be·lie
bəˈlī/
verb
(of an appearance) fail to give a true notion or impression of (something); disguise or contradict

The first and only stop I had begun to remotely outline to be a success was visiting the museum where the Egyptian artifacts were stolen right under the nose of an unconscious security guard. While trying to track down extra information on that single guard that had screwed up their only job, I'd learned he was still in the hospital due to extensive deadly chemicals inhabiting his lungs.

On the plane, Brendon had suggested it be Virulent's doing, seeing as their weapon of choice was typically poison and gasses. I'd barely even thought to make the connection. The word 'virulent' did mean an extremely severe or harmful disease or poison. It only made perfect sense once it had been brought to my attention.

"Don't be stupid," I told him sharply and slammed the file shut with a loud smack before the small child snooping next to me could peak over my shoulder - people at bus stops had no sense of personal space "why would they want something so simple as that? It's so stereotypical."

"Simple? What do you mean simple, shit like that doesn't grow on trees!" Brendon snapped, earning a low grumble from the mother beside him. She was clearly an active soccer mom, judging from her hairstyle and wide sunglasses with plastic-y cheap rhinestones embedded in the frame. Maybe she lived in some religious suburbs with her minivan occupying all the space in her tiny driveway. Either way, she seemed like she'd chew us out if any of us dared to curse again.

"Yes, but they're things that are everywhere over in Egypt. Whatever else Animosity and Virulent have stolen is much more important-"

"Ah," Brendon tutted "I believe you mean what else they will steal and who they'll murder to get it-"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the mother scoffed and stood abruptly, marching down the sidewalk to find another stop to wait for the bus to arrive.

Brendon smirked the second she was out of hearing range. "Thank god. I almost went as far to say I'd considered becoming a serial killer just to get her to leave. I can't stand people like her."

"Or you could've just kept quiet and inched on to her seat. People despise having their personal space invaded."

He clicked his tongue and pointed a finger at the public bus just as it turned the corner. "Yes, but terrifying people is so much more fun."

Brendon's lips curved into a grin again as the bus screeched to a halt at a dog whistle pitch. I'd prayed Ryan had hijacked the vehicle so we wouldn't be questioned or driven to eighteen different stops off track, but the second the dusty grey smoke cleared, it was obvious Ryan had not come through.

The driver was an older woman with fading pink glasses sitting on her nose, the frames attached by a rusty silver chain dangling around the nape of her neck. She looked like she'd crumble to dust if someone so much as laid a finger on her or walked past too quickly. The doors had swung open and it was like I'd been sucker punched by the odor of week old diapers and rotting food, almost drowned out with the stench of her perfume.

Brendon seemed to be thinking the same way I did, judging by the tears in his eyes from the smell and the breath he'd been holding. "We don't have to, do we?"

I shook my head. I would've been cruel and had him suffer through it with me, but even I was unwilling to endure that for who knows how long. "No, no. Let's walk instead, I don't believe the museum is too far."

He smiled in relief and nearly took off down the sidewalk, leaving me to wave an awkward goodbye to the bus driver and chase after him around the block.

Brendon jogged for a couple yards before he slowed to a stop at an intersection, Ephemeral avenue and Hubris road to be exact.

"Did you know," he mumbled, hands in the pockets to his pants "ephemeral means something lasts for a very short time, and hubris means excessive pride and confidence?"

"No, I did not. Do you just search up dictionary definitions in your free time?"

He shrugged and turned to face me with a wolfish grin that would've caught anyone off guard. "Not generally, no. But everyone has their own quirks, y'know? You of all people should know that."

Again, he'd taken me by surprise and I'd barely noticed he'd crossed the street and was on the other side by the time his words registered. "What do you mean? Why should I know that?"

"You're basically a secret agent," Brendon said casually, as if it were no big deal, "shouldn't you know about all the psychos and murderers? Or are you someone different under your rough and tumble composition?"

"I could be asking you the same thing, Urie."

He clicked his tongue and whirled a finger in the air, pointing up to the sky. "That is true, very true. I can assure you I am totally different than what you saw with both Prince and Ross - being out on the field does something to you, huh?"

Being told he was not who he'd shown was an understatement. Brendon had gone from happy and jokey to pretty terrifying and a he-might-murder-me-any-second kind of person. Honestly, I wasn't too upset with it; I wanted to finish the job and for once it sounded like he did too. "Like a totally different person."

"That's what I aim for - I still pull my stupid bullshit, but more... professionally. Now I don't seem like an inexperienced dolt, and I get the job done and over with, I get what I want, and I go back home."

⋘⋙

The Repertory museum was a hassle to even step into.

Upon entry to the grounds, there were at least four guards set up at every sidewalk and road entrance. The hedge walls were sprinkled with large metal signs pointing to security cameras, which I would've claimed to be a stupid idea if I could even catch a glimpse of the cameras hidden around the premises.

The light poles scattered throughout the busy parking lot were also pointing towards the cameras I still couldn't see. Brendon said they might've been bluffing, since the heist only occurred a few days ago and that wouldn't nearly be enough time to set up such a complex security system. I almost believed him, but I still didn't exactly trust him. I hadn't even been out on the field with him before, I didn't know what tricks he had up his sleeve, or his ways of getting what he wanted. For all I knew, his mind was a sadistic trap.

"Do you think we should interrogate now and break in later, or interrogate and hide out?" Brendon said as we passed a cluster of security guards patrolling the lobby. "The museum closes in about two hours."

