#yeah precious things is the name of the jewelry store in mallcrasher i had to go through frames so I didn’t have to actually play it

[metaphorsmybeloved]

Bain is dead and gone. The crew never found their navigator after the Dentist started experimenting on him, despite unearthing files and devices and emails.

Though there was no corpse to bury, the Dentist made it clear that he would never be found. How would the PAYDAY gang go on without their leader? With vengeance, of course. They barely escape by the skin of their teeth; scathed but alive. Houston teaches them to disappear, Joy painting over their footprints as they travel to a different state.

The contract broker was the one who came up with ideas. They would all pitch in to help with the execution, but the planning was all his. He was irreplaceable, they had just figured it out too late.

On their 10th anniversary, the crew decided to do something crazy, like old times. A heist that required everything to go perfectly well, one complete with disguises for a banquet.

Dallas could do it easily, the pretending. The new identities went a long way in distancing himself, a comfortable disconnect. He was confident in his ability to make up stories, enough to where he’d walk into a jewelry store to legally buy a ring that fit him.

The bell rung as Dallas walked through the front door, past the metal detectors, without breaking a sweat. A man stood behind the counter, closing his laptop to greet him. Dallas noted the other’s appearance—long hair, blue eyes—before looking down at golden bands, counting up their value.

“Welcome to Precious Things, how can I help you?” the worker asked, making Dallas do a double-take. He sounded like someone he knew, probably in passing.

“Yeah, was just looking for a ring for myself,” the criminal responded, putting his hand on the glass. Without a care in the world, the cashier grabbed it to inspect his fingers.

“Ten… no, ten and a half,” he quickly muttered to himself, belatedly realizing what he was doing. Dallas watched the man fumble, awkwardly shifting into a handshake.

“Sorry, it’s just that we haven’t had much business recently,” Dallas blinks a few times, firmly returning the gesture with a “don’t worry about it.”

The man behind the counter stoops down to pick up a plain, golden band, still holding on as he slid it onto Dallas’ left ring finger. He guessed that the other must’ve known from where he was looking.

“Guys usually like silver, though I was always a fan of gold, myself.” he seemed distracted, yet still lifted his eyes up to meet the customer’s gaze. Blue like the sky outside the window, and blue like the diamonds below.

“What, without even asking me out?” Dallas smiled, the other man’s social inadequacy loosening his muscles.

The worker chuckled at that, a low yet soft sound.

“Yeah, guess that was kinda rude,” he cleared his throat as he introduced himself, “you can call me Nathan, if you’d like.”