Summary: Creatures of habit.
Jake stole a nervous look in Klaus's direction, but the guy seemed as impassive as ever while reading his newspaper.
"The gangs are kind of fighting," he eventually managed to speak.
The last few months had been like a fairy tale. Not that he believed in such things. But whatever was happening between him and this man he could no longer call a stranger pretty much seemed taken from a movie, the kind that was supposed to have a happy ending. He wanted to believe that was the case with Klaus and him, too.
Only that the streets didn't care that much about his stupid dreams. He had seen Diaz almost weekly, and his brother had seemed more and more different from the guy he knew. Diaz was changing, and Jake could not say whether it was for the better or, the worse. Diaz was focused, a sort of new determination in his eyes, harsher than usual, and Jake had not had the guts to ask him what was going on. Now, that he had heard more and more about the gangs fighting, he wished he had asked.
"What else is new?" Klaus seemed immersed in his correspondence and newspaper.
"Shouldn't you be doing something? To stop them?" Jake insisted.
"What makes you think I am not doing anything?" Klaus looked up from the papers straight at him.
"You are?"
The man's strange smile was doing nothing for his nerves.
"Tell me what you are concerned about, love," Klaus said casually, while his eyes traveled to his papers again.
Diaz was not the only one too focused these days. And Jake could not shake off the sensation that he was kept in the dark by the only two people in his life that mattered. Plus, Klaus was using that endearing term so often lately that Jake wondered if it meant anything. At least the guy hadn't insisted for Jake to confess again. They seemed to be too busy ... living. Sharing moments, minutes, hours, sometimes only in pleasant silence, sometimes having crazy sex, like usual, and sometimes only talking about their days. It kind of reminded Jake of something, something he had thought lost and gone a long time ago.
"Is this about your brother?" Klaus made a ball of paper out of one of the envelopes on his desk.
"Yeah, I mean, Diaz ..."
"Diaz is old enough to take care of himself," Klaus said shortly.
"I guess," Jake said unconvinced.
"I gave you my word," Klaus spoke. "Your brother will not end up imprisoned. Regardless of his wrongdoings. Is this enough of a guarantee for you?"
"Yes," Jake said, casting his eyes down.
"Come here. Give me a kiss," Klaus beckoned him close. "I think that you have not kissed me during the last hour at all."
Jake rushed to the man and threw his arms around his lover's neck, placing a long kiss on Klaus's lips. It was a cheap trick if he was to think about it, but if Diaz and Klaus thought themselves too smart to let him in their dealings, he was ready to find out what was going on without their help. And pretend he was the only guy with his head in the clouds in this.
"I still have work," Klaus sounded genuinely regretful when Jake broke the kiss. "It feels like I see you too little these days."
"It's okay," Jake smiled. "My ass is thankful for the break."
"You cannot be serious," Klaus huffed, but his lips stretched into a smile. "I know for a fact that you are in mint condition."
"Yeah, right," Jake rolled his eyes. "Tell that to someone who doesn't know what a sex demon you are."
"As usual, you are quick to flatter me. Off you go now, or I will not be able to finish here this century."
Of course he went, but only after sharing another long kiss with Klaus.
***
Klaus did not need his beautiful lover's warnings to know that the noose was tightening. But it was not yet the moment to intervene. Timing was everything. Too early, and he would have risked complications. Unwanted expenses. Right now, it was for the best just to wait.
Another long night spent sorting out business matters. For the first time in forever, he felt weary. He would have traded his place with anyone just to be able to head back to sleep and spoon with Jake. The young man had kept a solid promise to be all over him if they slept together, and now Klaus was wondering whether he could ever sleep alone again.
Highly unlikely. He was not usually impatient, but he wanted to wrap things faster and head back to Germany, with Jake. He could not wait to show his lover his real home. And it was time for him to let others handle his business so that he could spend more time in the same place. Jake was going to have school for a few years, and that meant that he could not travel with Klaus all the time.
He wondered briefly how it had come to this. Hans kept telling him that it was long overdue. And that he was lucky it had not happened with some random gold digger. Yes, he was lucky. No one else was luckier in the whole wide world.
If he was efficient enough, they were going to spend Christmas in Germany, settled in Klaus's old home. He had a hunch Jake was going to love it. It was smaller and cozier than the estate he used now. And Jake still felt ill at ease, as far as he could tell. The young man preferred only a few places and did not venture a lot to get more acquainted with the rest of the property. Surprisingly one of those places was in the kitchen with Agnes, where Klaus suspected that she was giving him some informal cooking lessons after Jake had repeatedly offered to help her in the kitchen.
A creature of habit, Klaus thought and smiled. He was one, too, but he was about to change some of the old habits in favor of enjoying a comfortable life with his Jake. That was earned, after all.
***
"Hey, Diaz," he casually waved at his brother.
"What are you doing here, little bro?" Diaz eyed him, a bit suspicious.
"What's this stuff you all moving about?" Jake gestured towards the wooden boxes laid on the floor.
"Nothing kids like you should know," Diaz ruffled his hair.
"I heard the Wanderers are like all gone and stuff," Jake mentioned. "Not one guy left. Nothing."
"Yeah," Diaz replied, and there was a small glint in his dark eyes that Jake didn't miss.
"And not just them."
"And?" Diaz shrugged, as he sat on one of the boxes and looked up at Jake.
"You're like the only guys left," Jake gestured around. "I think."
"Good to know you have two eyes," Diaz snorted. "How's your life, dog? Going to that fancy school yet?"
"Not yet," Jake looked down.
He had not yet mustered the courage to tell Diaz he was going to leave the country and go to Germany with Klaus. Eventually, he and Klaus decided that it was for the best to just start school there, and skip all the complications with a transfer. But now, he had to find a lie that was easy to believe, at least by Diaz's standards. So far, he had come up with nothing.
"You know what, Jake?" Diaz looked at him and seemed to ponder over something. "You go to that school. Get that paper that tells you that you're smarter than the rest of us."
"It's not like that," Jake protested.
"Yeah, it is," Diaz cut him short and pointed a finger at him. "Because you might be that. The thing is, you have no pride in yourself. Licking that guy's shoes for what? Education?"
Diaz spat the last word like it was poison.
"It's the only reason why I let you do that," Diaz continued. "Mom would have liked that. One of her boys getting into college. She would have bragged to all her friends. So do that. Okay?"
Jake just nodded. Yeah, mom would have liked that. But she would not have liked seeing her first born involved in shady stuff like Diaz was right now. Jake wasn't stupid. He wasn't sure if he was smarter than the others, but he did have both eyes and half a brain to know Diaz was up to no good.
He pretended to take a hike and returned after a little while. No one was going to wonder why he was around. But he was careful not to let himself be seen.
That night, he didn't sleep well. Nor the next. Nor the following. Maybe it was a good thing that Klaus worked late every night. The man was going to see something was not right if he could spare one of his scrutinizing looks in Jake's direction. And that, luckily, was not happening.
