Eugene was hungry. No, hungry wasn't the right word. He was utterly starving. But had already had breakfast at the orphanage, if you could call the slop they serve breakfast. He knew that the staff who worked there tried the hardest they could to feed everyone, but they couldn't make something at least edible?

Not to mention that he had given half of his share of food to one of the younger kids because one of the bigger bullies had stolen his. He would have got it back for the kid if the bully hadn't already scarfed it down like the pig he was, so he gave away half his own and made up an excuse of not being hungry. The look on the little guy's made him feel good inside but it did nothing to quell his growling stomach. Well, looks like it's that time again.

Time to do some pickpocketing.

Eugene got up from his sitting position against the stone wall of the orphanage and let his face break into a small grin. Eugene loved the rush of pickpocketing, he had never been caught, even on his first try. Though it might have had something to do with the fact that the guy was drunk...and asleep but it didn't matter to Eugene. To him, he was living out the life of his Hero Flynn Rider. A dashing swashbuckler who had an abundance of thrilling adventures wherever he went and besides it wasn't like the money was going to be put to waste. He just needed enough to buy an apple or something which was 2 coins at most and if he so happened to grab more than two coins, why not buy some more food for some of the other kids?

Eugene stuck his hands in pockets and walked down an almost hidden alleyway that would lead to the main market place; where there were so many people that going unnoticed was almost too easy. But when he turned a corner he quickly jumped back behind and pressed his body against the cool brick wall, he waited before peeking around the corner to get a better look at what made him jump back, he saw that there were already two men with their backs facing Eugene near the exit of the ally who stood behind some large crates before they quickly ducked them as the sound of people running drew near. He didn't have time to think before he saw some guards running past the ally but one came back and looked down, Eugene hid behind the wall as he held his breath, hoping that the guard would just move on.

After a few moments of silence, he heard a deep voice in an accent he didn't reorganise from around the corner. "Ok, I think they're gone." He heard another voice let out a relieved sigh before speaking. "That was too close..."

"Don't be so dramatic Tulio, we got away and with the gold no less!" The first voice piped up once again.

"Yeah, which we would have more than if you hadn't distracted me."

"What are you talking about? The deal was that I would play and you would gamble, you were the one who got caught with those dice of yours. I was smart enough to put all my earnings in my bag, while you scrambled to get what you could."

"Don't you dare act innocent, you distracted me with those eyes again."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. What about my eyes detracts you?~"

"Y-You, you know exactly what they do to me..."

"Well, elaborate Darling, I'm not a mind reader~."

"M-Miguel, Stop. We'll get caught."

"No one can see us, you worry too much."

Eugene was enraptured by the two men's conversation, it went from bickering to flirting almost no time. It was a common occurrence for Eugene to see people flirting, hugging or even kissing in the streets but has never been two men before. Nuns come to the orphanage and talk to all the kids there about what they should do if they wanted to go to heaven, Eugene doesn't actually believe in any of that stuff but he would never tell the Nun's that, but one thing that was always very strongly against was what the Nun's called Homosexuality. It was a wired lecture and lots of the little kids couldn't even say the word but they explained as 'To love a man love another man as they should love a woman is a sin, an abomination, they have the devils blood in them and they are all pure evil'. Eugene wasn't sure if that was true, he always thought that Love was a good thing and it couldn't be wrong no matter what.

The more he thought about it, the more curious he got. So he slowly poked his head around the corner before turning back at almost lightning speed, his face scarlet red. One of the men, who was wearing a red shirt and had golden blond hair was holding the other man, who had dark hair and a blue shirt up against one of the crates, with their arms warped around each other and one of the dark-haired man's legs were loosely wrapped around the blond's waist. They were clearly kissing. Eugene was a little grossed out at first then he thought about the conversation that the men had just had, they mentioned they had Gold, a whole bag of it.

Eugene had no idea where they got the money but they wouldn't notice a few coins missing would they? Sneaking a peek at the two, they were still very preoccupied with each other but another thing caught his attention, a bag that was hanging off the blonde man's shoulder and he could just see a glint of something shiny. 'Jackpot!' Eugene thought in his head.

