Author's note: This involves Aria and Phantom, a mildly less common storyline that Phantom and Cygnus.

People make life difficult. Phantom understood this as he sat in the darkness, mud lapping at his feet and rain pouring on him like silver bullets. The day had started out a good one, his empty pockets filled with money and his stomach full of food. But now here he was, this was his current state.

He could still recall, a few days ago Aria had been there feeding him a red bean buns. Hot red paste staining his fingers as he wrestled to not have Aria shove the pastry into his mouth, "Aria, come on that thing is burning my lips right now!"

"Oh, what's this? Someone was boasting that no food was ever too hot for him."

"Come on, stop it okay I give up, you win."

Aria grinned and relented, "Fine, now you owe me."

"Wait, what?"

"Yamato's red bean buns hottest Tokyo, you didn't believe me."

Phantom groaned, he'd been making these bets with Aria since forever, it typically ended with her winning, "Okay, what would you want?"

"Hmmm" Aria walked right up to him, Phantom could smell a mix of red bean and expensive perfume when she was standing so close. She looked directly at him her lips slightly pouted, "I'm not telling you."

"What!"

She shrugged and spun away from him, her blonde hair tickling him in the face "I'll ask for something, don't worry it's a task you can carry out for the finest-thief-in-the-world" She stressed every syllable of the last five words.

Phantom ran his fingers over his dark blue hat, a pretty thing with light blue feathers sitting on the corners. "But…you must tell me, right? Otherwise how am I going do it?"

"I will, but not now."

"But- "Phantom gazed at her, her bright blue eyes reflecting his equally blue hat back at him. He hated holding people's gaze, he preferred to use the shadows to give himself an air of mystery. Even when he did it was typically a confidence sham to scare people, they usually stopped looking after a few seconds.

Aria continued to hold his gaze "But, not today."

Phantom kicked a loose stone across the grass, he watched it fly several feet before it hit a tree "Fine."

"Are you sulking?"

"Nope"

Aria walked over to him "you aren't?"

"I'm just kicking stones don't worry. When I sulk I usually I look pouty and go to quiet corners to cry my heart out."

Aria laughed, "I would pay money to see that."

"Oh I'm sure you would."

"But first I'll claim, my other favor garnered from you."

Phantom smiled "A costly favor indeed what was the number we agreed on? Five hundred was my number last time- "

A stack of papers erupted in his face, when he recovered he was sitting in a pile of "I Owe You" notes written in his own handwriting.

"Five hundred and two"

Phantom cleared his throat "Well…I never thought there would be that many owed favors". Over the year's he'd borrowed several things from the Erev palace guards. This included equipment for his ship the Lumiere and occasionally Aria's seamstress, he begrudgingly admitted that thieves did not have fine clothing as princesses do. Aria has teased him mercilessly for it but allowed him to borrow whatever he wished at a cost of an "I Owe you" note, she'd jokingly said that she'd accumulate half a thousand of them, and now she had.

"You have a short-term memory when it comes to owing people stuff."

"I'm a thief I don't usually owe people stuff."

"You steal them."

"Exactly, it's like borrowing except much better…until now."

"I want you to help me acquire a very important item from Mercedes. She has a pair of old bowguns that I need."

"But- she miles away with all those monsters…. And even if I take the Lumiere". Phantom glanced at Aria she remained perfectly straight faced, no a hint of why she might want a pair of elven weapons. Years of watching taught him to notice details for thieving, a pocket full of money or a hidden dagger. People weren't too different, twitched lips meant a good hand of cards, slight fist raise meant it was time to pack up. He'd never quite managed to figure her out, perhaps he never would. But a deal was a deal, he nodded reluctantly.

"And, no stealing."

"But-"

"You'll use other methods, isn't someone the apparent most charming thief alive?"

"I- you know elves are practically immune to my charms, don't you? They practically invented all thing beautiful, so it's not like they're going to be falling over my admittedly handsome human face."

"Yes, why do you think I'm not particularly worried."

Phantom sighed, "You're impossible, would you like chocolate ice-cream made of fresh mountain dew with that?"

"Sound tempting."

"You're so bossy"

Aria smiled and drew herself closer, standing on her toes. Phantom felt her soft lips press against his forehead, "And you're still my favorite thief."

Phantom rubbed his forehead, he wondered if someone were to tap him he'd melt into a tiny blue puddle "I should get going"

Aria smiled "You look like a peach, one that's been out sunbathing, you're very pink."

"I'm have sensitive skin, forgot my sun lotion, you're totally imagining things." Most charming thief my foot, most klutzy more likely. He stumbled away his heart beating a faction too fast.