Zach put the phone down. He leaned back in his chair and massaged his temples. He was trying to fill in the information he found with things he knew about the future.
It wasn’t easy.
During this period in his past life, he was busy throwing away his money. He wasn’t aware of political or financial news. It didn’t catch his attention unless mainstream media covered it. When he was in Lor City, the information was obscure and hard to find. There were no benefits in investigating it, so he hadn’t gone further than what was easy to find.
If he knew he would be dating, Tynan…, well there was to know he would be reborn. There was no point thinking about it. It was better to compile what he did know.
The conflict between Tynan and Julius took many turns and wouldn’t end until three years from now. Tynan was sure he could resolve it in six months to a year if Zach didn’t get involved.
Since it lasted longer than that, it was likely that a third party got involved. Rain was supplying this third party with information. They stretched out the conflict but didn’t tip it in Julius’ favor. Tynan wasn’t the target. Were they aiming to profit from the chaos caused?
Rain and Cain were dating and eventually married in the future. Tynan remained single, jumping from one starlet to another. He knew of Theo, but they weren’t in the same social circle. Morris frequently appeared on television. He didn’t remember anything about Ron.
He didn’t know if they interacted in private, but they weren’t involved with each other publicly. Cain and Tynan were known to be in conflict. What did Rain do?
They could only try and unravel things slowly.
The first step was to see how much Rain was willing to share. Zach could collect and comb through a lot of data. However, it would be meaningless if he didn’t know the person he was looking for.
Zach added a facial recognition program to his to-do list.
It took a while, but he hacked into the National traffic cam system. He back-dated everything for the last six months and started downloading it.
It would be impossible to narrow down this much information without other clues.
Zach was so focused on the problem he didn’t hear Tynan come in. Warm hands started to massage his shoulders. Tipping his head back, he smiled at Tynan. The man bent down, kissing him.
“That enough, you’re going to strain your eyes.” Tynan pulled Zach out of his chair. He didn’t know this boy was such a nerd. Tynan counted five monitors and a table full of gizmos he didn’t understand.
Zach laughed at Tynan’s words. “That’s not how it works.” He was careful to take care of his eyes. Even when he was an elder, he had good eyesight. He wanted a pair of blue-light glasses, but that wasn’t even a concept yet.
“How are you?” Zach leaned into Tynan’s body.
Wrapping his arms around Zach, Tynan rocked back and thought about how to answer that question. “I am not as angry as I thought I would be, but I am more disappointed. Despite everything, I expected more from Rain.”
“Can you tell me why?” Zach had his own secrets and wouldn’t push Tynan to reveal his, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“I don’t know,” Tynan answered. He honestly didn’t know. He’d never indicated he was in any way interested; he never paid more attention to Rain.
“Has Rain ever been assessed by a psychologist?” Zach wasn’t an expert, but with stalking and fixation, an innocuous action is misconstrued in their minds to be romantic. A smile could be equal to an undying proclamation of love.
“He’s not crazy,” Tynan scoffed.
“Neither am I, but I see a psychologist once every week.” Zach forgot the stigma that surrounded mental health in this period. In a few years, the rates of suicide and depression would skyrocket. People became more open to the conversation and with seeking help.
Tynan pushed Zach away, grasping his shoulder. “Why? Is everything okay?”
Zach laughed. He held Tynan’s forearms. Leaning forward, he kissed the man’s chin. “I go to make sure nothing is wrong and to figure out if anything is wrong. I also consult her on how to handle issues I feel the need to run away from.”
The look on Tynan’s face made it clear he didn’t understand. “Tynan, most of our actions are unconscious. Speaking to a professional helps figure out why you make choices, especially bad ones. I have insecurities and fears.”
Tynan pulled him into a hug. He often felt that Zach was conflicted. The gaze he watched the world with was bored and apathetic. Like he’d seen it all. “Are you suicidal?” The question was hard to ask, and he didn’t want the answer.
“No.” Zach laughed at the irony. “I have an unhealthy fixation with staying alive.” Dying once made him a different brand of crazy. He didn’t know how to cope with emotional pain.
Tynan wasn’t convinced. Zach didn’t interact with the world or life.
Zach didn’t know that his inability to socialize with his peers because of his actual age was misconstrued as antisocial and dangerous in Tynan’s eyes.
Tynan resolved to introduce Zach to the rest of his friends. He hoped Zach and Cain would become closer while working together. They spoke a different language and seemed to go well together.
“Do they help?” Tynan asked. He’d never thought of speaking to a professional about his life. He never trusted doctor-patient confidentiality. It was nice in theory, but if the news leaked. Tynan could sue but not change anything.
“I am dating you.” Zach didn’t speak about Tynan specifically, but he didn’t tackle a few of the fears that made him afraid to commit.
Tynan buried his head in Zach’s neck, biting him. He wanted to leave his mark all over the younger man.
“Why did you ask about Rain, then?”
“You have to have heard about stalking and fixation?” Zach saw the look on Tynan’s face. When most people heard that, they immediately jumped to serial killers or perverts, not realizing that those people didn’t start out that way.