It wouldn't be too hard to sneak up, get a handful of coins and then sneak away and/or run away. At least that's what Eugene thought.

Eugene then began to creep forward on his tiptoes, keeping an eye on the two men. He smiled a little smugly as he noticed that the two individuals were too invested in each other to notice anything going on around them, he slowly reached up for the bag and grabbed as many of the small coins in his little fist as he could, hoping that the slight clinking noise of the gold wouldn't draw their attention as he pulled his had back gradually.

Eugene thought that he was in the clear, that he had committed the perfect crime, he and the other kids would be eating good tonight!

... That was until he felt a sturdy grip on his wrist.

Eugene squealed in fright and he looked up to see both of the men had stopped and now we're currently standing over him, looking down at him. "What do you think you're doing kid?" The one with intense blue eyes asked as he kept a firm grip on Eugene's wrist.

The coins dropped from Eugene's hand as he felt his face grow hot and his eyes stung as fresh tears weld up in them. Eugene was at a loss of what to do, he had never been caught before. He had overheard what people did to thieves, he heard that they cut their hands off. He tried weakly to pull his arm free but he knew it was no use, he was a goner.

Eugene let out a sob as he pleaded, "Please don't cut my hands off. I'm sorry, I'll never do it again. Please, don't hurt me." Eugene cried his little heart out, he was stupid to think that he could steal from these too, he knew it was risky but he tried anyway, now he was going to pay for it.

He was no Flynn Rider, he was just a dumb kid...

"Cut your hands off? That's a little extreme don't you think? Oh come on now, don't cry. We're sorry we scared you." Eugene was more than surprised when he heard the comforting voice and a hand his shoulder. He looked up to see grass-green eyes, full of warmth.

The same man was crouched to Eugene's level, he then reached his other hand up. Eugene flinched back and closed his eyes, expecting a slap to the face but what he got instead was a slightly callused hand brushing the tears from his cheeks When the man pulled his hand back Eugene rubbed his eyes against his wrist to clear his vision and look up at the two men. Now that his vision was clear in the men were right in front of him, he could get a good look at the men who had caught him.

The one in front of him was average height, broad-shouldered, and handsome, with shoulder-length, golden-blonde hair and green eyes. He had a muscular and toned body. He had a beard that seemed to be darker than his blonde hair. His outfit consisted of his a red loose tunic, khaki pants and brown shoes. He looked somewhere between his late 20s or early 30s.

"What's your name kid?" The man who still had a group on Eugene's wrist asked. Eugene then looked the other male up and down.

The other man was tall and slender with blue eyes. He had long, wavy black hair, tied back with a purple ribbon in a low ponytail, and a goatee. He wore a blue collared long-sleeved shirt under a brown vest, green pant's with a black belt with a golden buckle on a black belt, and brown shoes. The man appeared to be in his mid-20s to early 30s.

"U-uh, um... E-Eugene... My name is Eugene." Eugene answered. "Y-your not gonna cut my hands off?"

The black-haired man rolled his eyes, letting go of Eugen's arm and proceeded to talk with his hands. "Kid, that just something the church tell you to get you to behave. No one cuts off hands any more. The worst you will get if your caught stealing is either your killed or you get a beating, it depends on who you steal from and what you steal."

The blond then stood up and swatted the other. "Tulio! Don't tell him that!"

"Well, do you want me to be honest or do you want me to lie to the kid, he needs to learn now or he'll get himself hurt or worse."

"You could have said it a little better, he's just a child."

"So were we when we set off on our own. We were lucky, he might not be.

Eugene again watched the two argue, "Wh-What are your names'?" Eugene wanted to know who these men were and what they planned to do with him.

The two ceased their fighting and once again looked down at him.

"Oh right, well I am Miguel and this is Tulio." The blonde- no, Miguel said as he gestured to himself and then Tulio.

"... Really?" Eugene asked.

