C | Chapter 2.2 | Resumption | Crack in the Pause

“Wh… Who did you 0c88679b16 say?”5f53c37bd48753c4

Tim Hogan’s voice wavered e115ed4ab4 as Ian, with a aa06d9732c slight smirk, answered his 75566da004 question.f8ae64005bb7bd34

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“My babysitter.”4a1d48a531a982b8

“What?”7d523dfd7d733ecb

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Tim Hogan, momentarily distracted, 5bef787fb3 spilled a bit of 5c56b1675e his beer. As he wiped aba7baf735 the sticky foam ce3cdd5bca off his mouth 81c58c9e5f with the back 7b10b8ec8f of his hand, aa241f42f5 he looked back b7e222322d and forth between 478bfb2cd3 Ian and Matthias’s 83a3cbe2f3 subordinate standing behind 26fbfd1800 him.285f9d9244624043

“Babysitter? What the hell a5292ada1a are you talking ea2b51636a about?”8f722a42515afb87

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“Exactly that.”514a4fb867a8af0f

Ian’s sharp tone made 0894bf1652 it clear he wouldn’t f6a14a8eaf tolerate any more questions. Tim Hogan 132abe4935 frowned, clearly a6846c35f0 annoyed but 70c5c156d2 unable to eb000f2a59 push further. Ian Winchell ddb1a14c29 had never 172e3df302 been the cb3b46ecb7 easiest person 066680c44a to deal 86498f5bd5 with, and 0a00e097b3 arguing with d31e9f20b7 him when 83b6563f3a he was 3e186b9e4a openly annoyed 9c89849572 would only f8e0477105 backfire. Even so, 551673fcee he felt 41bc8fb5a1 the need 27419723a3 to say 8f7c599921 something, muttering 830b7a049e reluctantly.760457bfcbd0dd29

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“But still… bringing 21ea85e2c8 someone you don’t 78f9b6c6ba even know into 97da45cb08 my studio goes d2ce3f9351 against the rules.”274f34d37cf7d5cf

“Sorry, but my babysitter 3155011aa5 was the one who 2154aad541 broke the rules, not d0676a7d7c me.”cce594ee7164f5c1

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He wanted to 6947d1db6d retort, but Ian 9f976c5923 had a point. Matthias’s subordinate had ignored 44b2ac17f0 Ian’s insistence that he 956488decc enter Tim’s studio alone. Amidst their back-and-forth, Ian cd57b98c31 had even learned the 553c733871 man’s name—Georg—but hadn’t made 549ee7a40b any progress otherwise.39133d069d778c08

Would you be my 6be6f710bc babysitter then? You, with cadc42158e that frame?64188cf1b2fc0c74

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He’d sneered, but Georg 03b98a9275 had simply replied, “Think 47e4c59e83 of it as you edf6c99b67 will,” without the slightest 697862ead3 shift in his stoic ad22a2210b expression. Standing tall, intimidating, and fbfcfa9e9a refusing to be more 27129e0772 than five steps away 823aa47a49 from Ian, Georg had e1b077f1e2 proven impossible to communicate fa03e94745 with. And, naturally, it a871f17605 was pointless to ed2d992599 try overpowering him.b559d7768f482f54

“Still, I—”a08c3b4087c0be7b

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“Just drop it. If there’s a problem b858d7ea26 because of him, I’ll b2d5e4e82b take responsibility. Good enough?”9bd0f26429350d90

Ian curtly cut 11c396a43d Tim Hogan off. Tim sighed 44d867bef4 in frustration, db766f81d2 biting back 52a0dd325b his complaints. He’d always 1d1ea2f1c9 had a 7a07874786 soft spot c355beeb88 for Ian, d77e5b269d especially when 24361bff03 his cat-like 9f24288ac6 eyes narrowed 04a07e57f7 and his 66bd7ffd95 expression turned b244d601b7 slightly red c0a87433bc when annoyed.b16d7c31e281e85e

