#nabbed

The cold air brushes around you, biting your cheeks like an impatient child. You look down into the atrium below, scouting the layout for any visible traps. You’d gone over the floor plan numerous times before this, yet you still felt unsure you were ready for a break-in of this magnitude. Besides, you knew there were other thieves out there who were interested in the very same piece you were. Whispers in the wind spread about who in the “community” was eyeing the prize, but no one so far had made a move. So now, it was your moment. You were meticulous, and your magic gave you an advantage over regular Muggle cat burglars. You slipped your wand out of the sleeve of your black turtleneck and traced a circle on the glass in front of you. It vanished instantly, just large enough of a hole for you to crawl through. All you had to do was cast a rope charm to lower yourself into the area below.

Once you were suspended in air, you sprinkled a handful of magical powder all around you, watching it filter down toward the ground, revealing multiple laser barriers. Easy pickings. “Oy! Who’s dropping dirt on my head? I’ve already claimed this job, what with me being here and all. Why don’t you show yourself and I won’t turn you in, hmm?”  A voice echoed up to you and you silently cursed yourself for not noticing there was someone already on the floor. And apparently, it was another thief who was already trying to steal your prize! You tried to tilt yourself on the rope so you could get a better look at the other person while remaining hidden in the shadows on the ceiling. From what you could see, the other thief was a male, slightly taller than you, his long hair pulled up in a bun to keep it off his face. The moon shining down past you radiated on his pale skin. You narrowed your eyes; no man-bun-wearing amateur was going to best you when you’d been organizing this heist for over a month!

“I seem to be in possession of the upper hand, considering you haven’t found me yet, good sir. I’ve been preparing for quite sometime… you don’t seriously think that I’m going to just hand the box over to the likes of you, do you?” You pursed your lips, trying to sound as intimidating as possible. However, you were startled when the stranger let out a bark of a laugh, and you slipped down your rope a little, your feet dangling in the moonlight. He looked up and noticed, much to your chagrin. He started walking toward you, and although you scrambled valiantly, your gloved hands slipped and sent you plummeting toward the museum floor. You whipped your wand out and waved at the ground, but you fell so quickly that you came right at the other thief. He caught you with ease, but as you were swinging your wand, you slapped him in the face and he nearly buckled at the impact. Luckily, he held steadfastly and you found yourself eye-to-eye with your new rival.

Up close, you were able to examine the man more closely. He looked fairly young, about your age, and there was an intensity about his features, from the hard lines of his aristocratic mouth and nose to the stormy shadows of his grey eyes. You felt somewhat foolish now, with your stereotypical black beanie and cat-eye mask… maybe you were the baby thief after all. He studied your presence for a moment, flushed against his chest with your arms around his neck. Then, he placed you gently on the ground beside him, out of the way of a nearby laser.

“I don’t think seriously most of the time, but I am Sirius, so does that count? Anyway, I believe that since I’ve just saved your life, you owe me an explanation. Or at least your name.” The ghost of a smirk twitches at the corner of his mouth, causing a blush to skitter up from your chest to your cheeks. The man called Sirius reaches out to pull up your mask, but you step backward and almost set off the alarm. Sirius pulls you toward himself instinctively, rescuing you again from another rookie mistake. You sigh and, without looking into his eyes, slip the mask off and tuck it into your black leather pants.

“It’s Y/N. I can’t believe I’m having to be rescued by some hipster thief with a pretty boy face. I had everything sorted and now I’m getting flustered for no reason…” Sirius cracked into a grin now, feigning offense. With your body still inches from his, he tilts your chin up to look into your eyes. You can feel your breath hitch in your throat and mentally curse.

“I have that effect on people, I’m afraid. It’s a curse, honestly, but it’s mine to bear. Also, hipster?! Just because I've got the bright idea to tie my hair up while working doesn’t make me one of those flannel-wearing, coffee-obsessed peacocks. Any self-respecting gentleman thief has to do whatever it takes to get the prize… then again, maybe getting hit in the face by your wand is the prize that I deserve, hmm Y/N?” He chuckles as he pulls out his hair tie, letting his shaggy hair fall to his shoulders with casual elegance. You grimace, pointing your wand into his chest and rotating around him, now closer to the case where the jewel box was held. No matter how attractive Sirius appears, you can’t let him distract you from your goal. You needed that box more than anything right now.

“Oh boo hoo, poor you. It must be very difficult to be taken Siriusly when you look like that. Is that why you’re playing robber? If you like getting hit by my wand, I’m sure I can arrange to do it again… wait, you know what this is?!” You lower your wand slightly, pointing it in the direction of his pelvis in case he tries anything untoward. His eyes narrow as he continues to smirk at you, almost menacing. He backs you closer to the box display case, his stalking gate like a predator cornering its prey. Your eyes widen slightly as your brain finally processes that this thief is also a wizard who is slowly gaining the upper hand.

