"There you are at last!" Noah called out to them the moment the door opened.
His face was beaming so exuberantly that Isaac had to blink for a moment. Before either of them could reply, Noah rushed forward and threw his arms around Isaac's neck. The hug was tight, almost overenthusiastic, as if he hadn't seen them in weeks.
"I missed you!"
Isaac lightly patted his back while Noah let go again and immediately turned to Noctis to greet him just as stormily.
"You have no idea how happy I am that you came," Noah said, stepping back to wave them inside. "Come in, come in!"
With springy steps he was already disappearing back into the apartment. Isaac lingered briefly in the doorway and shot Noctis a narrow, irritated glance.
"He's definitely planned something," Isaac snorted. "Whatever he's up to—once the meeting's over, I'm gone."
The corners of Noctis's mouth lifted into a barely concealed smirk.
"You really want to break his heart? Poor guy."
His tone sounded sympathetic, but the glint in his eyes made it clear he didn't mean a word of it. He leaned a little closer to Isaac so that only he could hear the next words.
"No problem. I wouldn't mind continuing what we started in the shower anyway." His voice dropped even lower. "And honestly, sooner rather than later."
Isaac's heart immediately skipped a beat. The memory alone sent warmth spreading through his body. For a brief moment he lost himself in the thought—in the closeness, the heat, Noctis's breath on his skin. He gave a slight nod and couldn't stop his gaze from drifting to Noctis's lips for a moment.
Then he let out a quiet, annoyed sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
"Let's get this over with."
"After you, darling."
Together they walked into the living room.
They followed Noah inside, where several snacks and drinks were already laid out on the table. The room smelled of garlic dip, chips, and freshly cut vegetables. Ashe was sitting, as always, in her armchair, typing something into her laptop.
"Isaac."
She stood immediately up and walked straight toward him to pull him into a brief but firm hug.
"I'm glad you're doing better," she said quietly.
When she let go, she studied his face closely. Her gaze lingered a moment too long on his lip, where a dark scab was still visible. The bruise on his cheek had faded somewhat, but it was still clearly there.
"You really are doing better, right?" she asked.
Isaac nodded. "Don't worry."
Ashe crossed her arms and slowly exhaled.
"But I do worry."
Her gaze briefly drifted to Noah, who had just disappeared into the kitchen, presumably to get some glasses. Then she looked at Noctis.
"Nice of you to come as well," she said, gesturing toward the couch. "Have a seat."
They sat down on the couch. Ashe dropped back into her armchair while Noah brought drinks after asking everyone what they wanted. Since he had even bought Isaac's favorite wine, Isaac poured himself a glass.
He wasn't planning to work that night anyway. The painting was finished; only the copy was still missing. From experience, he knew the second painting wouldn't take nearly as long as the original, so he had promised Noctis he would set aside Friday evening for him.
Granted, that promise had come after Noctis had spent quite some time nagging him about his nonexistent work–life balance and how lonely he felt when they didn't meet regularly or take time for each other. Still, he had been right about what he said. So Isaac was trying to adjust his schedule. After all, he was no longer alone. Noctis belonged to him now, just as he belonged to Noctis.
Noctis sat relaxed on the couch, one leg loosely crossed over the other, a glass in his hand. From the outside he appeared calm as always, almost bored. But Isaac knew by now how deceptive that impression could be.
Strange.
Isaac had spent most of his life alone—and if he was honest, for a long time he had even preferred it that way. Working alone, deciding alone, living alone. Yet lately it felt unfamiliar to think in terms of I.
More and more often, a quiet we slipped into his thoughts.
It had been a subtle change, barely noticeable. And yet by now it carried weight. The thought pleased him a little more with each passing day.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered across Isaac's lips.
Noctis noticed the look immediately.
"Something wrong?" he asked with amusement, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Isaac shook his head with a faint smile. "No. It's nothing."
There was no way he could let Ashe and Noah see that there was something going on between them. That was none of their business. So he looked away from Noctis again and focused on the other two.
