1.2 | The Prince of Thieves

Chapter 16

A/N: I am still accepting prompts for TPOT one shots! Let me know in the comments below :)

~

There's no way.

He stared at his phone in disbelief. That voice. He was still unable to comprehend what he had heard. It wasn't real. Or was it? Slowly, he placed his phone down on his desk, then looked about him as if in a daze. His heart was thumping wildly, he realised, and he was finding it hard to breathe. An iron band seemed to have found its way around his chest, squeezing the air out of his lungs. He choked on his own breath, and his hand flew to his chest to rub at it.

In.

Out.

A deep sigh left his parted lips and he shook his head.

This was all an elaborate trick, wasn't it?

And yet, the alert half of him was unable to satiate his own curiosity.

~

Leon went alone. He had decided against bringing anyone with him. This was something he had to explore by himself, he felt. Mickey would be too protective, Dom had no context of his prior relationship, and anyone else, he thought, would be out of the question. 

He gave the lapels of his coat a sharp tug as he took heavy, reluctant steps up the front door of The Belnord. A neatly dressed bellboy opened the glass doors with a cheery 'Good afternoon' and ushered him into a lobby panelled in rich, brown wood. He took his time to look around. The hotel bore an old world charm, amplified by the tulip-shaped lamps that lined the walls. Here and there, guests milled about, whether to check in or to check out.

In one corner of the lobby, Val had gotten up. He slowly made his way to him, and Leon, bracing for the worst, stood his ground.

'You didn't bring anyone with you,' he stated.

'Should I have brought them?' he questioned.

His cousin stared back at him, his demeanour calm.

'Let's go,' he said, then turned away.

Leon eyed his retreating back steadily with a curled lip, then picked up the pace. He followed him carefully, making sure to keep a distance apart, then went along with Val into the escalator. He endured the awkward silence by staring up at the ceiling before they alighted on the twenty-fifth floor. Here, the presence of two armed guards piqued his interest, but he was careful to maintain his features. Val produced a key card, then ushered him into the room.

He entered a spacious living room dressed with blue highlights that lent the suite a nautical atmosphere. The curtains at the further end were partially drawn. Someone had obviously been living there for a while, what with the box of unopened snacks sitting on the kitchen counter, the coat that had been haphazardly tossed over the couch and the pile of reading material on the coffee table that certainly didn't seem to belong to the hotel.

'What's this about?' he questioned. Who exactly lived here? Not Val, he supposed. Who was he here to meet? He slowly took in the rest of the rooms from his spot in the living room. Only one bedroom seemed to be occupied while the other was left untouched and in the dark. That voice. Val hadn't said much after that. It was all in his imagination, wasn't it? He didn't have to come. And yet. He had to be sure.

'You'll soon see,' Val replied calmly.

There was the sound of running water. His head instantly turned to the occupied bedroom. Then there was silence for a while before the knob was turned and the door opened. Like in a day dream, he stood arrested in his spot as a mirage appeared. His eyes widened. His breath stopped. And he instinctively took a step back.