First World Problems [Open]

[Eirík [Jesus] Steilsson]

Eirik glanced back at the train once he stepped off, looking slightly confused with his brow furrowed and his lips pursed. Something about this station looked different than it had the last time he was there with Mr. Puffin at his side. That pillar had definitely not been there the last time, did construction really take place within a weeks time? Why would they need to? Maybe it was because too many people walked around that it was all going to cave in without it. The thought sounded ridiculous once he said it out a few more times in his head.

He took a few tentative steps further away from the now departing train and took a seat on the bench, pulling out his phone to use a map application. As much as he failed to admit it wandering out and about was confusing, streets twisted and turned, they split it two, and they even changed names suddenly at an intersection. In games all of the paths were so straightforward, sometimes there was even a compass to show him the right way or a map that would take him there instantly. Traveling was overrated, but he had to do it by himself to prove it to Lukas that he was just fine on his own. He was an adult now, and had been for nearly a year. It was almost spring, and then a week before the summer solstice he had his birthday. And then, he would be able to drive himself around [with supervision] and avoid the filthy public transportation system. The boy could swear he saw a man reach into his pants and scratch his bottom, and then place it on the shoulder of the woman next to him. Disgusting.

The pad of his index finger tapped the screen of his new mobile impatiently as he waited for the map application to open. Another irritating thing about going out, slow internet speed. If he didn't have to prove Lukas wrong that he was unable to fend for himself he would never be out of his bedroom. Who would want to? There were so many questions that he didn't want to nor had any idea how to answer that a reporter would ask if he was recognized according to Mr. Puffin. His faithful companion was always right, even if he wasn't accompanying him at the time. So, to protect himself from prying people he had put on a disguise. Though with the weather it was rather hard to tell who anyone was, since anyone who was riding out on the train was bundled up from head to toe to avoid the winter chill.

He himself wore a tailored grey wool coat closed with four toggles down the front, a thick violet cashmere sweater , and a crisp white dress shirt underneath. A striped scarf was wrapped around his neck tightly, a delicate fringe gracing the edges and swinging with every step that he took. Thick fur earmuffs warmed his ears, something that he preferred to the ridiculous hat that the puffin had convinced him to wear the last time. Only children wore hats with puffballs that bounced, he had caught a view of himself wearing the abomination in the reflection from a store window and immediately demanded to return home. The horror.

The tip of his nose was a merry cherry color, feeling slightly painful to the touch and rather cold and prickly. He wasn't really sure how to cover it up, in all of the movies that he had seen a red nose was rather normal, and no one that he could recall made an emphasis on covering it up from the cold. He had everything down, body, ears, tall leather boots on his feet with thick socks, and hands? He had forgotten the gloves that lay on the bathroom counter, but that was why there were pockets in his coat. There was no longer any turning back now.

Oh. And there it was, the map loaded and he quickly typed in the address of the game shop that he had wanted to go to. He was a stop too late. The boy clicked on walking distance and the phone thought for a moment before spitting out an estimate, a half hour. It was definitely closer than waiting for another train and riding it to the end to switch back. Trains were complicated, why didn't they have one that went in the other direction? That would be smart, why hadn't anyone ever thought of such a thing before?

He pulled out a pair of shades and stuck them up on his nose, feeling fairly proud of himself at how well he had disguised himself. An eye on his phone he started to make his way out of the dingy station, dragging his feet tiredly in an attempt to not trip. Traveling was much more tiresome than he had imagined, especially without a puffin to carry him up the stairs or get him a seat. But people somehow dragged themselves to do it every day, he was somewhat impressed. A few little packs of schoolchildren ran past him, their uniforms buttoned up and the girls hair pulled back with ribbons and braids. They walked with friends, chatting happily about mundane things like how hard their work was, chores, and boys. It made him a little uncomfortable with the way they glanced at him and giggled behind their hands and he sped up his gait a little, moving to place his phone into his pocket so he could warm his hands.