"Huh?" Tulio replied. "Yeah, that's our names. What about them?"

"Those names are wired and what up with your voices, why do you guys sound like that?"

"Oh! Well, you see we're from Spain. Ever heard of Spain?" Miguel said as he leaned down slightly. Eugene shook his head, he didn't know much about the world outside of Corona. "Well, in Spain we speak a different language called Spanish, that is why we have these strange accents."

"Our names are Spanish too. Our names are considered common there, to use your names is weird, what kind of name is Eugene anyway?," Tulio followed along with the conversation, only to get another swot from Miguel. "What? Don't tell me it doesn't sound weird to you?"

Eugene wanted to be offended but he didn't like his name that much so he agreed with Tulio.

"No, you're right, it's a dumb name anyway. If I could I'd change it. to something cooler" Eugene said as he stuck his hands in his pockets, kicking some gravel around.

The two men exchanged a look before Tulio let out an almost inaudible sigh and leaned down to Eugene's level, "Well, why don't you?"

At the question, the boy perked his head up. "Huh?"

"If you could have any name, any name at all, what would it be?"

Eugene didn't even need to think. "Flynn Rider!"

Tulio arched an eyebrow, "Flynn Rider? Like the guy in the book?"

Eugene was surprised that Tulio knew of his favourite book of all time. "Yeah, him! He's my favourite character of all time! I want to be just like him. I just wish I could read the book myself, I always have to ask someone else to."

"What? You can't read? Haven't your parents taught you how to yet?"

Eugene fell silent and his gaze found the ground refusing to look the dark-haired male in the eye. For a few moments, there was utter stillness, even the sounds of the nearby market couldn't break through the silent ally.

"... You're not out living on the streets are you kid?" Tulio said in a slow but soft tone. Eugene shook his head and pointed at the opposite entrance of the ally.

"No, I live in that orphanage over there. But they don't have the time to teach anyone to read, there just too many."

Miguel, who had remained quiet for most of the conversation suddenly sprang forward, wrapping an arm around Tulio shoulder.

"Tulio could teach you! He taught me how to, so you should be no problem." The blond said with a huge grin on his face, not understanding the impact of the statement he had made.

"Uh, no, no, no! Miguel, we've talked about this. The little voice, remember?" Tulio said as he stepped back, removing Miguel's arm from his shoulder, making frantic hand movements as he talked, "Come on, I know you have one, you just never listen to it. What is it saying right now?

The blonde paused, looked thoughtful for a few moments before speaking, "You're right. We should bond first, you like ice cream, Eugene?"

At the very mention of ice cream, Eugene was willing to accept the wired situation that he had been up into, he had never had ice cream before but he had heard about it from other kids.

"I don't know but I wanna try some!" He didn't know how the treated tasted but he somehow knew that he would love it.

"Miguel, oh dios mio. No podemos tomar este niño por helado, ¡no eran sus padres!" Tulio said as he grabbed onto Miguel sleave, stopping him in his tracks.

Eugene's face melted from exhilarated to deeply confused, he couldn't understand a word that Tulio was saying. This must have been how they talk where they came from.

"Bueno, si no quieres helado, está bien, pero no lo arruines. Puede ser el único regalo que recibirá." Migule fired back as he glanced to Eugene then back to his partner. There was a breaif silence before Tulio let out an annoyed sigh. "Bien, bien... Just stop with the face. Come on kid, let's get this over with."

Eugene watched the man start to walk away before stopping at the exit to the ally before looking both left and right, Tulio was probably looking for any guards that would still be patrolling the area. "It's clear, now come on before we get caught again."

Eugene didn't move a muscle, he just looked up at Miguel, who was staring down at him. "What's the matter? Don't you want any ice cream?"

Eugene was embarrassed about what he was about to ask, "Can I hold your hand?... Please?" Eugene didn't want to get separated from the two men and the market was always super crowded.

