After waving goodbye to Misha, Masha, and Yuki, Gabriel watched the car drive off before going back inside the house. He walked upstairs to his bedroom to take a pair of pants, then went to the bathroom next to his room. Turning around, he swiftly locked the door behind him. Although Stephan was all over Jack lately, it wouldn't be the first time he "accidentally" opened the door while Gabriel was showering. The glass enclosure of the shower hid nothing, putting everything on display. Strangely enough, he wasn't fond of his friend ogling at his naked body like a starved beast.
Pushing aside the thought of his shameless friend, Gabriel undressed and threw his clothes into the laundry basket. Soon, the sound of running water rang. The warm water poured on his shoulders and back as he let his mind wander. Too many things had happened today, and he needed to organize his thoughts.
He had told the others not to think about it and sleep for tonight, but he wasn't planning on doing that. No, he decided to review everything Jake had told them and reflect on what had happened these past few years. But the same problem arose as always: he knew too little about time traveling and timelines. A while back, he'd concluded that going back in time created a new timeline as the previous one went on and that you couldn't exist at the same time as your previous self. Today, that belief had been shattered to pieces. Older Tristan existed in the same realm as his younger self. That was a paradox that made no sense to Gabriel.
Still, that wasn't what was troubling him the most. Was Tristan's appearance today a coincidence? Somewhat, he doubted it. He also had a hunch his brother hadn't told them the whole story. Their personalities were alike, and Gabriel knew darn well that if he'd been in his brother's shoes, he'd have kept the disagreeable details to himself so as not to worry the others. They were both the kind to verify things before talking about their conjectures, keeping their thoughts to themselves until they'd found some concluding evidence.
Gabriel sighed. He'd have to corner his brother tomorrow to drag the truth out. If he didn't force it, Jake wouldn't tell him anything. Rather, that idiot would put himself in danger again.
.
.
The water had long gone cold when Gabriel got out of the shower. Getting lost in thought, he hadn't seen the time past—he noticed something was off only after freezing half to death. His fingers were numb, and his lips had taken on pale purple-blue hues.
'…No more thinking in the shower,' Gabriel laughed at himself before wiping his body dry with a towel and changing into his pajamas. 'Misha is going to scold me senseless if I catch a cold and never let me hear the end of it. We're not yet dating, and he's already acting like my wife.'
The thought drew a smile out of Gabriel, but when he entered his bedroom and his gaze landed on his bed, his smile froze. Someone had snuck into his room while he was showering.
"Tristan? What are you doing here?"
The boy, who was sitting on the bed, fidgeted upon hearing his brother's voice. He slowly and carefully peeked at Gabriel from behind the jellyfish plush he was holding against his chest. Since Jake had given it to him, Tristan dragged the plush everywhere. Even today, the kid wanted to bring it to the park. Jake had to sit down with him and tell him it was a bad idea, for the jellyfish would most likely get dirty. It took him a good half an hour to convince the child not to stuff the plush into their backpack.
But now that Tristan was home, he immediately cuddled with it. He'd often hide behind it when he had something to ask from his brothers. And considering how much the boy was currently hesitating to speak, Gabriel felt his heart soften. Why was he always so shy around them?
He sat beside the child and unconsciously used a soothing tone as he said, "Let me guess: you want to sleep with me tonight?"
"Yes, but, you know, hum…."
"Don't be nervous. Just tell me what you want."
"I know that Stephan is sleeping over," the boy's voice grew smaller, "but do you think we could all sleep together tonight? Jake said it didn't matter if Stephan was there and that I could always go to him, so, well…."
Tristan's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, making Gabriel feel helpless. The child had been told off by their father a few days ago about still sleeping with his brothers at his age, but it appeared he couldn't help himself anyway. But for his defense, he held back for three days.
"Come, I'll help you ask them if we can sneak into their bed tonight."
"Jake won't be angry…?"
