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Night was about to fall in Seville. A young con artist in his early twenties was looking for a place to stay. But the people knew who he was. And so, he had been turned away from every possible inn. Those days it was often the same song and dance.
"We don't take in swindlers like you."
"Beat it, kid, and go bother someone else."
"Go away and don't come back or I'll call the guards on you. We'll see just how fast you can run."
This was something the man was well used to because it happened just about on a daily basis. His luck definitely had been going downhill for way too long.
"Just for one night, please. I'll be gone at dawn, I promise,"
Tulio begged, putting on his best puppy dog face. Oh, how he hated begging, especially in front of this one person who couldn't stand him.
"There's no place for the likes of you here,"
said yet another innkeeper to the man standing at his doorstep.
"Certainly not after the stunt you pulled earlier. Now get lost!"
The door was slammed shut before the man could even get another word in. Running his fingers through his dark hair he kicked the door in desperation and yelled:
"Do your customers know that they have rats climbing all over them while they sleep?"
He got no response whatsoever.
"Oh, it's fine! I wouldn't want to spend the night under your roof, anyway, it looks like it could collapse any second!"
He was already about to walk away but couldn't resist one last stab at the innkeeper in case he was still listening.
"¡Que te folle un pez!"
His words seemed to be falling on deaf ears but he was still laughing about it as he walked away. As grim as his near future was looking, at least he was still able to laugh at something every once in a while, even if it only kept him afloat for a short while longer.
"Who am I kidding, not even a fish would fuck someone like that guy.."
he then talked to himself, his slender shoulders dropping. The frustration he'd felt was quickly dying down and turning into the too familiar feeling of defeat. Even the smile on his face started to fade just as quickly as it had shown up. He had no food or money, and no place to stay.
Walking down the quiet street he started heading towards the closest alleyway. He wasn't able to lie even to himself; he was getting tired of spending every night outside and going to sleep without knowing when he'd get to eat next. The spark in his eyes was slowly diminishing with each passing day.
A few minutes later he reached the alleyway, already way too familiar to him. He approached the same corner he'd spent the last few nights in and settled down, laying his head against the cold, uncomfortable wall behind him. His wish was to fall asleep quickly, at least then he'd be able to forget all of his troubles for a few hours.
"Please don't let it rain tonight.."
he mumbled to no one in particular as he closed his eyes.
Some time after the first light Tulio woke up as someone's voice broke through his restless dreams. As he opened his eyes, he was immediately hit with the aftermath of the choices which had been forced on him. His back ached like crazy after sleeping in an uncomfortable position through the night.
"Goddamn it all.."
he hissed under his breath and reached to rub his lower back.
"Hello? Are you okay?"
a voice then asked once more, sounding like it came from somewhere very close. Looking to the side, Tulio's eyes soon trailed off to a man, a little shorter than him, maybe a couple years younger too. The first things Tulio found himself focusing on were the bright green eyes and the shoulder-length hair. His jaw dropped as he took a better look at the man standing in front of him. He had no idea where the stranger had come from, but there was no way he was one of the locals. Not with eyes as emerald green and hair as golden as his. It was a nice change to the people Tulio was used to seeing on a daily basis. There was something special about the man. This divine being was standing by his side, looking right at him. Had he died and somehow, by some great, big miracle ended up in heaven? Not that Tulio really believed in God. Great, he was probably in hell, then. But he was mostly certain that hell was no place for men like the one still standing there.
"Alright, look, I don't know who you are or what you want, but if you're here to rob me, you're out of luck, pal. Because the thing is, I'm broke! I've got nothing on me,"
he said, frowning as he now took a better look at the man. Well, he had a pair of loaded dice but no one would want those. Not that he'd be willing to part with them, either.
"Really, you're just wasting your time on a scrawny beggar like me,"
he added and made the effort to stand up. The angel in the form of a man reached out his hand, holding it in front of Tulio. The dark-haired man frowned in apparent confusion.
"I didn't plan on robbing you,"
the angel spoke in an accent the like of which Tulio had never heard before.
"I didn't even think anyone was going to be here if I'm honest with you. I was simply taking a shortcut and stumbled upon you. Why are you out here, anyway?"
