, his gaze flickering over to him and lingering for just a second too long. "Yeah, that tracks."
They fell into step easily, like they always did when they weren't gunning for ways to sabotage the other, or Tobias reluctantly swooping Graves out of whatever trouble he had gotten himself into that time. They circled around each other now, their words edged with humor and something sharper underneath.
"You here for business?" Graves questioned with a nod towards the merry crowd of criminals before them.
"Ain't I always?"
"That be what I'm afraid of."
Tobias should've known then that something was off. Graves didn't come to places like this for subtle dealings, hell he wasn't certain the man even knew what subtle meant. Malcom was many things, and a storm in a room full of glass was one of them.
Yet here was, which meant something had already gone wrong.
And it happened fast. Far too fast for most of the room to notice until it was already unfolding.
Graves had just leaned back against the bar, mid sentence, when three figures shifted in the crowd. Their masks were identical, all serpentine and gold, and their movements were every much as graceful as the animal their masks were based off of.
They were not guests for the gala.
They were there for him.
"Ah," Graves noticed, half a second later. "That ain't good."
"No," Cards were already sliding into his palm. "It really isn't. But when is it with you in tow?"
The first attacker moved with a flash of metal in their hand. Gunfire would've caused panic and a mess, so instead they went for something quieter but all the same in deadliness if not watched carefully. Blades were just as swift, and just as merciless.
Graves met them head on, because of course he did, and although he was able to deliver a punch strong enough to cause one to stagger back, another was quick to lunge with a blade in hand. It was then that a golden card snapped through the air, striking the attack mid-motion and locking him in place just long enough for Graves to drive an elbow into his jaw.
"About time you joined the party." Graves grunted.
"Wouldn't miss it."
Four.
Five.
Six.
More were moving, and a quick glance to the side revealed how "guards" were subtly blocking escape routes.
"This was a trap…"
Graves cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, got that part."
Despite everything, Tobias felt a flicker of irritation. Not at the situation, but at the man himself. Because he had walked into this, like he did time and time again. Because he hadn't said anything. Because he would've gotten himself killed if Tobias hadn't been there.
Another attacker lunged, and this time Tobias moved without thinking as the red card struck true, detonating just enough to send the man sprawling.
Graves stared at him for half a second. "Since when do you play hero?"
"Since you started needing one."
That earned a bark of a laugh as the man ducked another strike. "Careful, sweetheart. Someone might think you care."
Those words landed wrong as they hit too close to something Tobias didn't want to examine.
"Move." he snapped instead, grabbing the other man by the coat and pulling him back just as a blade sliced through the space he had just occupied.
By now the room was unraveling as guests scattered in panic and the music faltered. The illusion of refinement that had clung to every surface showed its first crack to reveal the violence underneath. All the while Tobias' mind raced.
They had faced crews of pirates before, and their fair share of ungrateful thugs who couldn't handle having their hands dealt. But those people fought clumsily, and lacked the controlled precision these people did.
They had to be assassins, and if they were to survive, they would need to find an exit.
Now.
"Follow my lead."
"Was plannin' on it."
Tobias exhaled, centering himself as cards flared into existence around his hand. Blue, red, gold, each cycling in a blur. He chose gold, always gold, to freeze the nearest enemy, then a red thrown wide to strike a chandelier chain.
As it collapsed with a chorus of panicked screams, Tobias drew Graves closer by an arm around his waist and then they were gone in a flash of one of his lucky blue. They reappeared just on the outskirts of the property just in time for alarms to finally ring.
Graves staggered, then he laughed all wild and breathless. "Now that be an exit!"
Tobias hadn't let go, but he didn't even realize until Graves glanced down at the arm around his waist and then at their hands which had joined at some point during their teleportation.
"You could've left," Graves said suddenly, his voice lower now. "Back there."
That earned a scoff. "And let you ruin my evening?"
"I'm serious."
Graves looked at him then, really looked, and Tobias felt it like a card drawn he hadn't meant to play.
"I could've, but I didn't."
It was simple, it was honest, maybe too honest, because the truth was…he hadn't hesitated. Not even for a second. Not even when it would've been easier to disappear and slip away like he always had. He stayed…
For Graves.
The realization hit him all at once, as sharp as the blades that had just been going for their heads minutes ago. It wasn't just habit, or convenience, or the thrill of the game. It was…
"Oh…"
"Oh?" Graves raised a brow.
He didn't finish the thought out loud. He couldn't, but it was there now and it was undeniable. It was there in the way his grip hadn't loosened. In the way his gaze kept tracking Graves like losing him wasn't an option. In the way they always found one another despite their attempts to "stay away."
In the way the idea of not being there or arriving too late felt like something had hollowed out his chest.
Love.
Messy. Inconvenient. Dangerous.
Just like everything else in his life.
Graves smirked, misreading the silence like he always had. "Don't tell me yer finally impressed."
Tobias huffed a quiet laugh as he shook his head. "Something like hat."
And for once, he didn't hide the truth behind a trick.