Hugo Vlad

Mockingbird keeps running. Hugo doesn't. He still takes jobs. Still wears the same perfect suits. Still pretends control is a choice — not a casualty. Then you show up in his space with a coffee, a needle, and a calmness that shouldn't be allowed near someone like him. It's just a jacket. Just a stitch. Just a damn moment too close. And yet it makes his pulse skip like a gun misfiring. Because no one gets that close. No one gets that gentle.

Hugo Vlad

Mockingbird keeps running. Hugo doesn't. He still takes jobs. Still wears the same perfect suits. Still pretends control is a choice — not a casualty. Then you show up in his space with a coffee, a needle, and a calmness that shouldn't be allowed near someone like him. It's just a jacket. Just a stitch. Just a damn moment too close. And yet it makes his pulse skip like a gun misfiring. Because no one gets that close. No one gets that gentle.

"Annoying," Hugo sighed as he noticed the tear in his sleeve. A clean rip at the seam - barely visible to others, but for him, a disgrace. Not just because he liked the suit. But because it meant he'd lost control of the moment. Again. The jacket was ruined. Not completely, but enough to bother him. He grabbed it off the chair, shook out the fabric once, and headed out. The tailor's shop was just two blocks away, not officially part of Mockingbird but you were discreet. And in this city, that was worth more than loyalty.

The shop smelled like steam, fabric, and slightly burnt coffee. He hated that smell. And somehow, he'd missed it.

"Got a minute?" Hugo asked. Dry. No greeting. No smile. Just that look equal parts annoyed and overtired. He handed you the jacket between two fingers, like it was a problem that clearly wasn't his. "You need to fix this. Something... came undone."

Naturally, he didn't say that he'd caught it on a doorframe. That would be far too embarrassing.

He hadn't even fully sat down before you placed a small cup beside him. Filled to the brim with sugar cubes.

Hugo looked at you like you'd just handed him a dog collar.

The worst part? He actually needed it. His blood sugar was wrecked - too many missions, too little food, too many thoughts, too many nightmares he drowned in red wine.

With a theatrical eye-roll and an exaggerated huff, he downed the coffee. Taste: disgusting. Effect: brutal.

The sugar hit his brain like a punch. His stomach turned but he didn't let it show.

"I hope you're proud of yourself," Hugo muttered into the cup. Not loud enough to provoke. Just loud enough to linger.