A/N: So, my mind has been running rampant with many different plot bunnies, and it's making it hard to focus on one thing. So I'll just write for each story as I feel the moods for them, and then switch between updates on my fics.

Enjoy my newest plot bunny: EngIta Phantom Thief AU! Just a warning: The rating WILL go up! Expect a sex scene next chapter.

Arthur caught sight of it only briefly, the gold chain peeking out from under the collar of the other man's shirt when he leaned forward to shake his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" the amber-eyed Italian greeted him, shaking his hand enthusiastically. "Nonno's been fussing over us meeting, I think he wants us to get along so your father feels more open to a business deal… Ah! I said too much," he laughed, cheeks pinking. "I'm Feliciano Vargas."

"Arthur Kirkland," he introduced himself, "And don't worry, it's not the first time. Although usually, people go for my oldest brother, not me." He quirked an eyebrow- this one definitely was interesting. He was much more bubbly and playful and honest than the other businessmen he had to deal with on a regular basis.

(It was stifling, dealing with them! He was glad he wasn't the one inheriting the company. He'd much rather be left alone to his own devices.)

Feliciano smiled. "You're closer to my age, so you're less scary to talk to," he said rather honestly, before raising a hand high over his head in a wave. "Oh, oh, nonno's here. Come on, Arthur," he urged, grabbing Arthur's hand and pulling him along.

"Oi- hey, wait a minute- we've only just met, where are we going?"

"Away from my grandfather! He'll be fussing if he sees us together at the party," Feliciano laughed.

"I thought he wanted you to approach me?"

"Exactly! He'll start pressuring you to talk to your dad if he sees us. So~ Let's go over here," the Italian insisted, pulling him through to a busier part of the ballroom, out of Romulus Vargas's line of sight. "So! I'm surprised you're here, rumors say you never come to all these parties," Feliciano chirped curiously, eyes glinting in the light from the chandeliers hanging overhead.

"Ah, er…. Well, you see, I was actually hoping to catch a glimpse of the Golden Heart. I heard your grandfather was bringing it in from his other estate today," Arthur hummed a little, watching Feliciano's collar carefully. He plucked up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray, and sipped at it, waiting for Feliciano's reply.

"Ah, that! Si, nonno mentioned that. There's always a lot of fuss when it gets moved, so I'm not surprised you heard," Feliciano hummed. "But no one outside the family or household's allowed to see it, for safety reasons. It'll be safe in a vault~" he said airly, waving his hand dismissively. "Dispiace. I know a lot of people want to see it. It's really pretty," Feliciano enthused. "Ve… but I guess that means you came for nothing. Dispiace," he said again, this time looking apologetic, his big shining eyes briefly catching Arthur off-guard.

He's rather cute, Arthur thought briefly, the younger man, before he was distracted by that glint of gold again.

That thick, heavy gold chain around Feliciano's neck… It was hidden under his clothes.

What was hiding there?

Arthur scanned the room briefly as he took another sip of champagne, searching for an opportunity. He drained the glass, setting the empty glass on another passing tray as he continued to look… There had to be a way… ah! There!

As a waiter approached, he made sure to keep his back to him. "This is quite good champagne, would you like me to get you a glass?" Arthur offered, and Feliciano seemed surprised.

"I'd like it, grazie," Feliciano murmured, looking a little startled. Apparently, he wasn't used to these kinds of little courtesies.

Pity.

Arthur timed his turn just right- so that when he stepped forward, he nearly ran right into the waiter. But he timed it perfectly, stumbling back with practiced ease and instead falling with his back against Feliciano's chest.

"L-Look out!" Feliciano squeaked, stepping back but grabbing Arthur's shoulders to steady him- although Arthur's back still crashed rather hard against Feliciano's chest.

And ow, it hurt!

Whatever Feliciano had under his shirt just jabbed into his back and that was reallynot something he wanted to relive.

With the excuse in hand, though, Arthur quickly straightened up and groaned, rubbing his back for emphasis. "Ack, sorry about that… Blimey, what've you got on you? Something just jabbed me hard on the spine," he complained, the wince very much real.