"What did you want to talk about?" Isaac asked once Noah had finally sat down as well.
Noah dropped onto the edge of an armchair and reached for a bowl of chips.
"About the last job," Ashe replied before he could say anything. She crossed her arms and looked from one of them to the other. "Some very disturbing things happened," she continued. "And I'd like to analyze together exactly what happened—and, more importantly, consider what we need to do differently on the next mission."
That makes sense, Isaac thought.
"Should I start?" he asked.
"Go ahead. Once you and Noah have told your sides of the story, I have a few things I want to share with you as well."
So Isaac began to recount everything from the moment he had stepped out of the painting and entered the museum. He talked about the traps and the fights. He didn't leave out the tear gas, nor the fact that it had caused him to damage the painting.
What he did leave out was the boss's reaction afterward. He only said that the boss had been dissatisfied with his performance. He also didn't omit that the boss had apparently been unable to sell the painting.
In the end, the success of the job—and their payment—had depended on Isaac. If he obtained the desired object, the mission was considered successful. It was only truly completed once the painting had been sold without damage or other complications.
He still hadn't dared to check his account, but he assumed this job had gone unpaid. When it came to money, the boss did not make half measures. Besides, Isaac felt bad that Ashe and Noah had suffered losses as well because of his poor performance.
"I'm sorry. I messed up the job," he concluded at last, looking into the completely stunned faces of Ashe and Noah.
Ashe brought a hand to her temple and slowly massaged it, as if she were getting a headache.
"Wait a second—when exactly did the gas hit you?"
Isaac tilted his head slightly. "When I took the painting."
Ashe closed her eyes briefly and exhaled slowly. Then she looked at him again.
"I don't think I've ever been this glad that you came back alive as I am right now. That could have gone wrong more than once."
"I know," Isaac agreed calmly. "If I'd still been able to see anything, the painting probably would have reached the boss without any damage."
Ashe grimaced.
"Honestly, it's a miracle you got out of there alive at all if you were practically blind," she said. Then she paused briefly as another thought occurred to her. "Wait… they shot at you. Please tell me they didn't hit you."
Isaac slowly raised his hand.
His little finger had been set back into place, but the skin around it was still covered in bluish-green bruises. The swelling had gone down by now, but the discoloration was still clearly visible.
"I got a few scratches and dislocated my little finger. That's all."
Ashe let out a stressed breath. "I hope you realize how close that was."
Isaac only nodded. He was aware of it, but there had been nothing he could have done about it. The situation had been bad, and he had done everything he could to get out of there. He didn't know how he had managed it, but he had been grateful that every single bullet had missed him.
Noah ran a frustrated hand over his face. "That's why he was acting so strange…" he muttered. Then he fixed his gaze on Isaac. His expression was hard—so different from how Isaac knew him. For the first time since Isaac had known him, Noah actually seemed angry. "What did he do to you?"
Ashe frowned.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, confused. Then she looked at Isaac. "Did something happen?"
"He was dissatisfied," Isaac said quietly. The conversation was going in completely the wrong direction. He needed to steer it somewhere else. His gaze shifted to Noah. "What actually happened on your—"
"He hit him, insulted him, and yelled at him," Noctis said dryly.
Isaac spun around and shot him a sharp, furious look.
But Noctis merely shrugged indifferently, as if he had just stated something entirely trivial.
"What?!" Noah and Ashe exclaimed at the same time. Their looks were incredulous, their voices outraged.
Noah jumped up so abruptly that the table trembled slightly. In two quick steps he went around it and grabbed Isaac by the shoulders. His grip was firm. His face looked both angry and hurt at the same time.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked. "I was there!"
Isaac blinked in surprise. "Because… the conversation was over."
Noah stared at him as if he had just given the stupidest answer imaginable.
"You're such a damn stubborn idiot!" His fingers dug uncomfortably into Isaac's shoulders. "I could have helped you! I could have explained to him what happened there! Ashe kept me updated the whole time!"
Isaac winced slightly.