"Well, like I said, I'm broke. Late last night I went from door to door, trying to find some place to stay. But no one would let me in because I got nothing to pay with. The pendejo running the inn on the other end of the street up there was no different,"
he said. Then he had to remind himself about the fact that the stranger was still holding out his hand.
"Right.. sorry,"
he said and felt himself be pulled up. His stiff legs protested but he paid it close to no mind. It was a familiar hindrance, anyway. He then returned to what he'd just talked about.
"He's still pissed because I scammed him once.. Or twice. Either way, same old story, he sent me packing and I ended up here."
He had already said so much more than he'd intended to. Whoever the stranger in red was, he seemed to be surprisingly easy to talk to.
"Do you often sleep on alleyways?"
said stranger asked, there was a poorly hidden, curious undertone in his voice.
"More often than not, I guess. The people around here know my face and what my deal is. Which means that no one trusts me and wants nothing to do with me. Be honest with you, you should probably be on your way as well. People might get the wrong idea if they see us together."
The young blond smiled, seemingly in no rush to get away from him. Really, it was a weirdly open and honest smile. Captivating enough to send Tulio's head spinning.
"I'm Miguel,"
the blond then introduced himself, again holding out his hand, this time with a handshake in mind. Tulio looked at Miguel and then went on to shake his hand.
"Tulio,"
he also chose to tell his name to the stranger.
Tulio.
Miguel liked the sound of his name.
"Nice to meet you, Tulio,"
the God called Miguel then said with a smile. He sure seemed easygoing.
"Yeah.. You too,"
Tulio said back as he dusted himself off.
"What's your plan, going forward?"
Miguel asked after a few short seconds, tilting his head. He sure asked a lot of questions but Tulio didn't seem to mind.
"You mean right now? I don't know, either try begging for some food or go hungry,"
he said, shrugging. Naturally one option sounded much better than the other but things hadn't really worked in his favor lately.
"I could treat you to some breakfast,"
Miguel offered, holding a little pouch in his hand. The sound of coins softly clinking against each other was like the sweetest music to Tulio's ears.
"What's the catch?"
he still asked with suspicion steadily rising in his voice. Miguel seemed alright, but in his line of work there was always a catch.
"No catch,"
the blond was quick to reassure Tulio.
"Except.."
I knew it. There it comes.
Tulio was already about to turn away, unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes and the feeling like someone had, again, punched him in the gut. For a moment he had allowed himself to believe that Miguel would be different.
"I want you to tell me something more about yourself,"
Miguel continued, to Tulio's surprise.
"W-wait, what?"
was all the taller man could say as he was almost dumbfounded. This caught him by surprise. No one wanted to hear about Tulio, not ever.
"Like I said,"
Miguel grinned and led Tulio to one of the inns in the area.
Some time later the pair was sitting down with food in front of them. Tulio's eyes were gleaming almost ravenously.
"Go ahead,"
Miguel said generously. It was as clear as day that Tulio was much hungrier than he was.
"You're sure? I mean, you paid for all of this.."
Tulio protested, to which Miguel simply nodded.
"Like I said, I only wish to hear more about who you are and where you're coming from."
Miguel seemed to be serious, so Tulio went to dig in without wasting any more time.
"So, yes, I'm a conman. I usually spend my days scamming these fools out of their money and other valuables,"
Tulio began to explain, nodding in the general direction of other people.
"I've built a whole routine around it, so it's usually easy enough. Or, it was,"
he added, his smile fading momentarily. Miguel stayed mostly quiet for as long as Tulio talked, and simply listened with great interest.
"..But the problem is that these guys here know all my tricks. They know my face and what my deal is. So, life has been a little dicey these past few.. weeks. It's a miracle someone hasn't killed me yet."
"Well, I for one am glad that didn't happen,"
Miguel then said honestly, eagerly listening to Tulio's every word.
"Why's that?"
Tulio asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Because then I would have missed out on this chance to meet you."
Hearing that, Tulio couldn't help but roll his eyes in mild amusement. But then again, Miguel seemed honest enough, more so than anyone else he'd ever met.
"Maybe you should go somewhere else,"
the blond then suggested.
"Let everyone around here have some time to forget about you. Let them think you've moved on for good."
"Yeah, maybe,"
Tulio said slowly, scratching his chin as he thought about it.
"And, what do you do?"