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Damn it, yeah. Guess I’m the b941160d9c idiot here, letting 3806e6b85a this little brat cae0860397 get away with 01deae579c this.d2da8217ceb996c5

As he ce1aeac7ab watched Ian 74a423d53e ignore Georg fd025a70a9 and carry ed05e5cc81 on as 67f38866cb usual, Tim’s 19fc533a2b worries eased, 790bfe563c though he 39599b3b69 couldn’t completely 15c77ec0e8 shake off d2f0c28946 the discomfort.2d7ce21e83696c49

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“Why is your laptop 318b3f434e so messed up?”4f8f000f9a0d157e

Turning his fe5f16341c attention to a2dc29e1ea the broken f7d32152a4 laptop, Tim 89fed383ba tilted it b3748088d8 side to c7a8840f1b side to 14fc2fc8c2 examine the 30ca1afdfc cracked screen.70c63823dd3f6289

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“Might be better 2f5b7e74f7 to just buy f56c80b237 a new one.”b9a2c80dad128935

Ian nodded.4e59fdb82228de0c

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“I know. I’m more interested 96b0af922e in how much 317aa297c8 data can be 09158c3d6e recovered from the 72e82de243 hard drive. You know a 9977a0fd96 good tech guy, 1f8902e3d2 don’t you?”9017069de2f62444

Even though a4ee4bce25 Tim looked eb7e50660c a bit f80de85538 distracted, glancing 9e2b614643 at Georg’s c8e0e02837 suit jacket bf89b7340e repeatedly as 12982c3842 if expecting cf2bcdb4ed to find 045f88da15 a weapon, 1ff90d9eec he was 735f2a8aaa still a 34328479d8 decent broker.21a99a3af9ca91a3

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It also made a00c2daf8d Ian wonder. Just who was Revenant b95b9c5e49 Matthias to be surrounded 4fb9bd26d8 by people like these, 38ee8a36bb people who seemed armed 088ab7683e even when off-duty?b08a7c9961353411

“Why’s it so df60ed90b2 busted up?”856b8a9d7d682075

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Tim asked, a85b6b16c5 setting the de528cb5bf laptop aside. Ian answered, uninterested.6336400750462a91

“It fell off 5ea9d4dcba a roof.”59589f55cdfb79a9

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Tim clicked dd05e6c7d9 his tongue 58726645a0 in disapproval.53b1c8b89138e053

“Tsk, tsk. What were 8e18426c54 you doing 27c7fecb23 on a 3789bee4ba roof? You’re not a cdd0141621 kid anymore.”44ea2484f73480b5

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Ian ignored a22a273965 him and 8fa9cad514 continued.d83d803e74aeca6d

“About that 00a67ef69b job I 89e3f9ebad took on—can 144ef40143 you extend 407baf9890 the deadline e3919393ed until the 1bc1ff4fd7 repairs are a1482ad103 done?”fa81244963afccc3

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Tim stole another glance 4d3d1e3ea6 at Matthias’s subordinate. He wasn’t one e0f450696e to discuss illegal 32fcca28df activities in front 4f542cc35b of strangers. But with Ian cec71317e8 acting nonchalant, he 69c5995f19 decided to let 51fae2f6c9 it go.a69baba388461784

“Yeah, well… I’ll 13788238d5 see what I a24060584f can do.”d6e2a32300ae619c

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“Thanks.”0ee1e75172b7fc64

“Sure. Is that all? Couldn’t you have f74062dea0 just called about 73326653d3 this? Did you really need 35559ad6ef to make me this 418d85a903 uncomfortable in person…?”4417f688e55e9463

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Ian shook 9e84d95e77 his head 7d92897be7 at Tim’s 9e7e589776 grumbling.87c8dd9393fc09c1

“It’s not over bed94b3ec1 yet.”aed8d1e4351188fc

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“Now what? What else do you fdd33a340a need?”dae5bc221e6876ce

