The neon sign above the bar buzzed and flickered, casting a sickly pink light on the wet pavement.
Zeph Vane burst through the back door, grinning like a madman. A bottle of expensive wine was tucked under his arm, and a lipstick mark was smeared on his cheek.
"I told you!" Zeph shouted over his shoulder. "She said she was single! The ring was on her right hand!"
Three men crashed through the door behind him. They were big. They were angry. And they were holding metal pipes.
"Get him!" the leader roared.
Zeph didn't wait. He sprinted down the alleyway, his boots splashing in the puddles. He wasn't scared. Actually, he was laughing. This was a Tuesday for him.
"Come on, guys!" Zeph yelled, vaulting over a pile of trash bags. "Can't we talk about this? I have great personality!"
A pipe smashed into the brick wall inches from his head. Dust rained down on his hair.
"Okay, no talking. Got it."
Zeph turned a sharp corner and hit a dead end. A tall chain-link fence blocked his path. He spun around. The three men slowed down, spreading out to block his escape. They smirked.
Zeph sighed and checked his watch. "You guys are in so much trouble."
The leader stepped forward, tapping the pipe against his palm. "Nowhere to run, pretty boy."
"I'm not talking about me," Zeph said, pointing a finger up.
A dark figure dropped from the fire escape above. He landed silently between Zeph and the thugs.
It was Kaelen Thorne.
Kaelen stood up slowly. He was wearing a dark jacket, his face calm and bored. He looked at the three men, then he looked at Zeph.
"Really, Zeph?" Kaelen asked. "Again?"
"It was a misunderstanding, Kae!" Zeph said, uncorking the wine bottle. "And for the record, her boyfriend is very insecure."
Kaelen shook his head. "You owe me dinner."
The leader of the thugs didn't care about the new arrival. He swung the pipe at Kaelen's head.
Kaelen didn't flinch. He sidestepped the swing with zero effort, grabbed the man's wrist, and twisted. A loud crack echoed in the alley. The leader screamed and dropped the weapon. Kaelen kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back into his friends.
It was efficient. It was brutal. It was boringly perfect.
Zeph took a swig of the wine. "Nice form. A little stiff in the hips, though. 7 out of 10."
"Shut up," Kaelen grunted, dodging a punch from the second guy. He grabbed the attacker's head and slammed it into his knee. The guy folded like a lawn chair.
The third thug looked at his fallen friends, looked at Kaelen's cold eyes, and decided to run away.
Kaelen dusted off his jacket. He turned to Zeph, his expression stern. "That is the third time this week, Zeph. We have a job tomorrow. The sector run. We need to be low profile."
"I am low profile!" Zeph protested, wiping the lipstick off his cheek. "I'm the definition of stealth."
Kaelen snatched the wine bottle from Zeph's hand. He looked at the label. "This cost four hundred credits. You stole it?"
"Borrowing implies intent to return," Zeph winked. "I consider it a gift for my emotional distress."
Kaelen stared at him for a long moment. Then, he sighed, defeated by his best friend's stupidity. He took a drink from the bottle.
"Is it good?" Zeph asked.
"It's terrible," Kaelen lied, handing it back. "Let's go. If we're late tomorrow, I'm leaving you behind."
"You'd never leave me," Zeph said, throwing an arm around Kaelen's shoulder. They walked out of the dark alley and into the bright city lights. "Without me, you'd die of boredom."
Kaelen pushed his arm off, but there was a small smirk on his face. "Without you, I'd just live longer."
"Boring," Zeph sang. "That's just boring."
They walked into the night, shoulders bumping. Two brothers against the world.
Neither of them knew that in three years, one of them would be a god, and the other would be a monster. And neither knew that the hatred growing in the dark would be stronger than this brotherhood ever was.