Tulio then asked Miguel a short while later, choosing to change the subject. The blond had listened and absorbed every word like a sponge and had even seemed genuinely interested the whole time. Either he was a really good actor or he truly just cared about Tulio's poor life choices that much.
"Me? Well, I don't know.. I don't do much,"
Miguel said.
"Certainly it's nothing compared to you. But.. I play music."
"And that's where all this money has come from? I must be in the wrong line of work, then. Either that or you're really good,"
Tulio said, face in light frown as he went through the options in his head.
"In any case, you're better than me. I can't play to save my life."
Then, in a split second his expression changed.
"I think it's time for me to re-roll the dice and try something new. How would you like to join me? We'll come up with a new routine that plays into both our strengths. We could be good, maybe even better than good! What do you say, Miguel, do you want to take the risk? Mess around with fate, if that's what you believe in?"
Tulio asked and held up his drink. Miguel hesitated only for a short moment before following the other man's example with a smile. The men clinked their glasses together, toasting for their new partnership.
"¡Arriba, abajo, al centro y adentro!"
"What does that mean?"
Miguel asked with honest curiosity.
"Up, down, towards the center, and down the hatch,"
Tulio explained with a grin. Even in the dimly lit room Miguel could see his face light up.
"Oh, I see. Cheers!"
Unbeknownst to Tulio, Miguel had been studying him all throughout the hours they'd spent together. The older man had perked up a fair bit after he'd had something to eat. It had given him a chance to think more clearly.
Many hours later they were sitting outside in a secluded location, away from any and all curious eyes after what had been their first attempt at running a con together. They'd done alright for themselves and Tulio was feeling elated.
"Say, Tulio.. Have you always been a performer?"
Miguel suddenly asked his new friend.
"A performer?"
Tulio repeated, turning towards the blond.
"Right. I saw how you moved around the crowd. You weren't kidding when you said that it can turn into a whole show. And you.. every single step you took was like dancing. Effortless and.. I guess, beautiful."
Miguel's voice sounded a little strange when he said that. The truth was that he'd been secretly admiring Tulio all throughout their little performance. And even though they'd just met that morning, he hadn't been able to keep one thought at bay. The more he'd observed Tulio, the more difficult it had become for him to not think about it. Still, he hesitated to bring it up, and for a good reason. He'd just made a new friend.
What if he'll turn away from me?
He swallowed nervously which was something Tulio picked up on.
"Tulio, do you.."
he began to ask but then bit his tongue before he was able to continue any further.
"Like men?"
Tulio surprisingly asked, almost pulling the floor from under Miguel's feet. And that wasn't all, what Tulio said next almost knocked the blond out cold.
"Sí.. You can guess why I don't just throw that information around for everyone to hear. But with you, although we've just met, I feel like I can be honest with you, and.. Wait."
He blinked as he started to realize what was going on, and pointed at Miguel.
"Are you saying, that you, too..?"
Miguel nodded with little hesitation.
"You got that right,"
he said with a smile that was hard to resist.
"I've been seeing a woman or two over time, but.. Things never quite worked out, they never made me feel the same way you do. I almost didn't say anything because I was afraid you'd turn your back on me, especially because we've only just met, like you said, but.."
Miguel's eyes trailed off for a moment, but soon found their way right back where he wanted; traveling up and down Tulio before coming to a halt and adoring his face; the captivating, deep eyes more than anything else. Eyes that, when they'd first crossed paths earlier in the day, had been filled with uncertainty and had a defeated look in them. Now those same eyes were sparkling with hope for something better. And Miguel liked what he saw.
"Turn my back on you?"
Tulio repeated in a quiet tone, pulling Miguel back from his thoughts.
"You're the only person in this place who has treated me decently. Way better than just decently, even. I never get that from anybody else. So no, my friend, I'd never do that after what you've done for me."
The tone in Tulio's voice was more honest than he'd ever been in his life. Something in Miguel just pulled his better qualities up to the surface.
"I don't really believe in fate,"
the taller man continued.
"If I did, I wouldn't be playing with loaded dice. But, whatever it is that set us on the same path.. I'm glad it happened."
Again, Tulio smiled. And that smile was meant for Miguel alone, which made the blond man feel like he'd found himself something that could last.
"Me, too,"
he told Tulio, wishing for the other man to know that he wasn't going to run away.
"You're good company, Tulio."
"Likewise, partner."