Okay, I do like this guy, but he stole my goddamn tea!

Alex might have seen me freeze, he removed his apron and gear and came near my table.

"Dude, " he shook me vigorously, "wake up from your trance."

"What happened right now?" It was difficult to decide what was more bizarre, having Kal in the coffee place right now, him making a Hunger Games reference or him stealing my tea.

Alex sighed, shaking his head."Okay, let me break it down to you like an enzyme–"

"Not now buddy." His puns and metaphors showed no mercy to the gravity and eccentricity of the situation.

"Well, that's what she unfortunately said but we respect consent in this house."

I asked him if his shift was over so we could head out. It was difficult to understand what had just happened and exactly why, but I needed the cash we were here for. I could deal with Kal later.

That's what I always thought.

He took his backpack lying on the floor, at the corner of the counter and we walked out of the store. A few lanes away, Mac called me. It must mean he has found a person to mob. This was great news and I asked Alex to wear his mask.

"Dude, pick up the phone first." He furiously took out the mask tugged deep inside his bag. He never really liked wearing masks. His faced itched leaving allergy. He also makes me wonder if he uses protection but who am I to judge.

I tried to slide the call button up my windows phone but the oil from the macaron made it difficult for me to do so.

Alex saw it and sighed exasperatedly, "bruh you're so oily, America might want to invade."

He snatched the phone from my hand and picked the call himself.

"Yes boss, yes I sanitised my spit, you won't get an infection through the phone. What? Near the abandoned building. Roger."

He dropped the call and looked at my phone in disdain, then at me. I didn't understand what he was trying to say but it definitely wasn't something pleasant.

"I get it you're not the favourite sims of God but how bad you've to be to have a windows phone?"

He handed me the phone, scrunching his nose as we sped up to the place.