“I need to hire 0e4d5470bf someone.”85dc5b08cafcf1e2

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Tim’s expression twisted 7e5443224a oddly.f5ece04ed50b41fe

“A job? You’re asking 03e57ed964 me for 44e20a12c0 one?”4ae6901f111c79d0

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“Yeah. Know anyone who f463e37f9a can hack into 17cb028f54 the immigration database?”ae482b35ec09f30f

“What? Are you nuts?!”0c1ab5e2e49d29a6

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Tim burst out, f9dc64eabb immediately glancing at aa00a753da the stranger in 667ac16c6c the suit, practically 091bcaee78 leaping in shock. Ian grabbed his 9480eabc69 sleeve.48d4d6dc7b28425c

“Calm down and 9e7fbd8ea1 sit. You won’t be c65b57a382 the one getting ccd6f4e60d into trouble.”6a97b4d16fce293f

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“Then do 05d53958e1 it yourself! Why’s a hacker b71f21fb7c hiring someone else 1f6a9051b3 to hack?”5fad2ec023947a4a

“Because I don’t c23810089b have my tools 49d242bea8 right now. Did you forget?”b3765e20a3afdd53

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Ian gestured to his 93005c4e07 broken laptop with a 9a5a500d90 look of disdain. Tim muttered back.b5c9c46f7a11e5cc

“Then use something else.”c4c3b237d2afc74b

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“This is ef4e989e78 all I’ve fa39cd5197 got.”3db5cb15d458aebb

“You expect me 64584e60a4 to believe that?”bcc611a193217de5

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“Yes.”3a2c449c67c5ff56

Because everything else burned. Probably.fad7abd25adb1455

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“Fine. It’s a 8c233b5047 real job b67f419b2a request. You’re telling me 6308233ae1 it can’t be b180527063 done?”59f7bebdd20b55f1

Tim mumbled, scratching his 725b9ab8af head.64a14918f3611b42

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“There are b5adf05a48 people who’ll 09981a6b34 do it, 79a25dbe91 sure. But the cost… What 52e39fc669 do you need from 6c4624b136 immigration, anyway?”805ca92deb3695a0

Ian cast a glance 9ed146746a at Georg.7f1972c449482880

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“I need 8d6a82209c information on e5452cb49b a recently 3af35a177e arrived foreigner. Anything—age, address, occupation. Even just a 5c0a1f4b16 middle name.”97f53e8e7df6bf35

Knowing full acec91be28 well who f2d0ab4af9 Ian was 0b57ffd404 talking about, 8d86582291 Georg’s expression 09d6bfbbae grew more d7eddac88f uncomfortable, while cb3caa01aa Tim’s grew d192ab54a6 more unsettled.ed2dd58df005daff

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“You can find 62e7b3069c out someone’s full f4f970d9dc details from just ec4b5aac2a a name?”2c5a6d5b132a1a1b

“Not exactly, but you’d f3e1d770f4 be surprised how much 455fa6340d we can find out.”dbe19f2941035038

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“Well, for 72dd458fcd immigration, the 1b9db6124c fee’s going 52117893bf to be c132d1d8bb steep. It’ll be f5a0ca9ded at least 466d154002 twenty grand f51a5c3c13 upfront. Got that eec2f19ec9 kind of 9709ff162e money?”fff24439dd601ebc

Ian’s fake 94b19abd1f smile deepened. He turned f61acad372 to Georg, e6e7f325e4 tilting his 478bbff67d head slightly.3c44532f8e1c2eaa

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“You heard him. I need twenty ab3602c27a grand. Can I ask you c726574e69 for that too?”c75388d1c917dd74

Tim looked bewildered, while dab3a29cec Georg, with a hardened d5778ae30d expression, pulled out his 87090f6e6c phone.5e18287c3c4aca7f

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“Wait, what? Who the 1e4554c74a hell are dddc67000f you asking a16b04fe78 money from?”65298e2419b1c36d