"Noah, could you maybe—"
"Damn it, Isaac!" he interrupted. "We're there for each other! You help me, I help you!" His voice almost cracked with frustration. "Sure, you supposedly never need help," he continued, "but that doesn't mean I'm not still willing to help you!"
Isaac sighed quietly.
"That wouldn't have changed anything," he said calmly. "The damage had already been done at that point."
Noah stared at him and let go.
"What damage?"
Isaac raised his eyebrows slightly. Noah crossed his arms.
"As far as I know, Father sold the painting as planned."
Isaac blinked. Once. Then again. Slowly he looked up at Noah, who was still seething with anger.
"What?"
Ashe nodded. "I received my payment as usual," she said. "The job is considered completed. There were no deductions."
For a moment Isaac said nothing.
His gaze drifted to Noctis. Noctis's look clearly said: Told you so.
It had already shocked him when he had seen the pictures from Noctis. Hearing it confirmed now by Noah and Ashe was downright unsettling.
But why did he lose it like that then? Did something else happen that evening?
All of it stressed him. He took another deep sip of his wine, set the glass down, and then promptly emptied it in one gulp.
"I know you always try to handle everything on your own, but we're a team," Ashe said with a smile. Her gaze briefly shifted to Noah. "Don't forget that I always keep an eye on everything, and Noah is always ready to come to you immediately."
Just as Isaac was always ready to help him—but he only did that because the boss demanded that Noah remain safe. So what reason did Noah and Ashe have to help him? Isaac wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he simply nodded.
"You're allowed to ask for help. Never forget that, Isaac. Okay?" Ashe said with a gentle smile.
"Ugh!" Noah's indignant outburst cut through the calm atmosphere. "How can he just hurt you and then go out to eat with me like nothing happened?!"
He threw his hands into the air.
"What an idiot!" His voice almost cracked. "He adopted you! That means you're part of the family, damn it!"
Ashe groaned softly and rubbed her forehead for a moment.
"Calm down, Noah," she said irritably. "It makes me angry too, but yelling about it here isn't helping at all."
"But Ashe!"
Noah looked at her in frustration, as if she had just said something completely incomprehensible. A moment later the two of them were already in the middle of a heated discussion. Isaac barely listened anymore.
His mind wouldn't stop. Thoughts spun in circles, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't find any clear explanation for any of it.
Something else must have happened. Otherwise he would never have reacted like that.
He decided that he would only drive himself further insane if he kept overthinking the issue. He wouldn't find an answer anyway as long as he hadn't spoken to the boss.
But did he want to?
Noctis leaned back into the couch and placed his arm along the backrest behind Isaac.
"So what's the situation like for you out there, Noah?"
His voice was loud enough to interrupt the verbal sparring between the two. Noah's head immediately turned in his direction. His usual grin instantly returned to his face, as if someone had flipped a switch.
"They're not using pistols outside yet," he explained. "But they've already tried to get me with tasers."
He shrugged.
"However, they never really get close enough to me. I'm usually pretty well prepared for that."
"Though the ink monsters don't really provide you with any protection, do they?" Ashe asked.
Noah shook his head. "Isaac reinforced the talisman, so I'm pretty safe—even if I'm surrounded by that many police officers," he said with a confident grin.
"The talisman is meant to protect you," Isaac said. "But it won't be able to protect you if they decide to fill you with bullets."
Noah made a dismissive gesture with his hand.
"Your talisman has always protected me so far," he said lightly. "I have a lot of faith in your abilities."
Isaac exhaled slowly.
"Still, don't get yourself into unnecessary trouble," he replied seriously. "With your talisman and my portals, there are already two spells active at the same time. If you additionally summon your ink monsters, that makes three spells I have to maintain simultaneously. Depending on how things are going in the museum, my ability to act is limited. As I said, the talisman is there for protection—but it's not a shield."
Noctis raised an eyebrow slightly. "You maintain three spells at the same time while breaking in and stealing objects?"
Isaac nodded briefly.