Gabriel opened his mouth but closed it just as soon, an unfathomable look flashing across his eyes. He knew today's events had shaken up his elder brother, and he'd rather keep his distance from Tristan. But Jake couldn't: he had made up his mind to be a good brother this time, and he couldn't tell Tristan to get lost. So, no matter how awkward it felt, he did anything he could to give the child a happy childhood. Perhaps, this way, Tristan wouldn't grow up twisted.
On the bright side, Stephan would be there to distract Jake tonight. Gabriel had many complaints about his friend, but if there was one thing he was good at, it was bothering others until they forgot all about their worries.
***
Gabriel knocked on the door and waited for Jake to answer. He usually wasn't this polite and squeaked the door open directly after announcing himself—it was the only way to catch his brother red-handed working overtime. If he had waited for Jake's shout to come in, he'd have long hidden the reports, pretending to be a good boy and resting. It was comical how Gabriel, who was mentally dozens of years younger than Jake, had to watch over his older brother like a mother.
But tonight, since Stephan was keeping Jake company, it was better to wait for an answer, or Gabriel could very well fall upon a scene he'd rather not see.
And as expected, he heard a rustling noise, and a certain someone complained about bad timing. Stephan's voice was muffled but loud enough for Gabriel to hear. 'Looks like I interrupted something,' he thought, though he felt no guilt.
"Who is it?"
"Your brothers, who else?"
There was a moment of silence, followed by a grunt and more rustling noise, before Jake said, "The door is open."
Gabriel turned the doorknob and entered with his little brother in tow. The boy curiously peeked inside the dim bedroom and suspiciously sized up Stephan sitting beside Jake on the bed. He smiled and lazily waved at the kid. In response, Tristan stuck closer to Gabriel, holding his jellyfish plush tighter. He looked like a sheep fearing the big, bad wolf, making the people in the room unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Mind if we join you?" Gabriel asked as he closed the door. "Tristan wants all of us to sleep together tonight."
"I don't want to be a killjoy, but the bed is only so big," Stephan pointed out.
"Then," Jake rolled his eye, "you can always sleep on the floor. There are blankets in the closet, and I can spare a pillow for you."
"If we squeeze together," Stephan quickly changed his tune, "I think we can manage to all fit in. Gabriel and Tristan will have even more space if you nestle in my arms. So—"
"I'm not spooning with you," came the curt answer.
Stephan let out a dejected sigh and sprawled onto the king-sized bed, which was indeed big enough to hold the four of them. The three men were slender, whereas the child was thin. Although they wouldn't have much space to move around, they could sleep beside each other without falling off the bed.
"Is that a yes…?" Tristan tentatively asked, his eyes brightening.
"Yes, it is," Jake nodded, lifting the blanket to prompt the child to come while pushing Stephan closer to the side of the bed with his butt.
A second later, Tristan had dived under the blanket and snuggled against his brother's chest, happily giggling. Gabriel soon followed, putting his glasses on the nightstand before laying beside his little brother and pulling the blanket over his shoulder. He was just about to say goodnight and turn off the lamp when Tristan asked in a puzzled tone:
"Jake, did you get bitten by an ugly bug again?"
"…Huh?"
"Your neck is full of bruises!"
Jake instinctively slapped a hand against his neck and silently cursed Stephan. He'd thought the man had only been nibbling and kissing his neck earlier, not leaving a trail of hickeys! Give him an inch, and that guy would take a mile!
"That's why I told you that you have to burn bugs! These nasty things will continue to bite and hurt you if you don't!"
"I'll think about it," Jake smiled and kissed the top of his brother's head after a slight moment of hesitation. "Now, sleep."
"OK!" the kid tee-heed, rubbing his forehead against Jake's shoulder, the jellyfish plush pressed between their bodies. "Have a good night's sleep!"
While the brothers were engrossed in saying goodnight, Stephan, the ugly bug, felt a shiver crawl down his spine. Jake couldn't honestly be thinking of burning him to a crisp, right…?
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Edited by Clozed! ♥
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