Eugene could have sworn that he saw Miguel's eyes well up before he smiled the brightest smile he'd ever seen. "Why of course, but I can do better!" Eugene didn't have an opportunity to ask what he meant before he was being swept off of the ground by Miguel's strong hands. He let out a screech of shock that moulded into fits of laughter as he was lifted onto the blond man's shoulders.

Tulio could only watch as his partner lifted the little boy onto his shoulders, his face breaking out into a fond smile as he watched the two. He knew that Miguel had a huge soft spot for children, especially the poor ones since he grew up in that environment. Tulio was not as fond of children as Miguel was but he didn't discourage Miguel's enthusiasm or stop him, he knew that Miguel had always wanted children of his own, sometimes he would spend whole days just talking about what he would do if he and Tulio had one, what they would look like, what he would teach them and who they might grow up to be... But they both knew that could never have one.

Tulio had confessed to Miguel before that he always felt a little guilty for not being able to give him the family he always wanted, Miguel comforted him and told him that he would always be enough for him no matter what, that he was the only family that he needed. It was an incredibly emotional night for both of them, Tulio never forgot his words but he also never failed to notice how Miguel would look at young children with their parents without longing who look in his eye.

Maybe having the little brat around be good for both of them.

"Hey, come on you two! We only have so much daylight left," he called to them "The last one there's a Pendejo!" he yelled to them before he took off running.

"Oh no, you don't!" Miguel called after the taller man as he also took off running after Tulio.

"Yeah! Come on Miguel, let's get him!" Eugene said as he leaned down to the one man's ear. "What's a Pendejo?"

Miguel cringed a little, "Uh, you don't need to know..."

-
Eugene was 100% positive this has been the best day of his life. Tulio was surprisingly fast I knew she was a little disappointed when he found out that he had beaten them to the Ice Cream cart that was parked in the middle of the market but it was OK since Tulio gave him the chance to pick a flavour first. There were so many flavours that Eugene didn't know what to choose before he settled on one named 'Rocky Road'. Miguel chose strawberry and Tulio chose blueberry.

While they were enjoying their frozen treats, Miguel insisted on telling him a story. A story in which he and Tulio were accidentally mistaken for God's in a legendary city made of gold. Eugene was hanging on every word that the blonde said, he had heard of the mythical city of El Dorado but he never thought it was real. He said he wanted to find himself but Tulio told him not to bother, as they had sealed the entrance to keep away greedy people who only wanted to destroy it, Eugene was a bit disappointed that he missed out on an amazing adventure but the way that Miguel told it to him, it was like he was there the whole time.

They also talked about a woman named Chel, how she had helped them get through the situation that they had put themselves into you without being caught and sacrificed by the evil Tzekel-Kan, who also led the greedy people back to his home, thinking they were the gods that he was looking for. They spoke very fondly of Chel, how they were the Three Amigos for almost a year until they came across a great Empire with a young emperor took an interest in her and she took interest in him. The three parted ways after her and the emperor got married, he could tell that they miss her very much and that she means a lot to the two. Eugene wishes he could have met her, been with them on their amazing adventures.

After the story was done, Eugene wanted to know more about the two men. He learnt that the reason the two had been hiding in the ally in the first place, was because they had been caught gambling in the streets with loaded dice, they had performed a fake duel, to distract the crowd while they got close enough away to run and had ducked into the alley to hide.

It was also then that Miguel pulled out a strange instrument that Eugene had never seen before, Miguel called it a mandolin, a very popular instrument in Spain where he came from. He then started to play it, it was like nothing Eugene had ever heard before. It started softly before the tune got more upbeat and he started to dance to his music, Eugene then followed, it took a little convincing but Tulio eventually danced with them as well. He danced differently, it was mostly made up of hand clapping, percussive footwork, intricate hand, arm, and body movements. Eugene tried to follow to Tulio's example but he just ended up tripping on its own feet, he expected the dark-haired man to laugh at him but he just picked him up and showed him the moves; he wasn't perfect but at least he didn't trip up
anymore.

It wasn't until he noticed that it was getting dark that he even thought of going back to the orphanage. Eugene didn't want too but he knew that he would get in trouble if he didn't.