Feliciano looked incredibly apologetic, starting to babble. "Sorry! I didn't mean to! When you fell, I couldn't catch you in time… It must've been my necklace," Feliciano rushed out, pulling up on the chain. At the bottom of the loop hung a rather large golden egg, plain in design, with no real ornament to it. It appeared to be solid gold, bigger than Arthur's fist.

Feliciano seemed in pain too, and Arthur realized his fall had made the egg press hard against Feliciano's sternum, too. "I'm sorry, I should've been more careful," Arthur murmured, his sympathy genuine. "If you're still up for the champagne, I'll fetch it for you."

The Italian smiled. "Per favore," he murmured, and Arthur flashed a smile at him and slipped away.

The egg was solid gold, but not something he was interested in.

How to reach that diamond, though…

The youngest brother, Valentino Vargas, wasn't of much use, and Arthur had already tried asking the oldest Vargas brother Lovino- but the oldest was more abrasive and not willing to talk with him much. And now, Feliciano, the middle brother, didn't seem to know much about the diamond either… None of their sisters were approachable at the moment.

At this rate, he'd have to slip around Romulus and listen in, and hope he'd drop a better hint of how to find the vault. He could do a bit of sneaking around, too, but that should be reserved for later. The party was going to reach a peak at around eleven PM, meaning he'd have the most cover then. At least if this went like most Vargas parties, which it would, by his calculations.

He walked around the room, getting a better feel of the place, peeking out doors down hallways and making a mental map. He'd already scouted and memorized the blueprints for the place, but it helped to see things himself.

He returned to Feliciano a few minutes later with a glass of champagne, only to find Romulus with an arm over Feliciano's shoulder as the old man boasted to some other companions of his.

Romulus's voice was booming and proud, easy to hear over the din of the party. "Ahaha! And so I said, I might have the Golden Heart, but it's Feliciano here with a heart of gold!" he said, apparently finishing off an amusing story, since the other men nearby laughed and Feliciano turned a bright pink and laughed as well.

"Nonno," Feliciano whined, flustered. "You always tell that story. I'm not that great," he said humbly, but Romulus only ruffled up his grandson's hair and laughed again.

"And that's exactly what I'm talking about, gentlemen! I'm glad Feliciano won't be the one inheriting the business. He's sweet, he doesn't need to be made jaded by all this business," he said, with a dismissive wave. Arthur caught sight of the way Feliciano bristled briefly at those words. "Oh? Is that Arthur Kirkland?"

Arthur mentally cursed when Romulus noticed him, but he put on a smile and stepped forward to greet him. "It's a pleasure, Mr. Vargas. I was just getting Feliciano a champagne," Arthur said, handing Feliciano the glass he'd brought over.

Feliciano stepped forward, out of his grandfather's hold, and smiled, taking the champagne and moving to stand by Arthur. "Grazie mille!" he said, taking a sip.

Arthur suddenly remembered- Feliciano was under the legal drinking age, according to his data. "Ah… wait…"

Romulus laughed and reached over to slap Arthur on the back in a friendly (but admittedly rather painful) manner, saying, "Don't worry about it, my boy! Feliciano's in his own home, he's allowed a drink or two. Just don't be getting my grandson drunk, you hear? Now, while you're here, how's your father been?" Romulus was sly and friendly, but it was easy to see where this was going.

Feliciano choked on his champagne, and Romulus looked over in worry. "Are you alright, Feliciano?"

"I-I, ah, si! I just remembered that, uh- I was going to show Arthur the art gallery, and we should do that before the party gets too busy, so…! I'll go show him now," Feliciano chirped, downing the glass of champagne impressively fast before taking Arthur's arm in his and dragging him away. "Ciao, nonno!"

"Ah, alright- er, be careful of the statues!" Romulus called as Feliciano fled with Arthur, looking mildly confused, but still oblivious to Feliciano's attempt at keeping Romulus from wheedling business deals out of the Kirkland family.

"Si, nonno!"

Arthur was startled but let himself be pulled out of the ballroom and down a hallway, Feliciano's hold tight on his arm.

"Er, so where are we headed?" Arthur asked as they walked down the empty hall, away from the party in the ballroom.