"Let's head to the old building and flirt with some ghosts."

~~~

The walk wasn't that long, it hardly took us fifteen minutes. By the time we reached there, we had already put our hoodie caps up and covered most of our face. Only if Alex would shut his mouth, we won't be caught.

The guys, Mac and his brother I have no clue about were standing near the hindsight of the building, thus it was darker than most places surrounding it. Mac was good at creating foolproof escape routes. It was our very own dollar tree Lele Pons who would spill the plan with his tea that I didn't even get to drink.

We greeted the boys and Mac handed me the gun. It was when I saw the silhouette of the guy caught for the first time. He was way taller than I would have liked. There aren't many tall guys in this city and he definitely got an upper view over Mac.

That's why he called me. I am the tall guy Netflix never hired.

"So, hand me all you have." I threatened him, pointing the gun.

"No."

What did he mean? I have a gun! Isn't he even scared?

"What do you mean? Give me all, I am serious, I'll shoot you."

"Alright, kill me with your best shots." He raised his hands, seemingly unamused with baffled me.

I looked at Alex, who in turn was looking at Mac for help, who was in turn intimidated by the height of this guy who isn't even scared of me. I have a real gun! Can't he see? Confusion filled the air all around us.

"Aren't you gonna shoot me?"

"I don't know, " I admitted, " this has never happened before."

"What are you doing, you're screwing us up!" Mac shouted at me, to which I gestured him to keep quiet. This man clearly has no worry about death or mobbing in general. I eyed Alex to corner Mac and his sidekick. Alex didn't get my move, I read it in his eyes, but he did comply.

I wasn't hard to convince Mac to sidetrack. This man clearly got us. We can't do anything. I don't even have real bullets in the barrel to scare him.

"Cool then," the man said after he saw Mac and his friend retreating from the place," can you let me go up?" He pointed out at the dead building behind me. I looked behind and then at him.

"Why? Why do you want me to help you and why do want to go there?" I crossed my arms, leaning one side. I need to know what's going on in his mind and how could he dodge a fake bullet from me.

"The first part, you don't want me to tell people how you can't even rob me, and to the latter, none of your mobbing business, sir."

Sir? His voice sounds uncannily familiar. It was scary, it was as if it was at the tip of my tongue but I couldn't make out who he was.

Just then Alex stands behinds me and whispers in my ear," bruh, I hope you like spoilt milk because spoiler alert, I think he is Kal."

Kal? Oh my god no–

"What shall we do, I think he is Kal too. His voice," I hushed my voice to make sure this fake Kal doesn't hear, " but Kal didn't wear this outfit today." I remembered.

"Bruh, we'll see, right now I am so tired I might as well be the side of the car. Standing is cardio. Let's see where he's going."

"What if he kills us?" I reasoned.

"I don't know, right now, I am tired of breathing your dead cells. Let him go."

"You guys will help me?" He cut us, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I volunteer." Alex squeals then bend down as to welcome him to entire the premises in the most dramatic way he could conjure up. I wondered how Alex maintained his cool all the time.

He answered, reading my mind, " 90% of Europe has no air-conditioning so they passed me the cool, baby." I swear I could see him wink in the dark.

Alex led this really confused band of us, standing near the guard who apparently was protecting this dead building from trespassers like us.

Alex bends his knees and knocks on the forehead of the guard sleeping on his chair. He was on the verge of falling down.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty, your prince is here to give you the kiss." His lashes batted the wind in our direction.

The guard woke up in a frenzy, then convulses at the sight of the gun. He raised his hand in response instantly. Alex didn't even distance himself, instead, he leaned in more.

"Are you bill?" He flashed the gun, " 'cause I am here for the kill baby! I won't leave until my body count matched IQ. You might as well dasi run!"

I don't think the guard understood the last part of the threat but the gun got him going places. Literally. It took him seven minutes to leave the lane. I kept a track.

"Have you stooped so low? BTS references?" The fake Kal asked. The contempt in his voice cemented our belief of him being the real Kal. Real Kal hates BTS more than he hates tea. I wonder why Real Kal stole my tea. I don't mind, he was sipping something with my name. That was great progress.

"Sorry man, I didn't know you took special preferences while ordering us to help you. I'll keep your apeshit taste in mind" I could trace his fake smile behind the mask as the corner of his eyes crinkled.

Alex loves BTS. He runs the biggest BTS fan account. This Fake Kal was just stepping on the wrong nerve. You don't want to have your name written in Alex's death note.

We walked up to the half-made staircase. Alex held my hand all the time. He claimed he wasn't scared. He also claimed he was Shakira one time." I just don't want you to die like this, El, that'll be a bummer."

The guy though, he walked up like he had walked up this place a million times. Only graffiti artists and crack addicts come here. I could imagine him as the later but he is too sane to realise that a guard was hired recently and to make sense that we can help him. The mystery surrounding his odd behaviour pulled me to know more as long as I am alive. I have got a long way to go.

Holy shit, I had to buy Cleo food. I need to find a new victim who isn't like this guy. I am scared guys like him will ruin our business. We thrive on deceit and fear.

On Alex's jokes too, but occasionally.

The terrace was open, it was just the other side of the roof of the lower floor. The blocks of cement were lying everywhere, with TNT bars sprouting out like weeds.

Alex pulled my hoodie and pointed up at the sky.

The sky looked darker and the stars looked brighter from here. One could hear the mass tinkling of bells and whistles. The sound was so prominent. The flock of galaxies had gathered up in the sky, singing songs of comfort. The chilling spaces made me hug myself in the summer night.  The sounds of the chainsaw and the sawdust in the air clashed with the calm the sky had to offer that day.

The hilltop could be seen from the terrace, the snow cap had melted, letting the moses and shrubs grown upon it like a veil sheltering in from the loo. Alex and I were gapping at the sight. It was weird finding such a breathtaking sight in this barren and abandoned place.

The sawdust made me sneeze repetitively. It was annoying. The fake Kal was gapping at the sight too. It begged for attention, of course, it captured all of ours.

"Dude, are you listening to Beyonce and putting a sneeze on it?" He handed me his handkerchief which I gladly took.

"How do you even expect me to get your far-fetched puns?"

"Oh sweetie, you're the only one who gets it. I would have put a ring on you anytime."

"Let me guess, incest means less paperwork during the marriage?"

"Ah, honey. This is when I regret being your cousin." He feigned disappointed which could be seen from Mars.

Before I could reply, my eyes followed fake Kal's footsteps, who was dangerously close to the edge of the terrace. Alex followed my gaze, and as expected didn't freeze like me.

"Dude, are you Nico Collins? 'Cause I ain't coming to save you. Back off."

I breath raced at the speed my heart couldn't comprehend and started to beat faster in response. I froze, no doubt, but my legs had melted on the floor like rubber and I was unable to move. I wished Alex would talk some sense when I was struggling to even open my mouth in shock.

The guy didn't respond. He didn't even look at Alex. He was staring down, at the cars and residents passing by.

"Bruh, did you eat the white part of the watermelon season? I get it it makes you high sometimes, but that not how you jump down from it."

Alex was not making suicidal puns with watermelons. God, why does my tongue tie when I need to speak the most. Alex definitely doesn't know what to say. His words start to sound more incomprehensible when he is shocked. At this moment, he makes less sense than used to. He needs to stop.

He was silenced by the man's voice. This was when I knew he was indeed Kal.

"I hate it when people don't let me jump, for fuck's sake, keep your nose out of my dying business."

~~~
Word count: 2061

A/N

Alex is the joker I could never be(cries in bad puns).
Thank you for reading this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!