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Connor tried to make it a habit not to steal from cute boys. After multiple attempts, he and Travis quickly discovered that they were his kryptonite. These attempts ended with him returning the items or them getting arrested.
Obviously they managed to break out within the hour, but the fact that they had been caught at all was embarrassing.
That being said, Connor was alone on the larceny front today, and it was already pretty late. Travis was still at the plant nursery, unsuccessfully trying to steal from (read: flirt with) a certain Katie Gardner, like a plant nursery with no weed had any value.
Travis said that love should be avoided and separate from pick-pocketing.
Travis was a bitch ass liar.
Connor scowled from his seat, sipping his coffee angrily as he glared across the street at the cutest boy he’d ever seen, who was also in possession of the thickest wallet he’d ever seen. Because of course he would.
Maybe if he ignored the tousled dark brown hair and twinkling dark eyes and bright, cocky smile, Connor could pull off a steal. Ignoring the tight black jeans that the wallet was stuck in, would be a significantly harder challenge.
Goddammit, this was why he needed Travis.
He got so lost in his thoughts, he almost didn’t notice that the boy was walking towards him, smile in place. Oh, he was tall, too, that was… great. Perfect. Absolutely amazing.
Connor knew he should have stayed back with Travis. Even third-wheeling and watching his older brother fail at flirting would have ended better than this.
“Hey,” greeted the boy in a raspy voice as he sat down next to him. Connor was painfully aware of the body heat and light cologne that rolled off of him.
“Hey yourself,” Connor shot back with a crooked smirk. He could work with this. He was cool as hell. He would not cave to another pretty boy. Today was the day that streak ended. “What’s a guy like you doing in a place like this?”
The cute boy looked around at the packed streets milling with people and the small cafe table they both now occupied. “Just picking up some things for my sisters. Wouldn’t mind picking up a date while I’m at it, though.”
His hand slowly wrapped around Connor’s shoulders, giving him time to scoot back. What a gentleman.
He resolutely ignored the heat that spread across his back and chest at that.
“That’s quite the pick up line, there,” Connor replied, inching his hand around the boy’s slim, tapered waist. To get the wallet on his other side, of course. Even if it was a nice, firm… Connor needed to get laid; this was ridiculous.
The boy tossed his head back with a bark of laughter, his long neck out on display. He would have a choker, the utter bastard. “Oh, and he’s a wise guy, too? I feel so lucky.” His hand trailed down to rest at Connor’s waist; a warm, tingling weight.
Great. He’d worked with less. Once, there was a girl he had had to chat up to steal her purse. If he could be straight for fifteen minutes, he could try to not fail miserably at this.
Connor leaned into his mark’s side. Nice muscles. Did he work out or something?
“Yeah,” he smirked. Connor said that out loud, didn’t he?
“Yeah,” the boy repeated, not even bothering to hide his laugh. Not even a laugh. It was more like a chortle mixed with a cackle. God, it was so stupid and not at all endearing.
He gave himself a mental slap. Keep it together, man.
“Sorry,” Connor purred, looking up at him through his lashes. “Get a little too loose around pretty boys, you know?”
To his satisfaction, that seemed to bring a small blush to the mark’s face, even through his theatrical pout. “So I’m not special? Ouch, babe, I thought we had something.”
Babe, his brain repeated. Babe babe babe like a broken record.
Okay, so maybe he should have seen that coming, he thought to himself, trying to keep himself from blushing. Judging by the other guy’s smug look, he didn’t think he was succeeding.
Connor bit his straw coyly. “Nah, you’re plenty special.”
The boy sniffed. “I bet you say that to all the boys.”
“Just the ones I’ve loved before,” Connor quipped, before realizing that he just exposed himself. God, he hates pretty boys, with their stupid mind-fucking powers. And hopefully actually fucking powers.
After the mark stopped responding, he awkwardly supplied, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. It’s on Netflix.”
“No, no, it's just. You’ve watched To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before?” asked the boy that Connor was in several kinds of love with already. “Didn’t really peg you for the type.”
Finally, a character flaw. Thank you, universe, thought Connor somewhat bitterly as he sipped the dregs of his drink.
He got this a lot. Most people wouldn’t assume that he liked those kinds of movies because he was such a delinquent wannabe (Travis’s words, not his). Of course the guy would look down on him for this.
Whatever, he wouldn’t see him again after this, anyway.