"Nn, well, I might as well take you to the art gallery," Feliciano hummed, laughing and then adding, "Sorry about nonno. He's enthusiastic about expanding his influence. I think he's taking it a bit too far, but…" Feliciano shrugged. "If it makes him happy."

Arthur smiled in amusement. "Yes, well. Thank you, I suppose, for rescuing me. I'd like a tour, if you're offering."

Feliciano smiled and laughed. "Of course~!"

Arthur smiled, internally preening over his stroke of luck. He not only got an excuse to explore the manor, but even got a tour from the golden-hearted Vargas himself… He'd be sure to get a good mental map of this place for later tonight. He might even get to get a good look at that golden-hearted beauty.

…And Feliciano was cute, too, of course.

"What's with the guards there?" Arthur asked as they passed a guarded door, although he knew full well why the guards were there.

"Ah, that's the gem room. Nonno's upped security around it lately," Feliciano hummed, although his eyes gave away that he knew more than he let on.

Arthur knew exactly what Feliciano knew- what all the Vargas family must know. Even the party guests must have figured it out, thanks to the police presence on the Vargas estate, guarding it from all angles.

Phantom Thief Grey had sent a note, after all! The whole city knew by now that he was having his heist tonight.

Too bad they didn't realize he was already inside!

"Are guests allowed to look? Or is that where the vault is?" Arthur asked curiously, and Feliciano laughed.

"Nn, well, most people aren't, but… You came all this way just to see the Golden Heart, right? I can't let you see that, but I can show you the rest of the gems," Feliciano invited.

"Wait, your family owns gems besides the Golden Heart?" Arthur asked in surprise.That was something he didn't know about… Well, he might have to make a few return trips, or see if he could snatch more than one.

"Shh! They're a secret," Feliciano said with a little laugh, taking him by the hands and leading him into the room, the guards letting Feliciano pass only after ensuring that Feliciano was really Feliciano. (Arthur memorized the Italian syllables Feliciano chirped to the guards, including the way Feliciano's voice rose and fell as he spoke them- just in case he decided to mimic Feliciano later on. Easy way in!)

As Feliciano placed his hand on the door, though, Arthur caught the briefest flash- it was so small, he nearly didn't notice it. The moment they walked through the door, Arthur noticed it- there was a barrier here.

Magic.

Damn, he thought to himself. So only Feliciano or another Vargas could open that door… He'd have to figure out another way to get into this room, another day.

He almost never did a heist the same place twice, but it looked like the manor would be an exception.

But this meant… the Vargas family knew to use magic. Magic was a rare skill practiced only by a certain few around the world, the users incredibly small in number compared to the general population due to the secrecy of magic's very existence.

The Vargases knew magic- and Arthur was alone with one.

This heist was starting to look interesting.

"Nn, they're all locked up safe so that only a few people can get to them," Feliciano explained as he led Arthur through the room of glass cases. There were an amazing number of prize jewels here- how had a collection like this been kept a secret? The entire room must be a treasure trove worth an amazing fortune! "So you can only look, but I think that's good enough, right?"

Arthur nodded, the stunned awe blatant on his face as he looked around. "This collection is incredible!" Oh, but he was impressed for more reasons than one. He was starting to put the pieces together- the way the Vargas manor used magic, the fact that the Vargas children all had those eyes with a glow to them, and now, this massive collection of jewels. He looked down at a case that held various gems, and murmured, "I had no idea Romulus Vargas… owned… such a massive collection of precious jewels."

"You paused," Feliciano said bluntly, tilting his head.

"No, I didn't," Arthur rushed, suddenly realizing he'd let his mental accusation slip into his words.

"You did." Feliciano's eyes were sparkling.

"I did not." Arthur's heart was pounding.

"… watch it, Arthur," Feliciano hummed playfully, the most carefully concealed threat in his voice. "Saying things like that… People~ might~ hear~!"

Arthur was getting a sinking feeling about the heist.

Well, this was new.

He hadn't expected that bubbly, seemingly air-headed middle child of the Vargas brothers to drop a veiled threat like that.

(It was kind of attractive.)

"They're beautiful," Arthur praised, to change the subject. Feliciano lit up at that, and eagerly showed him more, chattering away about each of their qualities, seeming to have completely forgotten about Arthur's slip of the tongue.

