Jake took a deep breath, trying to regulate his breathing; he had to calm down and return to the ice cream shop. Earlier, he'd left with the excuse of having a stomachache, but taking a dump shouldn't take forever. Someone in the group—he'd bet his money on his brothers or Misha—was bound to worry and set out to find him. So, he had to get going before that. He didn't want anyone to see him in this story state.
However, his legs weren't the most cooperative; they felt heavy like iron and achy, as if thousands of ants were crawling on his skin. Still, Jake tried to stand up, only to fall headfirst.
A groan echoed in the empty alley as he sat back. Although he hadn't experienced the hardships of his past lives in this timeline, his mind remembered the pain well enough, and his body reacted accordingly. His legs were currently jelly, and his heartbeat was out of control, loudly drumming at his temple. The lingering fear had sapped his body of most of its strength.
"Oh come on," Jake let out a self-mocking laugh, pressing his forehead against his crossed hands, "you're stronger than that…. Get a hold of yourself and move!"
But whatever he said, his body refused to obey. And when footsteps echoed throughout the alley, his entire being tensed. Jake couldn't even muster the courage to lift his head, wishing to melt into the wall and disappear. Please, don't tell him Tristan was back…!
"Jake? What are you doing here?"
Stephan's voice struck him like a lightning bolt, and Jake inwardly winced. Of all the people who could have come, it had to be him. But was he really surprised?
"And you? What are you doing here?" Jake heard himself say.
"Well," Stephan cheerfully started, "I need to pee, but the waiting line for the toilets stretched as far as the eye could see, so, you know, I decided to relieve myself in an alley."
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Jake finally peered at Stephan. He was smiling, his braided silvery hair falling before his chest. Today, the man was wearing a simple white shirt and a pair of jeans, yet it still managed to give him a dignified air. He looked even more gentleman-like when he bent over and stretched a helping hand.
"Do you need help to stand up?"
Silence was Jake's answer. He stared at the offered hand for an instant before accepting it. Stephan then pulled him up in one swift movement. Jake stumbled and fell forward, his nose hitting the man's shoulder. It was followed by Stephan's brisk laughter. And, of course, he didn't miss this golden chance to hug Jake, though briefly. After taking a step back, he turned around and tilted his head toward the main street, indicating they should go.
Jake shook his head slightly but nevertheless followed Stephan's lead, cooperatively not reminding him that a certain someone supposedly needed to pee.
.
.
After Jake returned to the ice cream shop, accompanied by a sticky Stephan who hung around his neck, he asked Gabriel, Misha, Stephan, Masha, and Yuki to come over this evening by text message. He didn't message everyone at the same time so as not to stir up questions among the teenagers—it'd be weird if all their phones rang simultaneously, and Vanessa was one of the most curious lads he knew. She was the type to bother others until they gave her the answer she wanted.
Although they were surprised by the sudden request, everyone agreed and sent Vanessa, Isaac, and Dereck on their way home after they finished eating their ice creams. Afterward, they met up in front of the Laflamme's house. Angela snatched her youngest son as soon as they stepped inside, and Jake took the opportunity to lead the small group to his room. Only after everyone was seated did Jake tell them about his encounter with Tristan, skipping a few details along the way.
"YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!" Misha screamed, interrupting Jake. He leaped to his feet and bolted across the room to grab the man's collar. He shook him with so much force that his head flew back and forth, his neck looking about to snap. "Aren't you supposed to be smart?! So why the heck did you do something so stupid?!"
Jake's mouth twitched, but he didn't dare talk back and instead let the teenager scold him to his heart's content. Once Misha was done saying his piece, Jake gripped his wrists to hold him still. His collar was just about to rip, and he had started to feel lightheaded, thanks to all that shaking. Maybe he should clarify a few things, lest Misha decided to swing him around like an old rag.
"At first, I thought he was something akin to a doppelganger and couldn't rein in my curiosity," Jake admitted. "I was shocked when I realized he was the real thing."
"Still," Gabriel smiled coldly, "you should have brought someone with you, just in case. Not doing so was putting your life in danger."
"I totally agree!" Stephan nodded. "So, how about taking me with you next time? I'm not a good fighter, but I'm sure I can do a great job as a meat shield. I'm also good at pulling aggro."
"Instead of suggesting I sacrifice you to save my own ass," Jake rolled his eye, "you should be hoping something like this never, ever happens again."
