(EDIT) Fixed some spelling/grammatical errors

Warning: Some language

Stealing (Modern AU)

Dorian huffed in victory. Some idiot had left his car in the middle of a wide alley with no lights and no witnesses around. "Sweet," the young man muttered, huffing into his torn gloves to combat the cold. The windows on the unmarked were dark, perfect for spending the night. Giving a look around, Dorian tried the door and smirked despite it being locked. The wheels looked good despite the car's apparent age and the paint work seemed only a few years old which meant it was well cared for. Quietly, like he was used too, Dorian got to work, taking out his pins and leaning down in front of the door.

It took a freezing minute to get it open, but the click made the blue-eyed man almost groan in anticipation. After he opened the car door, he swiftly got inside. It smelled like a woman owned it, one that smelled delightful, getting him thinking about relationships and the last time he had kissed someone. Blocking his thoughts, he noticed there was nothing on the seat next to his or in the glove compartment other than an old map and some napkins. Only the nice scent in the air was any indication that a female had been here.

"Sorry, sweetheart, the car's mine now" he muttered under his breath as he bent under the steering wheel…only to find the wires already out. Someone had already stolen and rigged it.

"Don't fucking move." That's why it smelled like a girl in here, Dorian thought as he lifted his hands at the push of cool metal on his neck. Because there was still a girl in here. "Exit slowly."

She meant business and Dorian followed the instructions, opening the door to the freezing cold and stepping out. One of the back doors opened and he glanced back only to recoil a little.

"Wow, you're…very pretty."

That was an understatement, but wow.

"Shut it," she snapped as she still held up the gun and began to pat him down.

"Baby, if you wanted to do that, we could've just done it in the warmth of the car."

Glaring with eyes that were gold, gold, the girl stepped back. She had to be homeless, there was no way anyone in their right mind would spend the night in a car in this weather. Dorian himself had considered breaking into a building somewhere, even though getting caught would mean possible jail time. "Turn around and go."

"Is your hair naturally white or do you dye it?"

Snow fell around them, clinging to the dirty ground. Soon it would be no more than mud, the sticky-wet kind that was a pain to clean, especially when you couldn't shower easily.

"Turn around," she said again, "and go."

Dorian observed her then, noting her clothes-in good condition but perhaps in need of a wash-and her face-naturally beautiful but haggard, like she needed a meal. She was really pale too, but maybe it was because it was the dead of winter and enough to freeze hot water. "Look, why don't we cut a deal?"

"I don't make deals."

Man, her voice was heaven even with her looking like she would bite his head off. "I got a pack of fresh bread on me with those butter strips they give out at restaurants for free, yeah? You let me stay in the car for the night and I'll give you half of my share." It was a tough bargain, but there was no way anyone would survive the night in this weather, especially since it was getting worse by the minute.

"I could take your food and still shoot you."

Dorian raised an eyebrow. "You'd kill me for trying to find shelter?"

She shrugged and kept her ground, tilting her head as she said, "desperate times."

"Look, let's start over," he started again, noting how the snow fell in bigger clumps. "I'm Dorian. Sorry about breaking into your car like that. There's a blizzard coming and I'm going to die if I don't find shelter soon. Please let me stay the night in the car. I promise I won't bother you or try anything weird."

Unimpressed, her eyes narrowed. "You think you're the first cute guy I've talked to that tries to mean well, but is really a giant dirt bag on the inside?"

Dorian couldn't help but smile. "You think I'm cute?"

Her expression was dead as she muttered an 'insufferable' Dorian chuckled at. Despite his amusement, there was a clear underlying current of fear growing within him. If this beautiful girl didn't let him share the car, he was as good as dead in this cold. She observed him then and for a second he felt like she could read his mind.

"You said your name was Dorian?" He nodded, his hands still up. "How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"You homeless?" Another nod. She sighed and the gun in her hand went a little slack which relieved him minutely. "You're lucky I'm feeling generous, but if you even think about trying something-"

He cut her off, taking a step forward. "I promise I won't." The sincerity seemed to surprise her for she blinked. Slowly, she brought down the gun, pocketing it while giving him a look with the clear message that she was fast enough to get to it should he be lying.