"Interrogate tomorrow. I think we should wait out and see if anything happens tonight. Like if whoever stole the artifacts decides to comeback."

Brendon shrugged, flashing a small smile before it disappeared and his expression darkened. A couple people slowed their pace through the entrance to see if he was okay.

He nudged my side and barely gestured across the room, where three sharply dressed guards were standing, staring daggers with holsters strapped to their hips almost hidden from view by suit jackets. "See those guys?"

"Yes, they're very difficult to miss-"

"I've seen them before," a low rumble erupted from his chest and his hand slipped into mine, "play along and I'll give you twenty bucks and buy you dinner."

"Wait, what're we-"

"Aw, you're so funny!" He smiled widely, a complete mood change from seconds before, voice echoing throughout the room, "C'mon, let's go check out some exhibits before the museum closes."

I glanced over my shoulder at the guards I'd seen earlier, quietly speaking into devices tucked into pockets as Brendon dragged me away to the staircase spiraling to the second floor.

And then I looked down at his hand in mine and the stares from everyone around us, and it dawned on me that I'd either been caught up in the greatest pickup move ever, or Brendon was a damn genius.

"So can I call this a date or is it a cover?"

He paused on the first step and turned around, a smirk playing on his lips. "Whichever you'd prefer."

For a second I almost considered it a date. I'd never really been on one before. But then the weight of the situation settled in, and I had to remind myself to not mix field work and social ties, that Brendon was a temporary partner and he was most likely insane. "Let's consider it as a cover, Urie."

It was almost as if I hadn't said a word to shut him down. "Sure thing, Dallon."

His lascivious smile burned into my mind was replaced with the exhibit signs pointing towards the various thing to see - marine habitats, African civilizations and wildlife, dinosaurs, a few others I'd been distracted from when Brendon pulled me closer as groups of security guards stared.

The second floor was where the Egyptian setup was, based on what I'd seen after studying the map on our way to the museum. Police tape lined the entrance, cops stood watch with tasers in hand just in case people like us tried to pass.

I could feel their eyes dwell on us the second we stopped too close for their liking, a cop's finger twitching on the switch for her weapon.

"Shucks," Brendon sighed, gripping my hand tighter with a faux pout, "sorry, sweetheart. We'll have to come back later. It's closed."

Blush crept its way to my cheeks. "Yeah, uh, too bad. I do want to know what happened-"

"Well, if you insist! Let's go ask." He yanked on my arm so hard I could've sworn he'd tugged it from the socket, bounding over to one of the guards that looked more friendly than the others.

He still froze and glared at us before speaking, taking extra care to flash the taser. "The public is denied access to this area for now. Continue with your date at another exhibit."

"Sir, we were just wondering what happened," Brendon said, calm as could be, "that's all."

The guard glanced to his right at the lady who flashed a threatening glare and shook her head slowly. If looks could kill, everyone in the area would be dead. "I'm not allowed to release that information."

Brendon shifted his weight to one side, his other hand snaking into his pocket and fishing out his wallet. For a split second I could've sworn he was about to slip the guy cash to allow us to pass, and I almost slapped it out of his hand because that for sure would've gotten our cover blown, something I wasn't willing to risk. It was his turn to shoot a look as a faux police badge glinted in the sunlight, catching everyone off guard.

He nudged my side, a reminder I still needed to play along. Not for his sake, but for my own sake and my own position in the agency, I did. "You swore no work on dates-"

"I'll make it up to you, trust me. You did leave your badge at the station though, I'm not sure if you can go in with me." He let go of my hand and squeezed past the guards, leaving me alone outside. Ironic, really. Brendon was my partner, not the other way around.

I waited for five minutes, and that turned to ten, then twenty, forty, and an hour before Brendon finally returned from the exhibit, fixing his shirt and repositioning his watch with a smug smile.

For a second I almost asked if he got any footage at all of what was in there, but I had to stop myself in case I said the wrong things and blew the cover. His expression was unreadable, leaving me in the dark on what had happened and what he'd seen.

"I think we should go get dinner," he declared loudly as if he intended for the whole museum to hear, "and I'll make this up to you next week, yeah? No work interference next time, I swear."

"Sure, whatever." I followed him quickly down the stairs and through the entrance, making sure to hold on to his hand when we passed by the security hanging in the lobby and playing the act up until we were a solid block away.

Brendon turned with a lazy smile and a proud gleam in his eyes I almost slapped off. "That, my friend, is what I call a success-"

And I really did slap him. "What the hell was that? We could've been killed, our 'cover' could've been blown, you risked everything to catch a glimpse of something I needed to see firsthand too! This is my mission, in case you haven't received the news."

My hand stung even more once Brendon slammed his watch into my palm, his other hand clutching his cheek. "I took pictures, idiot. Sneaking in and staying the night would've been even more of a risk. You saw the heightened security, half those guards standing watch were probably Animosity and Virulent's. I was in the right this time."

For a second, the deep growl resonating from his chest seeped into his voice, and I could've sworn I was standing in front of someone completely different. For a moment, the hand roughly clasped in mine digging the watch into my skin belonged to someone else, the warm amber staring me down was far off from the ones that had almost sparkled telling me about how he wanted to be James Bond when he grew up.

For a split second, I was scared. I was looking at a totally different person.

Then Brendon grinned and his grip loosened, relaxation sweeping over his body like a wave. "So how about that dinner?"

[hi I'm stressed also this is a strange chapter I took it everywhere I'm sorry]