Money Heist // t.h.

1 - Now

The day had gone exactly as you had expected. You sat in your uncomfortable chair, ignoring the cracking of your spine as you dealt with all the same-old customers. Receiving deposits and loan payments, cashing cheques, issuing savings withdrawals, getting yelled at as any of the before mentioned did not manage to work out as planned... it was hell.

The air conditioner in the building had been defective for a week now, and still, nobody had cared enough to call for a repair guy. It hadn't been a problem at first, but it was slowly becoming that as you were trying to cool yourself down with some scraps of paper, you could find around your desk. You had already received several complaints, as if it was your fault, from people standing in line that it was too damn hot in here. Well, bad luck.

Because of this, it was also very strange to see three men walk into the bank, all dressed in thick jackets, gloves and... ski masks?

Before you could even begin to comprehend what was happening, one of them pulled out a gun from underneath his jacket. The few people around in the bank quickly scurried away into the corners of the room, a few pathetic squeals escaping them. The two other men pulled out their own weapons, and the middle one spoke up with a fake southern drawl.

"Now we aint want no trouble here, so just keep to yo'self and we will be on our way." He locked eyes with you; at least that's what it felt like for a second before he had made his way to you. You tried to stand still, ignoring your trembling hands and fast-beating heart. But, of course, this had to happen on a Wednesday afternoon, one of the moments where the bank was at its slowest. And without a doubt, it had to happen right after you had told your co-worker to go and have her break now, at the coffee shop a block away. You had had to convince her that it was okay, that nothing ever happened on days like this. There were four people in the bank, excluding you, so there was really nothing to be worried about.

And of course, it was the one coworker who never kept to her time. Whose 20-minute breaks somehow always ended up being over an hour-long, meaning she would stay gone for a long time.

The man strutted toward you, his shoulders broad and confident. You had just been finishing up with a client, and at the sound of the three men, the poor woman had fallen down to the ground at the side of the counter. From where you had been sitting, you could just about see the top of her perm peaking out. The man stopped his walk a few feet away from you and looked down at the woman. She had clearly gotten the sign and ran off to the other three customers, who were now huddled together in a corner, under the supervision of the two other masked men. You did notice, though, that they didn't seem to be very bothered by the horrified venerable.

You also just noticed the duffle bag the man in front of you held, and you couldn't help but flinch at the moment he threw it on the counter. There was glass separating you, but he was still carrying the firearm.

He leaned in, ticking his finger on the glass, telling you to lean forward.

"You gon' open up that door for me, sweetheart?" He jerked his head toward the door at the end of the row of counters, separating the waiting space and the bank tellers' desks... but most importantly, also the vaults.

You nodded quickly and made your way over to the door, ignoring the panic button on your way there. You weren't panicking, after all. The door unlocked with a click, and the robber casually made his way through.

It being a small bank in a middle-of-nowhere town, where nothing ever happened, the security measures were minimal. The only cameras that worked were the ones at the main entrance, and they had the parameter of... not enough. Inside, the only security measure really was you and your supposed nerves of steel that you didn't really hold on to.

Well, there was one more camera in the building, right at the entrance of the vault, but it was more for the show ever since it stopped working two years ago. It meant that once you were behind that door, no one could see or hear what you were doing.

"I thought you would go with an Aussie accent," you said, opening up the vault door with your key card. The man pulled off his balaclava, storing it in his pocket and unzipped his jacket.

"Yeah, I chickened out. But you," he pulled you close, "you did brilliantly." And with that, he closed the gap between the two of you. There was not a doubt in your mind to kiss your boyfriend back. When you pulled away, his words still puzzled you.

"I didn't do anything, though,"

"I wouldn't say that, darling." He kissed you softly before stepping into the vault. "Do I have to remind you that you're the brain behind this whole operation?"