"It's not particularly exhausting," he explained. "I just can't lose my concentration. As soon as I return, I dissolve all the spells again—except for the talisman."
Noctis stared at him for a moment. "The talisman is permanently active?"
"Yes," Isaac replied dryly. "It's my job to protect Noah. And I can hardly stand next to him twenty-four hours a day."
Noctis looked at him as if he had lost his mind, but before he could say anything, Noah jumped in.
Noah leaned forward excitedly. "Really? I always wear it because you made it for me, but I didn't even know it was active the whole time!"
Isaac didn't respond immediately. Instead, he reached for the wine bottle and poured himself another glass. The matter with the boss weighed heavily on his mind. The thought of it kept gnawing at him, even as he tried to focus on the conversation.
With every sip of wine, the feeling dulled at least a little.
At the same time, he couldn't deny that the information about Noah's safety relieved him. Isaac had been accustomed for years to maintaining magic— even in his sleep. For him, it was little more than a steady current running in the background of his consciousness.
He set the glass down and held out his hand to Noah.
"That reminds me—I should recharge it again. Give it to me," he said after taking another sip of wine.
Noah handed him the leather bracelet. It showed signs of being worn every day, yet it was still in fairly good condition. Isaac imagined his magic flowing into the bracelet and closed his hand around the accessory. Nothing remarkable happened—nothing glowed or shimmered. He spoke no words and did nothing that would draw attention to himself.
And yet they were all staring at him expectantly, as if he were performing the trick of the century.
Especially Noctis's gaze, which burned into his side. So Isaac closed his eyes to focus on reinforcing the talisman.
Isaac had carried magic within him for as long as he could remember. However, he had never had a teacher who explained any of it to him. Everything he knew, he had somehow taught himself. The magic itself had shown him what he could do—and what he could not.
He could create portals and weave protective spells into objects. He could not maintain more than three spells at once. He could only influence things that possessed physical form. If he made them himself, the spells worked best—which was why he always painted the portals personally.
He had also imbued Noah's sketchbook with magic and given him permission to bring whatever he wanted to life.
Not without conditions, however.
Each sketch could only be brought to life once. Noah could not animate more than four ink monsters at the same time. The only exception was swarms of flies, since Noah drew them with as little detail as possible. Aside from that, Noah could create only one large creature, and every monster remained active for no longer than a minute.
It had been a complicated matter, but over the course of months they had gradually established these conditions together.
At least that way Isaac knew Noah was safe, and he could focus on the thefts.
Beyond that, it was a matter of training. The more spells he maintained at once, the longer he could sustain them. That did not mean he preferred to push past the limits he had set for himself before something unpredictable happened.
Isaac wished he could do more than just these few things. But he could not produce anything truly useful.
He could not heal, or soften the sound of his footsteps. He could not make himself invisible, nor blind his opponents with a burst of light. He could not create duplicates of himself, and he could not make anything explode.
There were many abilities that would have been genuinely useful, yet he had never managed to achieve anything like that. So he stayed with what he could do and compensated for the rest with his physical abilities.
Unfortunately, he could not create a talisman for himself. Otherwise, he might have been spared a number of injuries.
He opened his eyes and handed the bracelet back to Noah.
"You should still be careful and not rely only on the bracelet and the sketches. The situation in the museum will probably escalate further, and I don't know whether the magic would remain active if something happened to me," Isaac warned before letting go of the bracelet.
"Thanks!" Noah grinned cheerfully. He put the bracelet back on and looked very satisfied. "Wow, it almost feels like your magic is pulsing. Oh! Should we order something? I'm in the mood for pizza!"
With that, he had already grabbed his phone.
"Noah, we're not finished yet!" Ashe scolded him.
"But I'm hungry! Can't we just order now and keep talking?"
"You're such an idiot. Can you focus on one thing for once? You get distracted far too easily!"
The two of them almost immediately slipped back into another argument.
Isaac exhaled slowly. He should use the brief pause to catch his breath.
