Angela not-so-subtly stared at his neck, and Jake almost couldn't restrain himself from rolling his eye. Tristan was upstairs, getting ready for today's outing, while Gabriel had gone to his room to call Misha. He was thus left alone with his mother.
Gabriel had worked his magic earlier and convinced Angela to let them take Tristan to the aquarium. Honestly, how could his brother be so good at leading her by the nose? It was almost comical. He turned the conversation around however he pleased, and she unknowingly accepted to allow Tristan to go outside after over a month of confinement at home. The kidnapping incident had scared her witless, and Angela feared someone would snatch her boy again if she let him out of her sight.
"You don't have to worry," Gabriel had said. "Even if something were to happen, we would protect him. You know we wouldn't hesitate to give our lives to keep him safe, so be at ease."
Gabriel's sweet-coated words comforted Angela, and she stopped fidgeting. She then took a peek at her eldest son, or more accurately, at the eye patch covering his empty eye socket.
His skin grew itchy under his mother's stare, and Jake almost couldn't resist touching the eye patch. Even now, he still couldn't understand why he had done what he had done. Tristan had made him go through hell in his past lives, and instead of protecting him, he should have tossed him under the butcher's knife. Yet, when Misha silently pleaded for help and his gaze landed on his little brother's frightened face…. His mouth moved on its own. Before Jake could understand what was going on, he had already offered to take Tristan's place and given up his eye.
"….Well done," Angela suddenly said, bringing Jake back to the present. He shifted his attention to her, and the sweet smile on her lips sent shivers crawling down his spine. "You were complaining yesterday, but you didn't delay before taking Stephan to your bed."
Jake responded with a snort, a look of contempt plastered on his face.
"Though it makes me happy, maybe you should hide this a little." Angela tapped her own neck. "It's a bit too visible."
"It's not my fault if that guy is savage in bed," Jake clicked his tongue. "I told him not to leave marks, but that ass—"
"Change your shirt into a turtleneck, will you?" Angela interrupted. "I don't want the house staff to spread some unsavory rumors about you. It could become a little troublesome if your father learns about it."
"Fine!"
Not delaying any longer, Jake turned around and climbed the stairs two at a time. Soon after, the sound of a door being slammed resounded from the second floor. The walls shook, letting everyone know he was in a foul mood.
But after closing the door, the grumpy expression on his face disappeared, and Jake let out a mocking scoff. Since when had his mother ever cared about what the house staff and Matthew thought of him? She just didn't want to see the hickey, the undeniable proof that her son had slept with a man. Oh, well. Changing into a turtleneck had been in his plans. He didn't exactly want people to stare at his hickey at the aquarium and comment on his private life—being the subject of gossip wasn't something he had ever liked.
"I didn't think it'd turn this dark, though," Jake said as he looked at himself in the mirror, stretching his neck to get a better look. "It didn't even hurt…."
Far from hurting, Stephan's lips had been oddly gentle, leaving behind a warm and pleasant sensation. Jake even felt a tad regretful when it faded.
'What the hell am I thinking about?' Jake shook his head, deciding not to think about it further, and quickly put on a black turtleneck tank top. Summer was just around the corner, and the temperature had grown warmer over the past few days. A tank top and a pair of jeans would do the trick for today's trip to the aquarium.
When Jake returned downstairs, his brothers were already waiting for him in the hall. Tristan had changed into a cute sailor outfit, and he spun around to show it off to his elder brother, the bow on his hat dancing about.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"It looks wonderful on you," was Jake's answer.
The boy's smile grew wider, and he tee-heed, "It was Misha's! He gave it to me, and Stephan adjusted it to my size. I thought it'd be perfect for the aquarium!"
Before his brothers could say anything more, Tristan had already flown out of the house. He ran to the car, climbed into the backseat, and fasted his seatbelt at lightning speed. It left Jake unsure whether to laugh or cry. Why was this kid so excited…? It was a small outing to the aquarium, nothing to make a fuss over. And yet, Tristan looked over the moon, his eyes shining brighter than ever.