“Are you really surprised that the only two thieves who’ve made it this far are wizards? Honestly, I’m impressed that you’re a witch because you’re about as clumsy as a Muggle. Clumsy and joking with puns. Who’s playing now?” Sirius moves closer to you, trailing his fingers up your outstretched wand. This is your moment, no matter how much fear is prickling at the back of your neck. You mutter an incantation and, with a surprisingly-graceful flourish, you plunge your hand through the glass case surrounding the box and clasp a hand around it.

Sirius is finally startled, forced to relinquish his grip on you as you swing around. You ignore him, focusing all of your energy on phasing the box through the now liquid surface of the case. It’s a bit heavier than you imagined, but you manage to wrench it through without a hitch. Sirius just stands behind you, transfixed, as you levitate the box in front of you. When that’s done, you reach into the pack strapped at your waist and fiddle around for something. In a moment, you pull out a small wooden box, not very unlike the jeweled box you removed. You pass your wand over the surface, casting a disguising spell before neatly sliding the object into the place where the treasure sat. You pull the box out of the air and turn back to Sirius, who has finally come to and is staring at you in awe. You raise your eyebrow at him haughtily. He smiles.

“Okay, maybe you’re not so green after all, Y/N. How about I make you a proposition for the box… I imagine you want it because you’re going to sell it to the highest bidder. Fair. What if... we worked together to get an even bigger haul, and sell the whole lot for a castle’s worth of fortune? You may have pulled that off right in front of me, but without me here, you would’ve gotten caught at least twice. I think we’d make a pretty good team, and, as you can tell, I’m a rather agreeable gentleman.” Sirius holds a hand out to you, palm facing up to appear less deceptive. You eye him warily; just a few moments ago, this other wizard had tried to corner you and intimidate you… who was to say he wouldn’t turn around and betray you as soon as you let your guard down. Still, he was right that he’d rescued you. Sirius could have just let you fall, take the box for himself, and left you to take the blame. Perhaps he had acted instinctively during the whole situation, from saving you to stalking you. There was something slightly off about him, like an animal who’d been caged for some time who was every second deciding whether it needed to exact revenge. You didn’t know if you could trust him, but the sincerity glinting in his eyes began to melt away some of your doubt.

“You should never underestimate a cornered cat burglar… she might just transfigure into a lion. I’m not going to pretend I trust you, Sirius whomever you are. But I admit that I appreciate you not letting me die within the span of about 10 minutes, so… I’ll hear your proposal, but not here. I keep the box. You set up the meeting, and I’ll be there. A gentleman can surely take the word of a lady, can’t he?” You press your hand into his, still clutching the box to your chest in the other. A wan smile spreads across his lips, amusement dancing in his dusky gaze. Once more, he moves toward you, this time more gently padding to close the proximity. He looks down at you, flicking his tongue out across his bottom lip pointedly. Your hand tightens on your prize, unsure whether he’s going to make a move on it.

“Okay Y/N, I’ll prove to you that I’m right. A lady’s honor is unquestionable. But… as a gentleman, I suppose I owe you a display of loyalty. Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron entrance to Diagon Alley. Tomorrow at this time; bring the box in your handy little pack.” Sirius leans his head down imperceptibly and, without warning, presses his lips against yours in a chaste kiss. You’re completely caught off guard, but your body reacts separately, returning it with some dash of fervor. He is still holding your hand as he steps backward with you, and his heel strikes into a laser with all the might of Achilles. A bell shrills through the air, breaking the two of you apart. You stare at each other in horror for a moment, as Sirius swears at his stupidity in getting distracted.

“Tomorrow, the brick wall, 11 o’clock. I’ll be there, Sirius. Make a convincing argument, will you, m’lord?” You sweep a leg behind you with a mock curtsey, which brings the light back to his face. He nods, his feet starting to dematerialize right in front of you.

“Until tomorrow, beautiful Y/N…” He whispers across the distance between you, then disappears like a candle winking out. You take that as your cue to leave, and disapparate from the spot, focusing on the vision of your flat’s balcony a few blocks away. You reopen your eyes after the sickening feeling has passed, and you’re perched on the railing of your balcony. Wrapping your legs comfortably to ensure your balance, you run your fingers over your lips, replaying the feeling of Sirius’ soft mouth on yours. You raise your face toward the moon. “See you tomorrow, Sirius.”