"Get in the front passenger seat. Don't bother me."

Dorian gave a relieved breath and she pretended not to notice. "Understood…um?"

She opened the door and with her back to him said, "Manon." What an odd name, he thought as he followed through and went to the front. Foreign.

It was still cold enough in the car to warrant his coat staying on, but warm enough to perhaps survive the night. The silence was a little jarring after he heard Manon get comfortable in the back. "You eat today?" He asked.

"Some," was the quiet answer, like she was grinding her teeth. She didn't seem to like admitting to weakness, especially to a stranger.

Mutely, the young man placed his ragged black backpack turned brown by dust on his lap, taking the bread and small butter sticks he had talked about earlier. Fortunately, the cold kept everything fresh and he took four pieces-with two sticks-and gave them to her.

Manon hesitated, but took the offering with a 'thank you' he had to strain to hear. Something hit his head and the grunt of pain and slight anger was replaced by gratitude when he noticed a water bottle now on his hand. "That's the only one you get," he heard her say, "don't waste it."

Speechless, Dorian marveled at the closed lid. This was a new water bottle, something he hadn't had in weeks. "Wow, thank you. I mean it."

"Whatever."

They stayed in silence for a long time, the only sound was the slight shifts and drinks of water. As the day turned into night, the storm grew worse and soon Dorian found himself shivering in his seat despite his layers and using his pack as a shield. After he blew into his frozen fingers for the tenth time in the last five minutes, the young man looked curiously behind him wondering how Manon was doing.

She was turned away from him and laying down across the back seats, her form stiff against the fake leather. She had really pretty hair, he thought offhandedly noting how the strands contrasted well against the dark of the car. Only because he was staring did he notice the heavy shiver that racked over her and how she lowered her head against the back of the seat, seeking warmth. Turning back to the window in front of him, Dorian let out a short breath.

"Hey, Manon." No answer, so he tried again. "Manon." When she kept quiet once more he turned to her. "Hey, you dead or what?"

"I told you not to bother me." If the shivering wasn't indication enough, her voice hitched up when she spoke. She must be freezing.

"The storm's getting worse."

"Really? I couldn't tell by all the roaring around us." He bit back a bark of laughter.

With a smile he said, "it will only get colder."

There was a pause. "So?"

"There is quite the chance that one of us won't make it through the night." And by 'one of us' he meant her of course. She was thin and lean and shivering like a newborn fawn an hour after birth.

He heard her shift around. "If I die you can take the car, just dump my body in the river."

The starkness of her statement made him freeze up for a second. "That's actually not funny."

At his blatant concern, Manon turned toward him meeting his gaze with those pretty gold eyes of hers. "We'll be fine." When Dorian kept staring, she raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"We could huddle," he offered slowly.

"Fuck no."

"Hey, wait," he called as she made a move to turn around again. "I'm serious, this storm might kill us."

"Such a good excuse," came the droll reply.

Dorian shook his head. "Look, yeah I think you're beautiful and all that jazz, but I'm not offering this to get in your pants. It is freezing outside and I can't feel my fingers and don't try telling me you're trying really hard not to shiver like a cat out of a bathtub."

The only sound was the roar of the wind as the snow kept falling, covering the car and street in thick sheets of white.

Manon looked at him then, her face unreadable. "You think I'm beautiful?" She mocked in a voice similar to his, and though he tried, Dorian couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.

"To be honest, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," he admitted, "but that changes nothing."

Slowly, she sat up, leaning against the car door so that she was fully facing him. "How long has it been since you've taken some form of a shower?"

The young man pursed his lips. "Two days." If it was summer perhaps she should've been disgusted, but Dorian hadn't sweat a single drop in weeks.

A nod and he observed as she thought about it, her arms crossed. "If you try anything, I will cut off your balls and hang them off the nearest streetlight."