“Yeah, it’s not exactly a macho movie, is it?” he murmured to himself, rubbing the back of his neck to hide his wince. “Sorry, you… probably haven’t seen that movie. Um, never mind, we can just —”
“No!” squeaked the mark hastily, tightening his grip on Connor, much to his surprise. That was the first crack in his cool mask. Maybe that was just the inherent power of Lara Jean’s greatness.
At the look on his face, Hottie cleared his throat. “Uh, what I meant was, I have. Seen that movie. We can talk about it if you want. I’m sorry to make you feel weird about it. Just, I don’t meet lots of guys who have seen it, you know? And I mean, Lara Jean is plenty badass enough, I don’t think even Wolverine would mess with a New Yorker.”
He paused. “Assuming you have watched the third movie already, in which case, I’m sorry.”
Connor grunted, hiding his relief in his empty cup. “Yeah, she’s not going to last long in the city, though. God, they always make New York so nice in movies. New York isn’t about creativity and adventure, it’s just ignoring weird shit on the subway and being an asshole.”
“You speak from experience, city boy?” Hottie teased.
An unbidden image of Percy Jackson’s everything popped into Connor’s mind. “Yes.”
Another laugh flowed out from the boy, his dark eyes twinkling with mirth. “I get that, believe me, babe. Anyway, we could try watching another movie together sometime? Personally, I would love to watch Twilight with you, just to shit all over it.”
Connor felt his face heat up. “I’d like that… You are asking me on a date, right?”
“What do you think?” quipped the mark, raising an eyebrow.
He was about to try to shoot something back when, over the stranger’s shoulder, he could see Travis finally coming to help, pulling his “Karen-power-walk” through the crowd, frantically waving at him. Normally, this would be Connor’s cue to wrap things up, but he found it was significantly harder when he was wrapped in strong arms and a charming smile and really nice cologne, actually and –
Trying to keep control of the situation, he snuck the wallet out of the other guy’s pocket into his jacket sleeve to leave before he did something stupid.
“How about we talk about that movie later, yeah?” Connor asked, cranking up the charm, even going so far as to throw a wink. “I’m actually running a bit late to meet my brother.”
That seemed to amuse the mark. “That’s alright. Time passes quickly in good company. And don’t worry about it, babe. We’ll see each other again soon.” He leaned in with a wink and a squeeze of his hand before walking off.
Connor licked his lips.
As soon as the boy was out of sight, he booked it for Travis and got the hell away from there.
Once they were safely in the trusty broken down car, Travis asked what he managed to get. (Travis somehow managed to steal a bag of hydrangea bulbs, though for what they would need that for, Connor didn’t bother asking.)
He pulled out the wallet.
And came up with nothing.
Shit.
He double checked, even running his hands through his hair.
Yup. That was a bust. Of course he would drop that beautiful wallet because of a pretty boy.
Of fucking course.
Travis shot him an unimpressed look. “Dude, did you seriously not pick anything? I set the bar at flower bulbs, you really can’t go any lower.”
“I had a wallet!” insisted Connor with a frustrated smack to the dashboard.
His brother raised an eyebrow. “Hot guy?”
Connor sighed. “Hot guy.”
It looked like the streak wasn’t going to end any time soon.
Travis sighed, “Maybe it’s not too late to hit one of the bars,” before driving them to the nearest one.
Connor checked his watch for the time.
Only to find it was no longer there. He checked his pockets three times before realizing what had even happened.
He laughed in disbelief, feeling warmth spread through his veins. Connor Stoll just got pick-pocketed. By someone he tried to steal from. In front of his face.
Holy hell, forget the streak, he was in love.
In his jacket pocket, his phone buzzed so he pulled it out. Not to his surprise, the text was from somebody named Mitchell <3.
It was a picture of the boy from before, with his stolen wallet in hand, Connor’s black watch on his wrist, and a smirk on his lips. The audacity of this guy, to put his number into his phone, like Connor would use it often afterwards.
Why was that so hot?
The next text said, You should be more careful, babe. There are pickpockets in the area.
Grinning, he texted back, Maybe you should stay with me next time. Just to be safe.
Mitchell just sent back a wink emoji, making him snicker.
What a little shit. Connor was definitely in love.
And if Connor was sloppier in his technique and more excited than usual that night, Travis didn’t mention it. It wasn’t like he was one to talk, after all.