"You wanna hear a joke?"

"Now’s not really  the time, Baek."

"What? Are you feeling nervous?” his mouth turned up at one corner.

The boy looked up at him, a small click sounding as he snapped a magazine into the gun in his hand.

"Just let him tell the joke, Kris." another boy replied, his eyes glued to the screen of his phone.

"Alright," Baekhyun grinned, "What does a banker use for birth control?"

"What?" Kris replied.

"Her personality.”

The brown haired boy broke out into laughter, gripping his stomach dramatically.

"Are you done?"

"What?" he sighed, wiping a tear from his eye, "You didn’t think that was funny? No one? Sehun?"

He turned to the boy holding his phone. He shrugged, biting his lip. Baekhyun frowned, leaning back against the brick wall. “Yah, you guys really are no fun.”

"What do you think we’re doing here?" Kris snapped, "Is this an open mic night?"

"No but I’ve got a few more if you wanna hear them." he replied, winking.

"Shut up," Sehun sighed, "I’m almost done."

Both boys stood up, simultaneously brushing the dust from their jeans.

"Okay, let’s go over it once more. Sehun, who goes in first?"

"Baek." he replied, "Once the parade starts, I stay here and disable the alarms. Baekhyun’ll get everyone in order, then you come in for backup while he talks to the teller."

"And who’s the teller?" Baekhyun asked. He leaned over the edge of the building, peering down at the sidewalk. The city was more than efficient in closing off any streets that might interrupt their Spring Parade. It was only when it came to such things as festivities that anyone in town saw action from their beloved statesmen. Not that he was complaining. It worked out perfectly for him.

"She’s the one in those navy pumps." Sehun answered, his lips curving up just slightly, "Classy lady."

Baekhyun pulled a worn pair of binoculars from the otherwise empty dufflebag hanging from his shoulder. Again, he leaned down to get in view of the glass windows of the bank across the street. He brought the binoculars up to his eyes, swiping his tongue over his lips.

She was standing by the counter, holding a small paper cup in one hand, the other dipping a tea bag in and out of the steaming water. Her hair was tied in a loose bun resting against the nape of her neck. She wore a simple chiffon dress, colored in blocks of cream and navy to match her shoes. She smiled kindly enough at her coworker, conversing politely over the counter. Her lips were soft and plump in a way that made her look like she’d been crying and her eyes were dim, as if her mind were elsewhere.

"Oh," Baekhyun sighed, a smile twisting his lips, "If I had a heart, it’d be breaking for her."

"Or beating for her." Sehun smirked.

"In any case, I’d hate to ruin her day. She looks like she’s not even expecting it."

"Because she’s not.” Kris frowned, twisting the gun in his hand.

"Well, whatever. Gotta eat to live, right?" he grinned, grabbing his own gun from the floor and placing it in his back pocket. "Did the parade start yet?"

"One minute."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a thick black ski mask.

"You can start now." Sehun glanced up at him.

Baekhyun smiled, pulling the mask over his face before placing his snapback over his head.

"How much time have we got?"

"Fifteen minutes starting now."

"Perfect," he replied, throwing his dufflebag over his shoulder, "If you don’t die, you’re buying dinner, Kris."

With that, he was off, running across the street, not a sound in his mind but the thumping of his soles against the asphalt, his blood pumping at twice its usual pace. The bell of the door rang above him. The first scream sounded from his left. An old woman stood by the deposit slips, holding her chest. He took out his gun, clicking the safety off without a moment to spare.

Bang!

The security guard over his shoulder collapsed on the floor, clutching his calf. He almost felt guilty. The man was already more than half way through his life. A fight from him was about as likely as a struggle from the old lady. Still, it was the way of the work and he wasn’t going to let this ruin him.

"Everyone stay calm." he announced, sounding as friendly anyone in a ski mask with a gun in their hands could.

The bell rang again as Kris made his way inside. Without turning around, Baekhyun continued, “Ladies, gentlemen, please get on the floor and slide you wallets towards the door. And No one pull any tricks. I’m sure we’d all like to leave here as quickly as possible, am I right?”

Like ants to their queen, the people dropped to the floor, a number of leather wallets and designer purses sliding across the linoleum towards Baekhyun’s feet. He looked up from his shoes, spotting his target in a matter of seconds.

She rested on her knees before the front desk, her eyes trained on the floor. Her lips pressed together firmly, almost bravely, if not for the tremble in her hands. Baekhyun hopped over the wallets, strolling across the room. Whimpers rang against the walls as he walked by, his gun pointed out before him.

"Excuse me," he placed the barrel beneath her chin, tilting her head up to face him. She met his eyes through the mask, giving away nothing in her expression. He grinned, crouching down to meet her level, his voice low,  "I’d like to make a withdrawal."