He tried to stop the flinch, but failed. Still, he said, "I promise."

Before the girl changed her mind, Dorian was making his way to the back. It was cramped, but the moment they were close, he could already feel the warmth. She smelled so good up close he wondered what kind of perfume she used, even when it didn't make any sense because she probably couldn't afford one. She let him place himself against the door and with his hand signaled her to lay flat against him. He looked up only to meet with a frown.

He smiled, "what, you got a boyfriend?"

"I should kill you," she muttered, but he could tell it was a joke.

Daringly, he went for her arm. "Desperate times, right?"

"Don't get used to it."

"I won't."

Manon's response was to turn around and lay against him. It was a little awkward because she was so stiff, but the warmer it got the more relaxed they were, especially when he wrapped his arms around her. It was way easier than he thought to fall asleep.

…

Dorian awoke with a groan. "Crap, my neck."

But that was all that bothered him as he was warm and it still smelled nice. He was feeling a little braver this morning though as he patted Manon's head laying against his chest. "Hey, you're cute when asleep, but my neck is killing me so get up."

It took a little bit of coaxing, but the second she realized what was going on, Manon sprang back, hitting her head against the roof of the car while her knee connected with his thigh, pinching it against the seat. "Ow!" He yelled, as Manon grabbed for her gun. "Man, are you like this every morning? No wonder you don't have a boyfriend."

There was moment of confusion on her face before she noticed what was going on. Dropping the gun, she rubbed the sore spot on her head. "Sorry," she said, but Dorian felt like she didn't mean it. "I'm not used to sleeping with people."

Dorian smirked. "Oh-?"

"You say something lewd and I will claw out your eyes and feed the rest of your body to the street dogs."

"Are you always this prone to violence or is it just me?"

Gold eyes narrowed a bit before she lifted her hand and he watched, mystified, as she touched his face. Her fingers were cold, but it felt nice to have some human contact when it had been so long. Suddenly, she grabbed his cheeks hard enough to hurt and he protested when she held on. "Stop asking so many questions," she warned and the vice grip relented.

As Dorian rubbed his face with a pout, Manon looked out. "Great."

"What?" He muttered, flexing his jaw as he followed her gaze.

Ah.

The car was completely covered in snow.

Despite the situation, Dorian grinned. "I guess we're stuck here, huh?"

Manon groaned.

…

"A girlfriend."

Dorian turned to Manon in confusion as they walked down the street, stepping over snow and sleet as the afternoon approached. They had been able to get out of the car after a few hours of waiting. The sun melting the snow enough for them to get out through the windows.

"What?"

"I've had a girlfriend before, not a boyfriend." He almost fell, stumbling enough that a group of kids hanging out on the curb noticed and laughed.

"What-Wait. Does that mean you're not into guys?"

She smiled, a cunning, sneaky expression that was more atone with a leopard than the cat he had imagined her as. "Why? Are you interested?" His expression must have given him away and as he blushed at being caught, she chuckled.

It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

This AU has been on my mind for a while. I'm not sure if there will be a second part, but it was fun to write. Who the ex gf is will remain something that I'll leave to your imagination. (Though I think it's a bit obvious?)

I hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!

Like it Random: I am honored that you think I am good enough to make a full story with Manon and Dorian, I think I will stick to one-shots and drabbles at least until the next book comes out, if only to keep my own work aligned with canon.

RubyAngelFire: I don't think you understand just how much it means to me to know that you can imagine these scenarios in the book. It's a big compliment!

Fandomsareforever15: I am so happy you think I'm portraying them well. Honestly, I try really hard to keep them believable with what little we were given in the book in terms of future character development and possible future interactions ;]

Pomxxx: I love the kid too! Perhaps you will see more of her (and maybe Sam) in the future.

Guest (4): I am glad you found the story amusing and yes, both Dorian and Manon would be good parents, especially since they both have suffered a lot and would perhaps want their children growing in peace.

Thanks for the reviews, everyone, they truly make my day.