“Tynan, Rain is fixated on you. It doesn’t have to be anything major. Smiling at him would be interpreted differently in his mind.” Zach couldn’t say for sure, but this seemed a little more than a crush. It could be possessiveness and narcissism. Rain helped Tynan once, and now he thinks that Tynan always needs his help.
“It doesn’t matter now.” Tynan was kindhearted enough to help Rain if Rain tried to sabotage him. It was true that he received Rain’s help, but he’d repaid that debt.
Zach agreed. Rain angered too many people.
They weren’t friends. All Zach cared about was Tynan. Rain crossed his bottom line. He wanted the man dead and unable to cause any more trouble, but it wasn’t Zach’s decision to make.
Pulling out of Tynan’s hold, he held the man’s hand. Let’s raid the kitchen.
Tynan pinched Zach’s cheek. It was his first time seeing this mischievous expression, and it was already one of his favorites. “Mrs. Brown will get mad at us.”
Zach snickered. That made it even better. It wouldn’t be sneaking around if there wasn’t someone to catch them.
Tynan wondered if Zach was a trouble maker when he was young? The couple tip-toed down the hallway.
Zach would put a finger to his lip and shush the staff they passed. Zach even told one person that they were going to steal food. They were terrible cat burglars.
By the time they reached the kitchen, Mrs. Brown was there with her arms crossed. A servant stood beside her with a tray. Zach’s favorite peach tart was there, along with an assortment of snacks.
“Boo,” Zach said, his face falling.
Tynan threw his head back laughing, holding his stomach. He knew that Zach did the whole routine to cheer him up. Tynan knew it would get back to Mrs. Brown from Zach told the servant, but it didn’t make it any less endearing or funny.
He pulled Zach to him. Watching the light dance in the younger man’s eyes, he bent his head and tasted his lips. The kiss was soft. Neither of them moved to make it deeper.
Zach stayed leaned against him, exchanging butterfly kisses. The silly smile that lightened the man’s face made Tynan’s heart soar. He’d never been responsible for making anyone smile like that.
It made happiness sing in his heart, but a weight he recognized as responsibility also settled. He wanted to be responsible for those smiles and little half-breaths, but he could just as easily hurt this man.
Zach didn’t know where Tynan had gone, but he felt bare under the man’s focused gaze. The resolve in Tynan’s eyes made him uneasy but happy.
Not for the first time; he wished that emotion was simple and happened one at a time.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Zach was the first one to cave, looking away. He refused to admit that he was blushing. His heart wanted to pound out of his chest.
“Like what?” Tynan asked. He was thankful that Mrs. Brown was tactful. The food was on a table, and he imagined the staff was using another door.“Like I’m crazy about you?” Tynan wanted to say he was falling in love, but the skittish young man in his arms wouldn’t appreciate it yet.
Zach heard the words Tynan wasn’t saying. He was thankful for the man’s consideration but was upset with himself that it was necessary. “I’m a bit crazy about you too.”
Turning away, he grabbed the tray and marched off.
Tynan’s eyes followed the retreating figure. His mouth hurt from how wide he was smiling. They would be alright.
He found that he had a new, slightly strange hobby. He loved seeing the way Zach’s eyes clouded over. Or the way a blush crept up and stained his cheeks. Teasing him always brought out new reactions and new expressions.
Tynan jogged to catch up to Zach. He looped his hand around Zach’s waist. “I won’t let you run.”
Both of them knew Tynan wasn’t talking literally.
“Em.” Zach ducked his head. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be. In his last life, he was the one to pursue his partner and make grand gestures. He found a partner that could walk side by side with him in this life.
Tynan would understand the darkness in him. The other man wouldn’t shy away when he broke the law or crossed a moral line. He leaned into the taller man’s warmth.
Tynan felt Zach surrender some of his weight. He tightened his hold on the shorter man’s waist. Zach’s mind always seemed to be going; he analyzed everything. Tynan was most worried about Zach retreating into his mind.
He kissed Zach’s hair. A dark thought crossed his heart. The urge to chain and restrain Zach came out of nowhere. If those easy smiles were to go away, he would hate it. However, he would hate it more if Zach wasn’t by his side.
“Let’s eat.” He led them to the deck. The stars in the sky were visible.
Zach looked up, marveling. In a few years, pollution got to a level where this sight was impossible to see.
“You make it look like you have never seen stars before.”
“Not from here and not with you.” Zach never gazed up into the sky. He was too busy when he first moved to Lor City, and as he grew older, he lost the taste for such frivolity.
“Nonsense.” Tynan looked up at the sky but couldn’t understand the smile on Zach’s face.
Zach pinched Tynan’s waist. He smiled back at Tynan. “Let’s take a shower.”
“Ehmm.” Tynan liked that idea. Zach naked and wet was a preferred delicacy.
As they were leaving, Zach turned back for a final look. There would be plenty of new scenery for him to enjoy.
Zach’s thoughts on therapy are on point.