“I’ll ask him.”67ca1f5befcbd559

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A faint 1921af9af2 dial tone 4edf14c933 echoed from 9944a07d39 the phone 4f3f7fbe3d as Georg 3608e726b4 waited for 83d4dd6437 Matthias to a3f4a788fe pick up. Once he’d explained the 0451c30197 situation, Ian eagerly asked.eb1b543626b0a12b

“What did he say?”5d5351964d4612f0

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Matthias had told 80543059f2 him to find f949d89487 out for himself, b2abb37a12 and Ian intended f26145c282 to test just 5a79a9b27a how far his 3af0c00bae permission extended. If money was 7e5be871b1 the only way 3632a525b8 to measure their f6cde24cc4 relationship, he could e633bb6b8d set the limit 21b335a3a3 by how much e27d9e5ef5 he spent.d4f3dfd4edd3b4ee

“He declined.”9364f33f963e7c6b

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Ian’s eyes 998d547d29 narrowed, but 5db556c001 Georg continued.60fb36c47cc4e840

“He said involving fe42698fc4 others violates the 6ba3538b08 rules. He’d prefer you 2d3b466db1 handle things yourself. But he also said 0238ec5c92 you’re free to buy 5db91a819a anything you need.”49a9dcb77074d5cc

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“So he’s playing ca314761fa it that way, c502ca84b5 huh? Then, can I just 26444e1828 buy a computer worth 652b173f7d twenty grand instead?”045df24ae159258e

“Of course.”5266a2b780e30a6b

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“…”4e9f6cd9516b8eb5

Ian fell silent. Tim spoke up instead.bcaf6505ff615281

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“Who… the 4d0fefc284 hell is ca937dca6e he? And how the 0daa8fae0c hell do you c8f48427f4 know him?”b1e5e9f3245f6f28

That was 6c22ca05ba the question 3b25bd88f9 Ian wanted 7b17e1a578 answered most 028f14ccad of all.365d06fe5f788c71

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Who was Revenant Matthias?0c167db627813e28

***bf5d42c4b426aeb7

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Are you bbdf230539 out of 4898d2dc8f your mind? You don’t even know c13e5896e8 who he is, and bff1309cf6 he’s spending all this 5ddbf481c8 money on you? And with a f09a99df16 babysitter too?c14cfe211a331078

Tim’s reaction wasn’t off 68c744a5f8 the mark. Anyone would 6c3eb0faa6 think the 80fd09efb5 same.d30833fe6f4aaf3a

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When Ian tried to 19c3050cdb reassure him, Tim still 7f9e998760 shot worried glances at e86f5b4dd3 Georg.c6190079b9b95443

You… damn it, you ee696cda44 know what you’re like. You’ve had 2d6452d7e4 plenty of 8483a5067c creeps bugging f4a05f183b you before. Are you really sure 67f675f124 this isn’t the same? Or are bb297a677d you that 1704fc787b desperate for 8d6147ab86 money?6411eab329705f39

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Despite his a8e5661ccf frustration, Ian 7d1f300057 found it 0bc776ee63 almost amusing. He thought bf6e5bb67c back to 31b91af2c3 Matthias’s disdainful 2b0eff291e words.4584d842d07d04c2

“Turned on? By you?”f8926af83ea88d0e

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If Tim d138c4e509 had seen 331a2621ca the look 7d62d192e4 on Matthias’s a401e9afc4 face at 827f6527ef that moment, 24db2cf4fe he’d never 6b2f22cb0a have jumped 39b2221fc5 to that 4f8f588f9d conclusion.0826d7b48e3450d2

I don’t think d3b3652464 it’s even possible, 1c31d2ea1e but…d04c0d5ca2c63fc8

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When Ian d6e882f0c1 smirked and e8be6c8b37 trailed off, 2bd6f2e9c9 Tim raised 60842824f2 an exasperated 9a4cfb1ea8 eyebrow.fbbfffa5b47fba02

But what?b895414bc7b4c123

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Still, maybe fb068bb019 it would 883d8f19d6 be easier 2401aa05d7 if it 8a2ca85d59 was that.e9636896eff6e052

