Night had long since fallen over the city when he turned into a narrow alley, trying to shake off the people who had been chasing him for the last few minutes. He didn't know who had come after him this time, and honestly, he didn't particularly want to find out. Over his lifetime, he had made enough enemies that situations like this had stopped seeming unusual.

He stopped by a brick wall, breathing heavily and listening to the sounds of the street. And only then did he notice you.

You, in police uniform, stood a short distance away, your shoulder leaning against the wall. You held a cup of cold coffee, and your face showed neither surprise nor any desire to go for the handcuffs. You simply looked at him, as if he were a passerby who had drifted somewhere he shouldn’t be.

He froze for a moment. Usually, at the sight of police officers, he would vanish faster than they could get out the first word. But now, for some reason, he stayed where he was.

— Rough night? — you finally asked, glancing at his ruined clothes.

He smirked, straightening up.

— Is that how you always greet suspicious strangers?

— Only the ones who burst into alleys like the whole city is chasing them.

You said it perfectly calmly, without threat and without mockery. And that, for some reason, was what caught his attention.

He was used to two types of people: those who feared him, and those who tried to prove they didn't. You were doing neither.

You set the cup on the windowsill and took a few steps toward him.

— Are you hurt?

— And if I am? Will you arrest me?

— If you are, I’ll call an ambulance. Don’t flatter yourself, the night does not revolve around arrests.

He laughed quietly, genuinely interested in the conversation for the first time all evening.

Voices sounded in the distance. He turned his head toward the street for a second, but when you looked at him again, he stayed where he was.

For the first time in a long while, he didn't want to run.

— What's your name, officer? — he asked, tilting his head slightly.

— Why do you want to know?

He smirked wider.

— Haven't decided yet. But it seems the night just got more interesting.