And so, Arthur got a nice little showing of the gem gallery, on the condition that he not say a word about it to anyone.

Arthur smiled to himself.

Of course he wouldn't tell- after all, he wanted this treasure trove all to himself…

The clock struck eleven, and the police force stationed all over the estate were getting antsy. Even the party guests were whispering among themselves.

Have you heard the rumors?

It's not a rumor, it's news~!

It's true?

Phantom Thief Grey will be appearing soon!

It's eleven, it's eleven!

Oh, do you see him? I wonder if we'll get to see him!

Arthur smirked to himself, feeling the attention only stroking his ego even more. Well, he might as well give everyone a good show while he was here.

Mere minutes later, the first scream came.

"It's the Phantom Thief! Grey is here!

Phantom Thief Grey was standing atop a chandelier at the apex of the tall ballroom, in a silver tuxedo, top hat, cape, and white masquerade mask. His gloves were white silk, his shoes and tie white, his shirt black. The silver top hat had a black ribbon circling about the base, and through all the black, white, and grey, pierced the color of glowing emerald eyes.

The thief spread his arms wide in a theatrical welcome, making himself known, enjoying the gasps and excitement and fuss that rose up from the crowd in the ballroom. He paced around the rim of the beautiful chandelier, pleased with its sturdiness, the crystal swinging only slightly as he paced.

"Hello, esteemed guests," Grey said with a smile on his face. "It'll be my pleasure to perform for you today."

From this high up, he could see the entire room, and he spotted the ones he was looking for immediately. The Vargases were being ushered out of the room by the police- interesting. After all, the Vargases weren't fighters- were they? Well, they used magic, so he'd have to keep an eye out for them.

Ah, there they go. The grandfather, the brothers, the sisters… All out of the room.

Showtime!

"As my first trick of the night, I'll disappear!" Arthur said with a grin, and with a swish of his cape, the lights on the entire estate went out at once. Screams went up from the party guests, leaving them in darkness- and the lights flickered back on a moment later, showing that Grey had vanished from his perch on the chandelier. More gasps of awe and excited chatter filled the room, the energy creating chaos- perfect for Arthur to escape in.

He'd donned a police disguise and slipped from the room unnoticed, a smirk on his lips.

Now, to get to the vault room.

He slipped about stealthily, silently, avoiding guards and policemen alike.

"Phantom Grey has arrived! Tighten security! There's no way we're letting him into the vault room!" the police inspector barked out orders, gesturing wildly as the men under his command instantly rushed to protect the vault room. The blond-haired man was stern and known for being one of the best police members in the force: Ludwig Beilschmidt.

Unfortunately for Ludwig, Grey had ended up his personal problem.

But with Ludwig ordering most of his men to guard the vault room, all Arthur had to do was join the police officers charging in!

He blended in easily- at this rate, the heist would be a piece of cake.

He watched carefully as he filed into the vault room, looking around and taking note of every detail and angle. Now to just get the vault open…

He hit a button inside his coat and smiled to himself, counting to ten, before he whirled around and pointed to something outside the window. "It's Grey!" he exclaimed in faux shock, pointing out to where there was a silhouette of himself floating away, seemingly holding something in his hand.

"What? Impossible! Something's shining- did he get the jewel?" Romulus asked in panic, while the Inspector Beilschmidt quickly whirled about.

"Mister Vargas! Open the vault immediately! We must ascertain if the jewel's indeed been stolen," Ludwig said urgently, and Romulus rushed over to the vault door and fiddled with all the locks and combinations, even using a hint of magic of his own to open it up. Of course, the magic was completely unnoticeable to the untrained eye- meaning only Arthur caught sight of it.

The moment the vault was opened, though, Romulus let out an anguished shout.

"I-It's…!"

"What's wrong? Is it gone?"

"It's still here!" Romulus said next, seeming panicked.

Ludwig, along with the police officers, seemed confused. "What? Isn't that a good thing?"

"No!" Romulus spun around, pointing to the "Grey" outside that was making his getaway. "That means- if this one is still here, Grey's gotten the real one! But how…!?" Romulus was looking shocked, his features painted with panic, as he watched.