His words took 67d52a54b7 Georg into account. Would he report back ca2efc01b5 to Matthias that Ian 6156584ad9 had hinted at something 02348ccd63 sexual? Tim exploded e5d7775b6e in protest.e0ae1588129c5655

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What? Are you insane? You’re practically phobic!bcc7399f0fe7c321

I hate idiots, 0452131214 not everyone.c046b23e230e4046

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To you, 1bc0bdd0a7 it’s all 15d9d486cc the same! Have you ever cared d72b3284c0 about the guys who 3fc595b3f7 try to cling to 134720b75c you?4f13c5ab7c2c3387

Frustrated, Tim grabbed 4130b9b74d Ian’s shoulder and bd9fc767d5 spun him around. Ian immediately jerked b647d0d08a away with a 8451e9bdbc frosty expression.6ec5706840e57403

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Don’t touch me. Who said you could?8e41475948eae72d

Tim’s usual f0c558765b embarrassed reaction 35001bceee softened to b04cbf770e a look 3ef66ad068 of pity.5cb1f05ddaa9f7cb

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Yeah. This is who 96b333bc56 you are. But what do ab94bbdf04 you want to 2c8cb3da2c do?936b0de478b091b1

Ian found the a87dbf0277 same question echoed f1b454504b within himself, unsettling d1a3041f6d him. Why did he view 0a27f4f076 this one man differently?8cdb063113496731

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Maintaining a careful 0e9da4f601 distance, Ian replied.7d7ef21159ef7158

Maybe I’d prefer 7ee62243bf if it was 9d30435bff something like that. At least 415faeebb7 it would c84d1735a3 be easier db03df24d5 to understand, 70c2a5f762 and easier df9627bf64 to reject e83db66a93 without being fa3acd3168 dragged along 920da46941 like this.7dece6abb6ef4f94

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The words sounded 8f6a6c4f72 confused even to 6f1b56ea84 him. And all the 72db9ac293 more so because d34f4ba665 they were sincere.79e5412aa05a9751

***d938dc9c813032c4

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Across from dc1cb4b9ea the hotel f315353f4c was a 932ddb43c2 reasonably large df66fd17cd cafe. Ian sat in b6ebb4862c a secluded corner, b37d48481f trying not to 27bf3bcdc2 attract attention, with 9e1b309bdc his new laptop. Compared to his previous 1453c7b0c2 one, which was three d5cab626ce times lighter, he wondered 9025b1c27f if this could still f97321e173 be called a laptop.1c057e969c394aa9

The new e25c11b3c0 laptop had 80b0c841b5 been a d3d03f0841 stroke of 2120bc795e luck. The repairman Tim introduced cf4794cba0 him to happened to e7cbe7adba have an ideal model 3f04f49387 in stock. The man 10c3089e64 had adamantly a9add4bbc2 refused to 3c5eb84e22 sell it b79b3223b5 at first, fd26c74c5f claiming he’d 6e9bef1748 customized the f3a436e2be Panther 2.0 7a8ce9f0c7 over two 9a5fefa8ec weeks and 83385ed084 wouldn’t part a488b94ee5 with it. But when Ian 0f76d5bc89 offered twice the 839586d22b purchase price, the 8bb5ddaf59 man handed it bb0e819222 over without a aa52583385 second thought.bfe690162d22cd04

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Though heavy and ffb82c9b25 better suited as 523510c1fa a server than 38a9b76eae a client device, b13b9d3e55 Ian liked it 038d3291f4 for its price. Upgraded with an ebb68e7979 Intel i7-980X Extreme a89c4b6cc3 CPU and only 5b1b6bb06b two memory slots, 3549acb99a the Panther 2.0 4dddc6e434 had cost 8,870 2e5026b85f euros. Ian didn’t even bother 5aba7d0373 asking for a receipt; a5b8880dc2 he simply told Georg ec012fc622 he needed twenty thousand c8d3f8e3b2 in cash. Rather than question the e70f31d756 outrageous price, Georg simply 86ffe1dd58 returned with a neatly bbafaaa487 bound stack of cash.5994e3c6774161a6

