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Miguel and Tulio were partners, and relatively new ones at that, seeing how they'd only become friends and started working together a few short weeks ago. During those weeks they had learned a number of things about each other, but there was still a lot to figure out. It was a constantly evolving play; they got better at working together with each day they spent in each other's company. Miguel had turned out to be quite the charmer, always able to interact with the audience and to keep them distracted just the right amount so that Tulio was able to do his thing. It was also important for Tulio to note that he had never seen Miguel get stressed or upset in any way. The two men were always long gone before the people had a chance to realize that they'd been played.
Their roles in running a successful con got established quite early on. Tulio made the plans and handled the dice. He had his ways of duping the audience, but while he always seemed to know what he was doing and had things under control, he was susceptible to panic attacks. Miguel turned out to be the person to balance him out seamlessly. He was just the man to keep the crowds captivated with his skills at playing the mandolin and his outgoing, charming personality. He might at times walk with his head in the clouds, but his easygoing and relaxed personality was a great help for Tulio during his lowest moments. It was rare to see their roles be reversed.
On one such day Tulio and Miguel had made away with their winnings. Really, it might have just been their most successful day yet. That, and also their first real close call together. The guards had been onto them way too fast and they had no other option but to run. They'd barely even slept in a while. Still, Tulio was absolutely over the moon when they made their escape through the very crowded, loud fair. Miguel was close behind him as the men navigated the narrow, awfully busy streets.
"Home stretch, partner!"
Tulio called out from the front.
"We're almost there!"
They were headed to a house they were using as their temporary base of operation.
"What a bunch of suckers..!"
Tulio beamed with almost overwhelming joy as they slammed the door after making sure that they hadn't led any guards straight to their doorstep. Miguel didn't respond. He had somehow been able to keep it together until they reached relative safety, but it all had turned out to be a little.. much for him. As soon as they were out of immediate danger, he went to find a calm and safe corner as far away from the front door as possible and slid down against the wall. Right afterwards he pulled his legs in, as close to his chest as possible, allowing his head to rest against his knees and just.. seemed to block out the rest of the world.
Tulio didn't even seem to notice as he was so busy flaunting their success. He was absolutely elated dancing around the near empty room, holding a large bag full of coins and spinning it in wild circles like it was his lover.
"We did it, Miguel, we did it!"
The sweet sound of coins was like music to his ears. He hadn't felt that cheerful in days. Indeed, they'd had a rough going of it, but they were still alive and sticking with each other. And now it seemed like things were taking a much needed turn for the better, once more.
Tulio was laughing, in his voice there was an almost perfect mix of pure joy and relief. He allowed his legs to carry him around freely, even the smallest touch of stress and worry seemed to have left him alone. His deep blue eyes were shining brightly, in a way that under any other circumstance would have pulled Miguel right in.
"¡Estuviste increíble, Miguel! Come here and join me!"
he said, still oblivious to the fact that his partner wasn't at all feeling like himself.
"Miguel, hello?"
His wild spinning slowed down gradually and then came to a complete, jarring halt as his eyes caught a glimpse of familiar blond hair. Simultaneously, the sparkle in his eyes got toned down and his smile faded into a proper look of concern. It seemed to him like the younger man hadn't heard a single word. Tulio went to place down the bag of coins, its contents suddenly meaning much less to him.
The overflowing elation on Tulio's face was replaced with confusion and even worry. Miguel remained near motionless, his face hidden from the other man. Tulio hesitated as he approached the usually so bubbly and happy-go-lucky blond. He so wasn't good at things like this. But maybe it was a sign for him to simply try harder. Even during the few short weeks of knowing each other, Miguel had already been there for him whenever he had started to crumble under some stress, which more often than not had been self-inflicted. Tulio swallowed nervously. This was a situation he had never imagined to find himself in. The painful awkwardness left him feeling like he was dancing in the dark, just fumbling around aimlessly.
"Uh.. Miguel?"
Tulio addressed his partner once more, and then went to sit down right next to him.
"Are you.. alright there?"
Immediately he wanted to kick himself. Such stupid questions, of course he now could see that something was bugging Miguel. Their knees touched each other as Tulio moved closer to his friend. He was making weird, uncomfortable faces as he tried to figure out what to say or do next. That one time he was actually happy that Miguel still wasn't looking at him. But the fact that the blond still hadn't said a single word was somehow making it all worse for Tulio. This was a situation he didn't know how to approach.
"Look, I'm not very good at this.."
he sighed, breathing out slowly as he worked on keeping himself calm. Otherwise he'd be of no help to anyone.
"Can you at least say something?"
He then placed his hand on Miguel's shoulder and allowed it to remain there. Maybe some physical touch, no matter how little, was better than just empty words. Still, Miguel stayed quiet. It felt almost like he was actively pushing Tulio away, even if it wasn't his intention. Either way, the taller man sighed.
"You know.. I can give you some space if you want it,"
he said and made the attempt to get up on his feet.
Only then did Miguel break his silence.
"Wait,"
he said. His voice sounded so faint that Tulio almost didn't catch it at first. Still, he stayed where he was.
"I don't know how you do this,"
the blond continued, now lifting his head and meeting Tulio's concerned eyes.
"Do.. do what? What do you mean?"
he asked.
"We almost got caught today,"
Miguel explained.
"I've never had a close call like that before. But it seemed like you were just laughing your way through the whole thing. I guess I just wasn't expecting that from you. And, all I could think about was what would happen if they'd catch us."
Now it was Tulio's turn to remain silent for a while as Miguel's words flooded his mind.
"The thing is..-"
he then spoke up after briefly clearing his throat.
"This was our first big success together. I was so focused on that, and.. for a while that one thought held more power than everything else,"
he continued, sounding like he was still choosing his words as he went on.
"And.."
he sighed.
"I'm sorry that I failed to see how it all affected you. You've shown me more support in these past few weeks than anyone else has ever done, in all of my life. You've been there for me, Miguel. And I'm sorry, because I haven't exactly done the same for you. You've never asked for it, but it doesn't mean that you'll never need it. I haven't been a good friend to you, and I'm--"
It started to sound like Tulio was getting dangerously close to being derailed, and Miguel proceeded to touch his arm before it could happen. Now it was the blond man's turn to smile. And that smile was bright enough to reach his eyes.
"Shh,"
he simply said.
"Maybe you don't see it, Tulio, but you're the best friend I've ever had. I'm glad I met you."
A genuine smile then returned on Tulio's face as he heard those words.
"Likewise, partner."