It slipped against the lining, instead dropping off into a large puddle of slush in the side of the street. He groaned, if Lukas found out that he broke his phone he would never hear the end of it. The boy prayed for a moment and made a face, sticking his hand into the wet mass to grab it out and brush it off. It was off just like he had expected, and he had read enough about phones getting wet on the internet to know not to turn it on. Carefully as to not repeat his mistake from earlier he placed it in his pocket, patting it to be sure that it was secure. He remembered a little from the map and knew the general direction that he was headed in. Honestly he was frightened without his technological security blanket, if trouble came he wouldn't be able to call Lukas or Mr. Puffin, The scent of easy target seemed to radiate off of him in a cloud, and he was quickly led astray off into a shady area, some buildings boarded up and others looking the part of a horror movie. It had been well over a half hour and he shivered, arms wrapped tightly around himself.

It had been then that trouble found him, a few shady characters slipping out of the various alleyways about surrounding him. At first he was stunned, giving his nose a little prod to make sure it was still there, the poor thing felt oddly warm all of a sudden. He didn't really pay any mind to the people who had surrounded him, continuing to walk poking his nose until he walked right into one. They didn't seem to have any plan on moving, instead staring down at him and one to his right pulling out a gun. and pressing it to the side of his head "Your wallet love" he simpered, obviously making fun of the boy as he wrapped an around around his shoulder and stroked his hair. Emil tried his best to look disinterested, a slight tremble in the tips of his fingers the only thing that betrayed his fear.

[Deleted]

His day was all planned out. Up at six, shower, eat, and head to university where he would research and do various things needed to complete his Masters. From there, he would walk home for lunch, and be finished by one. From there he usually would study or work on his latest freelance projects, but today was different. He could have spent hours working on his newest project, and he honestly gladly would have done such, but instead he found himself on the transit system, heading in an area he did not know all that well.

He was picking up some parts from a fellow who lived in the buildings, and it was only today that worked out for both men. Schedules were a pain in the butt, Matthew had learned very early on in life. His backpack sitting beside him, he held a novel in his hands, eyes scanning over the words but not quite taking in the information it held. It was frustrating, and within minutes it was back in his bag; too late of a night at work left him with little energy to spend doing unproductive things. And he really disliked when he was not being productive. He was at the destination after a bit of time, and within moments of stepping off the train he could hear it steaming off into the distance. He made a mental note of his surroundings, to better bring him back this particular location, and once he was sure he had it memorized, he set off; his time was limited today.

'I need to be back here in thirty minutes so I can make it home in time to get ready for another late night.' He mused internally, a frown lacing his tired features. He was ready to just sleep; but he knew two more days laid between him and his proper rest. He crossed his arms as he headed into this neighbourhood, taking in the dreary sights and the worn-out atmosphere it carried. He was pretty sure he could hear a dog somewhere, but it was hard to pinpoint its location. It was not concerning to him however, at least that meant there likely were people in the vicinity if he lost his phone, or needed some help finding the station.

He had found the correct building in very little time, and within ten minutes of such he had the new parts in his backpack, wrapped up delicately in the sweater he had been wearing before underneath his jacket; yes, he did take warnings of things that were 'fragile' seriously. He would be on that train soon enough that he figured he wouldn't get too cold, anyways. He was Canadian; this was nothing.

He was pretty sure he had been going in the right direction, but uncertainty nagged at his mind, and his fingers played with the edges of his scarf in anxiety. 'If I miss this train, I won't make it back in time and I cannot be late and-' His mind rambled on and on, and the only thing that stopped it from spinning into intense worry was the sudden realization that he heard something from outside his head; he froze, and stiffened. He remained still as he tried to figure out if it had been his imagination or not, or perhaps just his hearing aid acting up in the cold; it would not have been the first time, that was for sure. Even though he could have told himself it was just nothing, there was that nagging feeling that something was not right, and that was what sent him off the main road to figure it out. It hadn't been the same feeling that he had when he passed a couple, or a family; this was one of danger.

'I'm going to miss the train...' He muttered within his head, not daring to vocalize anything, even his steps and breaths as quiet as he could make them. And when he rounded the next corner, he was glad he had stayed silent. He instantly caught sight of suspicious looking men, and they appeared to be armed, and had a target in sight. His hand instantly went to his back pocket, where he always carried a knife, but reminders that he should not be flashing around even the smallest of his weapons blared in his mind, and it was not drawn even as he hesitated, and stepped a bit closer.