***
"Don't run!" Gabriel cried out, sprinting to his little brother who had dashed out of the car. He gently grabbed his shoulder and brought him closer. "I know you're excited, but wait for us, ok?"
"Sorry," Tristan pitifully said, trying hard not to bounce on his feet. He then peeked at his eldest brother, who had just gotten out of the passenger seat. "I've been wanting to ask, but why is it always you who's driving now? It was always Jake before."
The question startled Gabriel, and he was momentarily left speechless. He didn't want to tell the boy that Jake had given up the driver seat to him because he had lost his eye and was not yet used to the blind spot on his left. He knew it'd make Tristan feel guilty, for the kid thought it was his fault that his eldest brother had lost his eye. The masked man had wanted to take his, but Jake intervened, telling him he was a better choice. How could Tristan not think about it? He was young but not stupid. He knew perfectly well just what his brother had sacrificed for his sake.
"Because I'm lazy," Jake lied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now that Gabriel has his driver license and his memory is better, why should I be driving all the time? It's too bothersome. Anyway, looks like we're lucky. The aquarium doesn't seem too crowded today."
Now that Jake said it, there indeed weren't many people. Still, the waiting lines to enter the aquarium were quite impressive, stretching out of the entrance. However, it didn't deter Tristan, and he grabbed his brothers' wrists to drag them to the end of the shortest waiting lines he could spot. As he did so, Gabriel glanced over his shoulder at the two men following behind them, a few meters away. He knew Angela would assign bodyguards to them, but maybe she should have asked them to change into casual clothing—they stood out with their suits.
"You think they have dolphins?" Tristan asked, oblivious to the bodyguards. "And sharks? And catfishes? And penguins? And—"
"I'm sure they have all of that," Gabriel chuckled, gently ruffling his brother's hair. "They probably host marine animal performances too."
"Really?!"
"Uh-huh. Let's check out the schedule once inside."
The boy giggled, his head already full of dolphins and whales somersaulting.
The waiting line advanced relatively quickly, and it was soon their turn. While Jake paid for their tickets, Tristan looked around and something caught his eye. Hesitation flashed across his face, but he nevertheless tugged at Gabriel's sleeve.
"Gaby," he said in a small voice, "can we do that?"
Gabriel followed to where his brother's finger pointed, and his gaze landed on a stall. Aquariums the size of an adult man's fist were displayed on the counter. Some were empty, while others were creatively filled with fake fish, pebbles, plants, and shells. Next to the counter stood a sign with a colorful price list. Behind the stall was a relatively large area with tables and plastic boxes packed with crafting materials. A few families were already seated, filling the aquarium with marine animal-themed things. Staff members helped out and also watched over the clients.
"You want to make small aquariums?"
Tristan nodded furiously.
"Alright. Jake, is it ok with you?"
"Sure."
That being said, they walked toward the stall. Tristan insisted they each crafted one, so Jake and Gabriel also chose an aquarium to garnish. A staff member then came and explained how to craft the aquariums. Because they would use a gelatin-like product to solidify everything later, there were different steps to follow to ensure the fish and plants would look great. It'd be a shame if they ended up crooked.
"You understood everything?" Gabriel asked Tristan after the employee left for another table. "If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask."
"I don't have any!" the boy smiled. "Say, can I start?"
"Yes, of course."
After receiving the go, the child ran to the plastic boxes and started to pick up what he wanted. He was bouncing around with a broad smile on his lips, making Jake smile faintly in return. He didn't realize it, however.
"We should pick up what we want too," Gabriel said.
"Yeah."
Jake nodded, then joined Tristan in his quest of rummaging through the boxes to find some treasures. Gabriel stayed behind for an instant, watching over his brothers' backs. An unfathomable feeling bubbled up in his chest, but he buried it back and walked to Jake's side.
_______________________________________
Edited by Clozed!! ♥
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