If Noah could feel the magic, then he might have overdone it a little. Isaac took another sip of wine. His hand trembled slightly, as it always did when he recharged the talisman. But it couldn't be helped; the farther Noah was from him, the harder it was to maintain the connection. It was much easier if he regularly replenished the talisman with his magic.
He sank back into the sofa and closed his eyes for a brief moment.
At least the alcohol made him feel warm.
Suddenly he felt a cool hand on his forehead. He flinched slightly at the touch. Only then did he realize he was sweating. Automatically he wiped his forehead and looked into Noctis's concerned face.
"You shouldn't overexert yourself like that," Noctis said quietly. His gaze rested on Isaac, and somehow he looked dissatisfied. Isaac could not really explain why.
He tilted his head and leaned slightly into Noctis's hand.
"I'm not overexerting myself," he said calmly. "It'll pass in a moment."
Noctis's brow furrowed. "Why do you even do it like that? There are easier ways."
Isaac sighed. "Probably," he said, a little irritated. "But as you know, I never had a teacher for that. This is the only solution I'm certain works."
"But shouldn't a talisman work even without maintaining a constant connection to the object?" Noctis asked.
Isaac fell silent for a moment.
Noctis's words sounded reasonable, and yet Isaac could not think of another solution. He had woven the spell in such a way that he had to maintain the connection. If he wanted to do it differently, he would first have to dissolve the spell. Probably.
However, he had now been maintaining that spell for thirteen years. Was it even still possible to undo it? That was not something he wanted to experiment with—certainly not after everything that was currently happening. But perhaps he could create a new talisman.
After the job, maybe.
The thought of lifting the spell made his stomach uneasy. The magic had always been bound to him. Would it even work if he severed it from himself? He would have to trust that somehow it would.
"Maybe," Isaac said. "I'll think about it later, okay?"
Noctis nodded. "Maybe I'll come up with something too."
After that, they talked about the things Ashe had observed. Most of it Isaac was more than aware of, since he had experienced quite a few of the cops' ideas firsthand. They considered possible countermeasures for a while, but the only thing Isaac could think of was simply stealing the cop's notebook.
He knew where the man lived. He could just break in—or try another approach. The cop had kissed him… perhaps he could use that. Even if the thought made him uncomfortable.
Still, he was running out of ideas, and the heists were becoming more difficult each time. The cops were getting increasingly aggressive, and since they now had no hesitation about shooting at him, it was only a matter of time before he was seriously injured.
For a moment he considered telling the others about the notebook. He truly did consider it. But it would not really help them. That was a problem he had to deal with himself. Noah was anything but cautious, and Isaac wanted to prevent at all costs that he might recklessly expose himself to a cop. Ashe, on the other hand, was useful; Isaac knew she regularly hacked into police databases to alter or erase documents. A notebook, however, was not something she could hack.
Besides, when it came to breaking in somewhere, no one could match him.
"Anyway, I was thinking we might approach the next heist differently," Ashe finally said, pulling Isaac out of his thoughts.
"What do you have in mind?" Isaac asked with clear interest.
"We could mess with the police," she said. "They react to our announcements, so we could make an announcement and simply not show up."
"What?!" Noah exclaimed indignantly. "But people expect me to come!"
"Try putting your ego aside for a moment, Noah," Ashe snorted. "They're not afraid to use every means available to catch you. So we could steal the painting before we release the announcement."
"How would you cover it up?" Isaac asked. "We'd have to replace the painting with a replica."
"Or you simply steal it. I shut everything down, they won't have any chance to set up their fancy traps, and they won't notice until you've already succeeded," she said with a shrug. "Alternatively, we let them stew and only show up a few days later."
Noctis smirked. "I like your diabolical streak."
Ashe grinned, satisfied. "Thank you."
"But then Isaac would have to do everything alone!" Noah objected.
Isaac was silent for a moment. He actually liked the idea. Without the police, a break-in would be considerably easier. Less risk, less improvisation. However, there were a few problems with it.