It was hard to make out whether or not they were saying anything at first; then one spoke, as a more damaging weapon was drawn to the young man who had been designated as the target. "Your wallet love." One of the men spoke, and sounded teasing, amused, as he placed a gun right to the temple of the boy. Matthew's fingers instantly twitched; one shot and that guy would likely be done for, and it meant that more caution had to be used. Sure, the Canadian could just back away and not get noticed, but his parents had taught him many valuable life lessons, and one of them had been not to leave someone who needed your help. Though, this situation was a little different than when he had been ten, and a sticky mud field had been the issue.

"Hey! He bellowed, and even if he felt instant regret at calling attention to himself, he did not back down, forcing himself to stand tall and look as if he were not intimidated. He blamed it on the exhaustion, the desire for something different in his life at the moment. "Leave him be." Internally he was panicking; and he swore the world could hear his heart beat like never before. He had thought that school as a child had been stressful; it was nothing compared to the rush he felt from this moment. He just hoped that no blood would be shed, for even if he knew first aid, and carried supplies on him at all times in his bag, that did not mean he wished to ever use it. Sure, he was an Agent and that in itself meant risky; but this was the first time he had actually seen a weapon drawn with ill intent.

'This was the dumbest thing I've ever done.'

[Eirík [Jesus] Steilsson]

Eirik felt like he couldn't breathe, be it the scarf tucked tightly into his coat or his shirt collar buttoned up all the way. Everything just seemed to be painful, his mind in disarray over the situation that had just crawled right out of the woodwork to confront him. This was something ridiculous, the kind of thing he read about happening on the 'let's not meet' subreddit or one of those ridiculous facebook posts every single person over thirty shared like it was the most important thing they had ever read. There would be a thousand I told you so statements from Lukas when he would get home, he was sure of it. But for now he had to focus on getting home safely. If there was one of them he knew how to deal with it from a few tips he had read online, but there was nothing that he could do against a group of them with a gun held to his head.

His heart was pounding craters into his chest, hearing his pulse throbbing clearly in his ears as he looked around at all of them coolly. It was hard to appear calm when all he wanted to do was pass out into the snow so when he woke up in a warm hospital bed with Lukas at his side and the worst having past. Sleep was an escape, an injection in his IV when he was at his worst that put it all behind him. There was no guarantee though that he wouldn't simply be a face in the paper the next morning, so he forced himself to stay alert and deal with it every way that the internet had taught him. Those methods were guaranteed, pretested by people from all over the world.

His breath ghosted off in front of himself in the chill, and he was slowly reaching into his back pocket to throw his wallet off away from himself so they would leave him to chase it when a lone voice rang out and the group's attention turned to meet it.

A tall man stood there with hair the color of honeysuckle and wise cornflower eyes that seemed to overlook his predicament with an air of irritation and disapproval. Eirik would have almost coined him as his saving grace, save for the arm wrapping around his neck to keep him still and the gun digging in deeper to the side of his head.

"Oi, you think you're really brave don't you? Telling us off like a big man" one of them sneered, chapped lips pulled back tight against his teeth whilst his eyes narrowed. "Well, how about this Mr. Hero. Come over here nice and quiet and we won't blow the boy's brains all over the alleyway." He chuckled, the sound mimicked by the rest of the group joined in. "A well dressed fellow like yourself gots to have something good stuck somewhere to pay our toll, or we'll take it off of your flesh."

While they gleefully taunted the blonde one of the men had freely helped himself to Eirik's wallet, flipping it open to take a look at the bounty but pausing at the name printed on the ID.

"Oi Basil, how much d'ya reckon this lad's worth with this" he gawked, tugging out the card and waving it in front of the one holding Eirik's face cheerily. "I don't reckon there are many Eirik Bondeviks in London carrying around cards like these. How much d'ya think he's worth? Millions?"

"Enough for all of us to live out the rest of our lives on private islands" another piped up, pulling out his phone and calling in the find to their boss.

"What'd we do with this one though" a particularly plump one asked, motioning towards Matthew

"Well isn't that obvious, kill 'im" the one holding Eirik ordered, tightening his grip around the boy's neck and dragging him through the snow.