"It's getting kind of dark, I should be getting back now..." Eugene said as the three of them walked through the streets of Corona. Eugene could tell by the looks on the two men's faces that they too were apprehensive and disappointed to hear this.

"Yeah, it does seem to be getting kind of late. We'll walk you back, things can get pretty dangerous on the streets at night kid, it's never safe to go alone." Tulio said as he absentmindedly grabbed the young boy's hand, keeping it in a soft but firm grip.

"Did you have fun today?" Miguel asked as he gently ruffled Eugene's hair before grabbing his other hand.

"Oh yeah! Today has been the best day of my life! I don't think anything could make it better, you guys are fun. I wish I could hang out with you guys all the time, you're not like any of the other adults around here. They always look at me either with disgust or like they're sorry for me. I don't want them to feel sorry for me, if they feel so sorry for me why don't they help me or any of the other kids at the orphanage? I just don't understand the world..." Eugene ranted as the three of them strolled down a familiar alleyway.

The two older men stayed quiet while they listened to the child, they understood exactly what he meant.

"I'm sorry son, I wish the world was simpler, I really do. But unfortunately, there's nothing you can do about it, sometimes to make it in this world you have to do things that you don't want to or do things that aren't technically legal." Miguel said softly as he rubbed Eugene's hand with his thumb.

"That's what I and Miguel do have to do, being criminals is no fun, conning people is dangerous and we always have to worry about people finding out that we're together. Plain and simple kid, the world sucks. But if you find people that truly care about you, people that would do anything for you to keep you safe and happy, then the world doesn't seem so bad sometimes." Tulio said in an earnest honest voice as he gripped Eugene's hand a little tighter.

"...I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." It was the only thing that Eugene could think to say as he listened to the wise word of two people beaten down by the world but just kept getting back up because they had each other to lean on.

Eugene hoped that one day he could have a relationship like the two men before him.

The three of them soon stopped at the entrance to the orphanage, none of them made an effort to let go of each other. Miguel was the first one to make a move but he did not let go of the child's hand, he leaned down on one leg and looked Eugene in the eyes.

"Here," Miguel said as he brought up a small leather pouch and held it out to Eugene. "we want you to have this." Eugene and slowly let go of the blonde hand and took the pouch, he didn't even have to look inside of it to know that it was full of coins. "I don't understand, why are you giving this to me?" Eugene asked in a small hesitant tone, this had to be the kindest thing anyone has ever done for him. Miguel did not answer him, he did not need to answer as he felt Eugene already knew why.

Eugene could feel his eyes welling up with tears. He then felt a hand on his shoulder, you looked up to see to that Tulio had also leaned down, with a gaze full of warmth. "Hey kid, if you really want, I can teach you to read." It was then that Eugene remembered that there was the whole reason that he had gone with the two men in the first place, he had completely forgotten.

"Really? Do you promise?" he asked, trying his hardest to keep his composure.

"I promise next time we meet I'll teach you to read that book. If you promise to bring it to me." Tulio said in a lightly teasing tone.

"Yeah, yeah, I promise. I won't forget I swear!" Eugene said slightly excited, learning to read never really appealed to him before but if he was going to be taught by Tulio then he would be glad to.

"Would you like to see us tomorrow? Same time early morning?" Miguel questioned. Like he even needed to ask.

"Yeah! Can we meet in the alleyway? I'll bring the book and everything." Eugene just couldn't explain why he felt such a connection with these two men that he had known for less than 24-hours.

"Well then, that's settled. We'll see you tomorrow Eugene, sweet dreams." Migule said as he brought the child in for a hug, Eugene didn't hesitate to hug the blond man back. When he let go he quickly turned and hugged Tulio, who hesitated somewhat out of shock before hugging him back.

The hug lasted about a minute before Eugene pulled back and walked up the steps of the orphanage, as he opened the door to walk inside he looked back to find the two men with their arms around each other waving goodbye at him, it made Eugene's heart swell and he waved back at Miguel and Tulio before shutting the door.