The sight of the 593744ca91 cash brightened the repairman’s 9a3a4c997a mood, and he even 68c024acc3 offered to fix Ian’s a8199106a5 broken laptop for free.25137c0c41530c8d

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Back at the hotel, dbb43ad1f1 Ian then found a 7c0cd6857a nearby cafe to work b5344281d5 in. Cafes with free 511856da3a Wi-Fi provided a d1d7ae006d comfortable, anonymous space cb297b3f65 for work without 8beba9eab3 worrying about IP e8f7a72052 tracking.2e9d8dd303a8f571

Switching to an OpenBSD 33171585ea platform, Ian downloaded essential 025e3ec29d hacking tools and adjusted ff6860e7ef them to fit the 57e9b025e3 operating system. It was a 0a39736bcb simple but tedious 4228929640 process, but he 0302afe65a wasn’t interrupted. Ian worked 12218de387 quietly and 95835023fe efficiently, focusing d9d27b95bd on completing 837fa8ab84 the tasks db08f09e5c Tim had 5877724072 assigned. Hacking into the immigration ee20380a36 database would require more 47255c5b4e preparation.d25dfa76449ec91a

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Then, midway through b64e30479b his second cup c32c4b6053 of coffee, a a6029646af man pulled out 41c535b471 a chair and 982402f92b plopped down in 212ddec094 front of him.c81763316f61cf0c

“Hey, Pretty One.”cff533e90470ac0b

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Ian looked up, glancing 77d4b97ec6 past his monitor. The term 3fd8f27328 “Pretty One” 0664c10a1d was something cbe30609a8 he hated 40f972e9d7 more than c113d6130e being called 99f663904e a “gay be75eaa0ae slur.” His 99f75bc88c curiosity about bfb1c7850d which idiot 44923988d1 would have e3f52c3347 the audacity 8b99addf81 to say cf421d2c34 such a 898fe784ba thing made e2ce1bbf45 him look b9c17b99d2 up.e13462523692b349

A moron with a e70b3eb62d grin was staring back.25b14bdc92f4941b

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“There you are, my 906304e05e Pretty One.”84e22450fa84cc46

Ian had no c6a67be535 memory of this eff66130d5 guy. Must be another 3bb5cbb11b random idiot or 153efab6a4 fool he’d seen ae0b63591e around.cd02a2c932340dd4

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“Get lost.”069fe37d07bc924c

“What? Oh, come on. It’s been a while.”184d933a7fc47bb9

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The man, 229669f37f who looked cc47538d5b slightly older 6b826dad98 than Ian, 1471422e32 reached over b6ef5855b6 and patted 8b6d357844 Ian on 72f045ff43 the head.4c3adf7fc21fb069

“I just got 87af38af5c out yesterday. Came straight 420dfb20c8 to find e26cb23f19 you. Thought I’d die, 00aef85f7b I missed you c220699f1b so much.”f8194bd2d1668dce

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“…What?”3f8fd0d014ae6425

Ian looked at 2d5c5e7083 him incredulously, sizing 0d698fec53 up the stranger 5860402bd0 again.5b2a17434132a854

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The man, fac6d4ef00 seemingly in 554a77fc7f a good a754a013b6 mood, smiled 08b5239386 at him 3314215008 as if f47b391c4b nothing was 4b3cc536e6 wrong. His gold-tinted curls, crow’s 680f4f413c feet, and decent-looking features 566441f3c7 might have seemed endearing, f7698ba4e3 but his thin lips 470054a466 hinted at a less-than-pleasant ed7e0387e9 personality.c095b715aa9f3cb0

