chapter 2
Atlas woke up the next morning before the sun could even rise. His body moved like clockwork. After cleaning himself up he changed into workout clothes.
The raven walked out of the room while whistling a tune. His wristwatch told him it was four in the morning.
Ivy
"You seem to be in a good mood this morning Mr. William."
Ivy's sudden voice made him almost jump out of his skin. The raven stared at the brown-head with bewilderment
Atlas
"Ms. Miller, I thought you'd be sleeping this early in the morning"
Atlas said with an awkward smile.
Ivy
"so you were planning on going out while I was sleeping? Why? Do you not want to see me?"
She said and playfully pouted. The raven chuckled.
Atlas
. "That's not the case at all. I was going for a jog actually. I just didn't expect you to be up so early"
Ivy
"I always wake up early so I have time to do all my work. Did you sleep well?".
Atlas
"Yes, I slept just fine. This place is rather calm and quiet. It's a great environment to live in"
Ivy
"I'm glad you like it so far. Welp, you should get going for your jog. Do you want me to make breakfast for you as well?"
Atlas
"Oh no that's fine. Have a nice morning Ms. Miller"
Ivy
"You too. But are you sure you don't me to make you breakfast?"
Atlas
"Yes, it's not necessary. I'll see you around"
the raven said one last time and turned around.
The brown-head yelled slightly as the raven was closing the door. Atlas sighed before pulling his hood up and went into the elevator.
The sun was now slowly starting to rise as Atlas jogged casually around the neighborhood. Eyes taking in all the detail of his surroundings. His sneakers thumped against the pavement as he made his way to the other side of the King castle area.
He stood underneath a tree and held onto his knees and waited. Exactly five minutes later a man walked out of one of the buildings. With a gray tracksuit adorning his body the man started walking somewhere.
Atlas got to his feet and started following him. The raven's strides were intentional yet laid-back. His eye wandered around from time to time so the mysterious man wouldn't feel his stare.
The man walked into an alleyway where a few people could be seen talking or smoking around. The raven swiftly walked past them and saw the tracksuit male pull something out of his pocket and hand it to another man. The guy was tall with dark hair and a scar on his face.
The raven subtly took a picture of the interaction and walked away. His feet led him to a small Café near his apartment complex. He couldn't possibly let Ivy cook for him, so this was the next best option.
A small jingle of a bell alerted the people of his entry. Atlas casually walked and sat on a window seat. The menu looked pretty decent for such a small Café. Atlas's eyes roamed around the different items and prices before he decided on his order.
Ivy
"Hello sir, what would you like to have?"
A familiar voice spoke. And when he looked up he almost gasped.
He asked bewildered for the second time this morning.
Ivy
"Ah, Mr. William! So this is why you didn't want me making you breakfast"
Ivy said and pouted. Atlas was having a tough time not cooing.
Atlas
"It's not that. I just didn't want to bother you"
Ivy
"You're no bother. Never hesitate to ask me for something okay?"
She said unconsciously puckering her lips in a pout. Atlas chuckled once more,
Atlas
"alright. I didn't know you worked here though"
Ivy
"You don't know anything about me yet Mr. William. But I assure you we'll be great friends!"
Atlas
"I'm sure we will be"
Ivy
"Now, what did you want to order?"
Atlas
"One black coffee with no sugar and some apple Chaffles sound good,"
the raven said and put down the menu.
He received another bright smile and nod before the latter turned to ring his order.
Atlas sighed and leaned back against his chair as he looked at the outside view. King castle was a very serene place. Everything felt in harmony here.
Atlas
*"wish I could stay here forever"*
But Atlas knew that wasn't possible. His life was in constant danger and if he stayed here for the long term, other people would get hurt. And Atlas hated the thought of someone innocent getting hurt because of him. Especially someone like Ivy.
The deep voice chimed and snapped the raven out of his daze. He smiled towards the latter and took a sip of his coffee, letting the bitter taste linger in his tongue just like the truth.
He complimented only to see the brown-head's face scrunched up cutely in mild disgust.
Ivy
"How can you drink coffee without sugar or milk"
the brown-head again scrunched up her nose. Atlas chuckled at the action.
Atlas
"Are you judging me Ms. Miller?"
The raven asked while deepening his voice. The action seemed rather intimidating, though he didn't intend to be.
Ivy however just shrugged with a small "yep" and giggled. Atlas grinned and shook his head before dropping the argument.
Ivy
"Can I sit with you? I'm on my break and I was hoping we could know each other better. If that's okay with you that is"
The brown-head suddenly sounded shy. Atlas smiled
Atlas
"of course. Take a seat please,"
He said and gestured to the seat opposite to him. Ivy grinned widely before occupying the empty spot.
Ivy
"Did you meet with any people around here?"
Ivy asked. Atlas's mind instantly went to the guy he followed a few minutes ago.
Ivy
"You should interact more Mr. William,"
Atlas
"I'm not that good with people Ms. Miller"
Ivy tilted her head at the remark.
Ivy
"You seem to be doing just fine with me. Making good friends never hurts Mr. William. Besides, you never know when they could come in handy"
Atlas just hummed and ate his food. The bell suddenly rang signifying someone's entry. Ivy's eyes traveled to the door so she could greet the customer but a large smile adorned her instead.
A cheerful voice greeted that made Atlas turn around as well.
A male with bright red hair and equally bright personality was smiling wide at the brown-head.
Ivy
"Hi brother! How was the trip?"
Ivy replied just as brightly and stood up to hug the latter.
？？？
"It was good. We had lots of fun. We missed you there though"
The red-head pouted exaggeratedly.
Ivy
"No way was I going to crash your family outing josh!"
The brown-head exclaimed and laughed.
Josh
"Oh, who's this Ivy? A new friend?"
The redhead asked gesturing towards the raven. Atlas just blinked at them confused.
Ivy
"Let me introduce you guys! Josh, this is Atlas William. He's my new roommate who moved in yesterday. And Ms. William, this is Joshua Collis. My brother"
Atlas stood up to give Josh a handshake.
He said before he was unexpectedly pulled in for a hug.
Josh
"Good to meet you too brother. Take care of Ivy for me"
Josh said after they pulled away. Atlas blinked,
Ivy
"joshh~ I can take care of myself"
Josh
"Aww, of course, you can dear~"
Josh cooed and pinched the other's cheeks then laughed when Ivy whined some more.
The redhead again turned to Atlas and patted his shoulder before whispering in his ear
Josh
"take care of her okay?"
Before leaving for the counter not waiting for an answer. Atlas turned to Ivy bewildered as the latter smiled at him cheekily
Ivy
"now you have a new friend".
Another customer came in the next second and Ivy went to take their order, leaving Atlas standing there blinking.
Atlas
"Why did it feel like I got the elder brother's approval?"
Atlas mumbled and thought to himself deeply before shaking his thoughts away and finishing his breakfast.
That night the raven sat down on his laptop writing his first report. Ivy was fast asleep in her room, so Atlas took his time to complete the full mail.
Attaching the picture he took this morning he sent the email and logged into a tab. He popped in his earphones and leaned back against the headboard and listened to the voice recordings of the wiretaps he set before coming here.
The night was still young.
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