"That wouldn't be an issue," Isaac finally said calmly. "Without the police, it's practically child's play."
He looked at Ashe.
"The real problem is that our heists coincide with other matters."
"What do you mean?"
"We're not just carrying out an assignment," Isaac explained. "At the same time, we're also the distraction."
He folded his hands.
"While we keep the police occupied, the boss can conclude other deals in the city."
Ashe grimaced.
"Right… I'd completely forgotten about that." She drummed her fingers against the armrest. "Maybe we could ask him if we could do it differently this time?"
Isaac shook his head. "No. We have to do it the usual way. I don't think he would agree."
Besides, he did not want to give the boss another reason to remain disappointed in him.
"I don't think he'd go along with it either," Noah added. "Things run too well for his less official businesses on those days."
"You're just afraid you won't get to do your little magic show," Ashe snapped.
"That's not true!"
Isaac rubbed his face. "Can we stay on topic?"
Noah and Ashe constantly clashed. It was not the first time he felt like a parent stepping in between them.
Ashe sighed. "And what if we tried it with a replica after all? You could probably make a perfect copy."
Isaac shook his head slightly. "I make copies of my own works. I've never tried to reproduce another artist's style with that level of detail."
"Damn."
Isaac lifted his shoulders slightly.
"Don't get me wrong, Ashe. I can certainly try. But I can't promise they wouldn't notice. It would only take someone who knows the painting inside and out to look at it, and the plan would fail—at least afterward—and make things more difficult for the boss."
Ashe exhaled slowly. "So the risk is too high," she muttered. Her gaze shifted to Noctis. "Can you think of anything?"
Noctis shrugged. "Eliminating the cops would be a very effective way to avoid injuries."
"No," Isaac said firmly. "We have never killed a cop before, and we are certainly not going to start now."
"Maybe you should reconsider that. I'd rather not see them catch you with their pistols," Noctis replied.
"I'm against killing anyone too," Noah said. "Father doesn't want dead cops."
Ashe nodded. "Killing should remain the last option, no matter who wants what."
"We don't even have a new assignment yet, so we still have more than enough time to think about it," Noah said, standing up. "I need something proper to drink. Anyone else?"
"Do you have gin?" Noctis asked.
"Yep," Noah grinned. "Picked up a bottle earlier."
Isaac immediately grimaced at the word gin. Demonstratively, he took another sip of wine. Noctis leaned slightly toward him.
"Are you afraid I'll taste like it afterward?" he asked, completely unabashed.
Isaac promptly choked on his wine. He coughed loudly. Ashe and Noah looked at him at the same time, confused.
Isaac waved it off.
"I'm fine."
Fortunately, the two of them immediately returned to their own conversation.
Beside him, Isaac heard Noctis chuckle quietly.
What followed were a few surprisingly pleasant hours. Normally, Isaac would have left as soon as the official part of the meeting had ended.
But this time he stayed.
It had been a long time since they had simply sat together like this.
By now Noah was practically clinging to Noctis like an enthusiastic student to his idol, absorbing every word he said—no matter how absurd it sometimes was. Ashe, unusually, left her laptop unattended for long stretches and instead chatted with Isaac about all sorts of things.
At some point, Isaac found it difficult to follow the conversation at all.
But it did not really matter.
Apparently, sometimes it was acceptable to simply switch off.
Even Noctis's occasional teasing in front of the other two was only half as bad. Isaac even responded to it from time to time—which visibly irritated Noctis. Gradually, the tension eased out of his body. The stress that had followed him all day faded into the background for a while.
Isaac leaned back and let his gaze wander through the room.
Ashe was right. This was his team. Perhaps he would have organized some things differently. Perhaps he would have made other decisions. But by now they were connected. If one of them failed, they all failed.
And their team could not simply fall apart.
Too much depended on it.
So Isaac had only one option. He had to make sure the others stayed safe. He could not get caught. He could not fail. And he certainly could not kill anyone.
Isaac's gaze grew thoughtful.
He had to get his hands on that notebook.
No matter how.