"Are you saying the gem in the vault is a fake?!" Ludwig roared, before groaning and barking out his next orders. "Everyone! Outside, after the Phantom Thief! You can't let him get away!"

As the police officers charged out, Arthur slipped aside, mind quick at work with this new information.

So, the vault's gem was fake… Where on earth was the real one?

Arthur shut his eyes, shedding his police disguise, and slipped outside and onto the roof, kneeling down in the shadows as his cape billowed behind him in the night wind.

Data rushed through Arthur's mind as he thought, trying to piece everything together. Where on earth could the real gem be?

The real Golden Heart Diamond…

Images of the entire Vargas family… The three brothers, three sisters, the deceased parents, the only living grandparent… The house, the rooms, the guests, the police force, the gem room, the halls… Conversations, codes, sounds, data, information he'd picked up from so many people throughout the night…

Wait!

That's it!

Phantom Thief Grey smirked and knew he'd have to hurry.

The balcony doors opened with the softest click, the night wind rushing in and making the person inside whirl about in shock.

The door was supposed to have been locked and sealed with magic… so how…?

Had Grey gotten in?

The darkness of the room was good for hiding, but it seemed that Grey could see through it easily.

"Hello, darling," the phantom thief said, cape billowing in the breeze, as he stepped forward with confidence. "What's a beauty like you doing hiding away here?" he asked with a soft, charming smile, taking the person's hand and kneeling down, kissing the back of it.

Arthur held up his free hand, and in a puff of smoke, a white rose appeared. "For you."

The girl turned a bright red, barely visible in the dim room, but hesitantly accepted the rose.

She was in a loose and flowing dress, the top half white and the skirt red, with a black sash wound around her waist to accentuate her figure. Her hair was reddish-auburn, long, braided over her shoulders in two braids, with bangs framing her face delicately. Her eyes had a little glow to them that Arthur could see easily.

Truly a Vargas.

Beautiful.

Arthur smirked. "You shouldn't hide away like this, you know," he murmured, watching the girl turn red. "I've heard wonderful things about you, love. Your grandfather certainly seems proud of you.

The girl, seeming shy, looked aside. "I-I'm not anything special," came her small voice, her flustered state betrayed by the way she stammered. She wasn't flattered, she was nervous.

Arthur knew why, and smirked.

"You certainly are. So humble and sweet. You've got a heart of gold, darling, and that terrifies me," Arthur murmured, leaning in close, placing his fingers under the girl's chin and tilting her face up to look at him. "Thieves steal things like that."

But it would still be fun to tease and flirt a little, right? He had the time.

The girl's cheeks turned scarlet- after all, the alluring Phantom Thief Grey had entered her room for some reason, leaning in so close… was he going to kiss her? The white masquerade mask covered his most distinguishing features, but she could still see his nose and soft lips, and his beautiful green eyes…

Arthur was internally grinning like a Cheshire- she was falling right for it!

"So you steal hearts, too?" the girl murmured, her eyes sliding shut.

"If you'll let me, darling," Arthur smirked, kissing her.

What a soft, sweet kiss. The girl was melting right there… success.

"Sorry, love," Grey murmured, as he pulled away and broke the kiss. "But I'll have to take my leave. After all, your grandfather will be here soon. But I just had to get a look at the fabled Vargas Bella," he said, hopping back gracefully onto the balcony.

The girl seemed incredibly flustered, even flattered this time, with her fingers to her lips- at least until Grey added:

"It's a lovely disguise, Feliciano. You can even disguise your voice flawlessly. I could learn from you," Arthur said with a smirk, and the "girl" let out a squeak and stumbled back. "But I can still see right through it. Thanks for the fun."

"Y-You…!" the "girl" choked out in shock, Feliciano knowing now that his disguise had been seen through. "Y-You trickster!" he cried out, still stunned, cheeks a bright red, as he quickly shed the wig.

So it was true, Arthur thought with interest! Arthur vaguely remembered reading something in a tabloid about how the middle Vargas brother had a cross-dressing habit from an amusing misunderstanding in his childhood regarding his childhood music tutor and his other housemaid and caretaker. The tabloids weren't usually very trustworthy, but Feliciano did have a sort of androgynous look to him, and he could pull it off.