His legs were limp, leaving small trails as he was pulled along back down an alley. It had become a hostage situation it seemed, Eirik the bait and money the fish. To be quite honest he was baffled at what to do, so he kept silent, letting everything play out and hoping that the man would get away and contact the police...more importantly Lukas. His father would take him home to Norway if he even heard about this, no more freedom to do what he pleased outside of a hospital bed.

---

The remaining thugs rounded on Matthew, a gun pointed at the Agent's head and a few knives being drawn out into the other's hands. "G'nite" one of them cackled, a shot ringing out.

[Deleted]

The various shades of eyes had turned their attention toward his figure when he called out to them mixture of irritation and perhaps the tiniest hint of surprise in their expressions. The victim, however, appeared to be relieved and joyous at his appearance, although a great handful of his expression was of fear. It vaguely reminded Matthew of the days he had spent in public school back when he was little, and he had been picked on, and it had been his friends who had saved him many times over. Now it was his time to pay the good deeds forward.

"Oi, you think you're really brave don't you? Telling us off like a big man. Well, how about this Mr. Hero. Come over here nice and quiet and we won't blow the boy's brains all over the alleyway." Bargaining, that was exactly what Matthew had in mind and really wanted to do - not. His facial expression revealed his inner thoughts; eyes and face scrunching up just a bit as he made only a single step forwards, for he was unsure whether or not this was a bluff or a truth.

"A well dressed fellow like yourself gots to have something good stuck somewhere to pay our toll, or we'll take it off of your flesh." Oh, so that was what they were after. Of course it had to be the time he had a very expensive computer part on his person. 'No computer part will replace a life of an innocent, though, Matthew. Remember that.' He internally reminded himself, heaving a sigh as he prepared to show them the part and deal out the remainder of his cash if they had no interest in technology. But quickly, his idea was suddenly worthless and he was left with little time to react.

Within a matter of seconds the realization that the boy they had captured was worth more than anything anyone could ever dish out came to light, and he was being carried away, and Matthew was left with more than he ever wanted; a simple skirmish turned into a hostage situation, and a gun aimed in his direction. Never before had Matthew been so glad he had trained with his knife, and although he lacked in the hearing division, he had reflexes.

He just really hated fights.

The gun was fired, and although no longer the aim was for a deadly shot, the sudden sharp pain in his shoulder told Matthew he hadn't moved quick enough. "Fucking hell!" He hissed out loud, nearly withdrawing the knife he had so desperately wanted to have kept sheathed as he stepped back a good couple steps in response to the shot; and instead it merely went for a pocket, where his phone was located, the free hand clenching enough that his knuckles went white. 'Breathe, breathe.' His head was spinning with anxiety and the pain, but he knew he had to do something. He wanted to run, but it was uncertain if he could outrun one of them, let alone the multitudes of them that were armed.

When he was younger, his mother ha d put emergency services on speed dial just in case, and although he had only ever used it once, there had been enough practice in their household that he could pretty much do it in his sleep. Now he just had to stall them another twenty seconds while he got the cops on the line and had them listening to everything that was going on.

"Bet that made you happy. He spat, sparing them no niceness. People like this did not deserve his friendly personality; instead they got the part of him that just wanted to save that kid - Eirik was it? - and go home and sleep. He didn't have time for shit like this in his busy life; his job made it hard enough. "Shooting an unarmed citizen, real mature. Ten seconds and he'd have it activated, he was so close.

"I had to finish some stuff tonight, you know. This will be a massive burden. He sighed, drawing it on, hoping that it would work, for he was a few button pushes away - wait no he was pretty sure he had it. 'Perfect.'

"And you guys should know by now that picking on and kidnapping a minor is one of the worst things you could do. I know everyone carries weapons around but I d-don't think this was necessary. He egged them on, chewing on the inside of his lip as his shoulder ached and his head matched the throbbing, willing himself to move as little as he could to ease the pain; the hand that had dialed the police now applying pressure to the open wound. A little longer and things would turn out alright, he and Eirik just had to hold on a bit more.

"I am ashamed, really.