"Well, if it's you throwing me under the bus, I wouldn't mind."
"You know, I sometimes wonder what's wrong with your brain."
To this, Stephan let out a hearty laugh, not at all bothered. He talked in such a joking manner that the tension in the room eased by a notch. It was easy to get caught in his pace and forget about the serious matter at hand. Maybe because of this, Jake managed to muster the courage to continue, for he still hadn't told them one crucial piece of information. It had to be known, regardless of how he felt.
"Also…." Jake started before pausing to pinch his lips. No one in the room rushed him, which he appreciated. He readied himself and dropped another bomb, "He's the masked man who led the kidnapping incident and gouged out my eye."
"What?!" everyone chorused, shocked gazes falling upon Jake.
"It's just as I said. That's why it's near impossible to find anything about him. In this timeline, he doesn't exist per se, and everything related to him must have been forged. So, you see—"
"Who cares about that!" Misha shouted, cupping the man's face to look into his eye. Worry made his voice tremble as he asked, "Are you really alright? I mean, how do you feel?"
"I feel fine, don't worry."
"Oh, please! Do you honestly think anyone here is foolish enough to swallow that lie?! Some of us are dense, but no one is brainless enough to believe you!" Masha snorted, walking to her brother's side to put a comforting hand on Jake's shoulder. "How could you be fine after meeting with your tormentor? He gouged out your eye! Surely, it's not something you can forget within a few months."
Jake gently pushed Masha's hand aside, holding it for a second. Masha's concern for his well-being felt somewhat odd, and he didn't know how to react. Thus, he went with the plain truth. "I admit that I was a little shaken up, but I'm otherwise fine. Now that I have calmed down, I feel a bit numb, knowing it was Tristan who cut my eye off."
"Numb?" the Lesskov siblings repeated. "Why would you—"
"Alright," Stephan clapped his hands, interrupting Misha and Masha. "Although it was an unfortunate meeting, we learned a few things at least. But that being said, I can't understand how older Tristan can exist in the same timeline as his younger self. This fact kind of shatters everything I took for granted about time travel."
"Well, we aren't experts in the matter," Yuki pointed out. "Even if two people among us traveled back in time and one remembers his past lives, we know nothing about how time travel works. We based all of your hypotheses on Santa's words, but considering he lied by omission to you, we should discard whatever he said and think out of the box."
"Right," Gabriel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses. "But it's getting late, and even if we wrack our brains over the matter tonight, I don't think we will have a stroke of genius. For now, it's better to go home and have a good night's sleep. Yuki and Masha work tomorrow too, and I bet everyone is dead tired."
No one had any objection, so they prepared to leave. Misha hugged Jake one more time, his arms wrapped so tightly around his chest that his ribs seemed to crack. While holding him close, the teenager took the opportunity to whisper in his ear to call him at any time if needed to talk, drawing a smile out of Jake. He did not answer, however.
Then, Gabriel escorted Yuki and the Lesskov siblings to the entrance hall, whereas Stephan stayed rooted in place. Jake pretended not to see him and went to open the closet, searching for his pajamas.
However, Jake could not help but glance at the unfamiliar clothes filling a previously empty shelf. They were starting to pill up quite a bit, almost overflowing.
Since Stephan was staying over more and more often, he had allowed the man to leave a few of his personal effects in his room—it wouldn't do to lend him his clothes whenever he slept over. Regardless, Stephan often dug into his closet to steal one of his pajamas for the night. He then happily put the top on, only wearing his brief for his lower half. Stephan loved to boast that it was the famous "boyfriend shirt" and that it'd be Jake wearing his pajama tops one day.
Jake always responded with a deadpan look whenever the man brought up that topic. He wasn't going to wear his clothing. Not anytime soon, at least.
"Can I stay over tonight?" Stephan asked as Jake walked toward the bathroom to change into his pajamas. He wasn't shy per se, but he didn't want to undress under Stephan's greedy eyes. He did it once, and it felt like his gaze was about to devour him whole. Unfortunately for the man, he was not masochistic enough to do it a second time.
"Do whatever you want," Jake said. "It's not like saying "no" will stop you from spending the night here."
"Touché."
After a roll of his eye, Jake entered the bathroom while Stephan leaped to the closet. He didn't even spare his shelf a glance as he started rummaging through Jake's pajamas. Hmm, what should he wear today?