It turned out Feliciano did crossdress- but for disguise! Romulus must have told him to hide in this dark room, which meant his hunch was right.

Mere moments later, the police force, Ludwig, and Romulus stormed into the room, the lights being flicked on, and Grey was already crouching on the balcony railing with a grin.

"Feliciano!" Romulus called out as he charged in. "Did he take your necklace?" was the first thing out of his mouth, as he looked at his grandson in panic.

"Too late, you lot," Grey smirked, holding up a golden chain- a golden egg hanging from it. "You can't fool me."

Feliciano gasped, suddenly feeling over his chest. "My necklace! When did you-" Feliciano started to ask in shock, before he turned a bright red and covered his mouth.

When Grey had kissed him…!

"But why my necklace? It's just gold!" Feliciano asked, at a loss, before the Phantom Thief tutted at him.

"Oh, dear, so it was a secret from you too? Why don't you tell him, Romulus, why you're always so insistent that he never lose sight of this golden egg?" Grey said with a sly smile. "And while you do that, I'll take my leave. Ta ta!"

Grey swept off his top hat and took a grand bow as he stood on the railing of the balcony, and as the police rushed forward to apprehend him, Grey vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the policemen at a loss.

Romulus was left fuming, and Feliciano was left with cheeks burning bright in embarrassment and indignant rage.

"My whole life, you've been hiding the Golden Heart in my necklace?" Feliciano shouted in frustration, before he whirled around and pinned Romulus with one rather fierce glare.

Romulus held up his hands. "Now, now, Feliciano, let me explain! It was important that you didn't know it was there- your ignorance to the gem being there was just another measure of protection!"

Ludwig started barking at the old man next. "You fool! Mr. Vargas, if you knew where the real gem was, you should have told us from the beginning!"

"I thought Grey would take the fake! I don't know how he figured it out!" Romulus said in stunned shock.

"If I had known I had it, I would've fought him!" Feliciano snapped back, magic sparking at his fingertips as he tried his hardest to control his temper.

Meanwhile, Arthur walked by casually in the hallway, back in his party clothes, slipping back into the ballroom where everyone was still fussing over the appearance of Phantom Grey.

He patted his chest, where he'd tucked away the necklace into an inner pocket to hide it until he left, and smirked.

["Ahaha! And so I said, I might have the Golden Heart, but it's Feliciano here with a heart of gold!"]

"You should be more careful with your words, old man," Arthur hummed to himself, as the party was forced to end due to Grey's successful theft. "They gave everything away, in the end."

And Arthur got to head back to his apartment and hideout without a single hiccup in the plan.

Another day, another successful heist by the great Phantom Thief Grey.

Arthur hummed as he lounged in his apartment, fiddling with the golden egg.

It was seamless, so he figured that it must need some sort of magic to open it… It might take him a while to figure it out. But Arthur was skilled with magic and alchemy alike, so he'd be sure to open it within a week at most.

So, all this time, Feliciano Vargas had been the one unwittingly guarding the Golden Heart…

Of course an eccentric man like Romulus Vargas would entrust the Golden Heart to the grandson with a golden heart.

Feliciano, however, turned out to be an unexpected bonus. The cute Italian made a beautiful bella, and yet looked rather dashing in a suit and tie as well. But despite how clever Feliciano might be, Arthur was still able to disarm him with a bit of charm… Maybe Feliciano had a thing for Grey, considering how easily he stole a kiss from him.

Arthur smirked.

Maybe, if the Golden Heart wasn't what he was looking for, he could have some fun when returning it.

The TV was on, playing the news, the anchorwoman reporting on yesterday's heist.

"…Grey has managed to outmaneuver the city's police force yet again, leaving onlookers baffled as to how he managed to discern the true location of the gem. It was revealed that not even the keeper of the jewel was aware that he was in possession of it! Will Grey stay true to his usual patterns and return the jewel? Or will this be the one he decides to keep?"

Arthur hummed.

He'd have to wait and see.

But maybe if he went back, he'd get a chance to steal some gems from the jewel room…

After all, they couldn't report those gems as stolen, right?

Since they'd already been stolen a long time ago.

"I wonder, Feliciano, do you know that your grandfather was the great Phantom Thief Rome?"