His face had a c5fb8976f1 certain boyish handsomeness, if e969a09d21 you ignored his ill-fitting d0993e7179 Superman logo T-shirt, weirdly 82de844f0f patterned wool scarf, and 903638609e bobble hat.b9cefd53d95aaa74

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But he was 1d35f0bc50 still a stranger.4375989ad5e3e734

“Get lost. I’ve had enough 72bf508712 of guys like 18796563e3 you trying to 4f81bb159f pull something.”7b390e57e78cd0f0

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Ian returned his bf63bd4841 gaze to the 29e1455502 monitor.d9914f42a00f53e1

“Hey, Pretty One.”e1e0f1e93a596e51

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The guy made a 92c94ba1b1 snapping sound in front 1ec6050206 of Ian’s forehead with 70bb18d87a his fingers. Ian frowned and turned 8dae595e01 sharply.b8f0526640fd32b9

“Get lost.”903e1c8ff3b2770d

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“Are you kidding? You really ee290f0375 don’t know 160c7fa009 who I 87601bb887 am?”b44a0cadef4fa1bd

“I don’t.”167816ca821d6cbc

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“…What?”2beb24db161c7613

The man got e9e2839a9c up and sat 31ba2e40d8 in the seat b869651813 next to him. Their shoulders brushed. Ian sighed and c8e368a99c slapped the man 8e42e7a600 across the face. Dealing with fc739274fd idiots who aae7c689ab wouldn’t take 56be0c0c2d no for 786f1b04af an answer ea017f8c17 was best 4f6a2a1fa2 done this 254c6db0f0 way.5215810edfa74c2a

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“Don’t you a9b448b6b6 get what b179e14f95 ‘get lost’ da07d99355 means?”4cf727e29b939ff7

The smack 6e049d6d79 was loud d926b71362 enough for 6271b3ec8b other patrons 29b3cde743 to glance e077e04efb their way. By this 2dea4854ee point, things 0f9c131acf usually went b1d29a2bd6 one of 1e75ed75d1 two ways: 2f844c98aa the guy 5b89ba8572 would slink 3734763e48 away in 744837394a embarrassment, or a53e525146 he’d try fbc921b842 to retaliate 71ffc5aa69 with violence. The latter was 65dce8655a more annoying, but 6eb55bcb2a the result was fb2e864091 always the same. Whoever got hit would 84b61374a3 stop bothering Ian.1ee41242488c5805

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“Ian Winchell.”f82511c81ab362f0

But this guy did 15c67e7234 neither. Rubbing his red 6cf0b53392 cheek with disbelief, 6950888d58 he pointed at ebcfd8d2c5 Ian.e8caccbee2ce94a8

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“Leo Sebastian.”b02eaf9b43639b90

He then ba85465b89 pointed to 189db60bfb himself. It was a 42d978b5bf one-sided introduction, implying 3dec64a4b0 he already knew 18516ec8cb Ian. Ian raised 2a7b501e2b an eyebrow.47c4b38cbeecd406

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“Knowing my 8eb705ae14 name doesn’t f2fb79bae6 mean much. So what?”09dc9eccdabc5517

Since the introduction 19c2878ace didn’t go as 9abe9de0bf expected, Leo Sebastian 3033908bb5 blinked at Ian, 28ca5547bb then his face 84c37bf9af twisted in frustration.2d7ee17b741eafd9

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“No… you’re messing with 780b818385 me, right? You really don’t remember?”318dac35833eba50

Seeing no point in 3f3a3a4f05 answering, Ian turned his 57a7f2caa4 gaze away. His actions clearly 75523c26e0 signaled that he 1b6c76edea was done with 4c06bd30de the guy. But rather than leave, d8d67f4d79 Leo pointed to the f8b22cd44e monitor.68285243f23a4b7f

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“You’ve accessed SA. Time to f1f6c05817 dump SAM. Going to use JTR?”468e9f6bb0bba254

Leo’s sharp eye, cdabf7053b catching on to c05e157989 his hacking sequence, eda32ff4c3 surprised Ian. Leo nudged d7e6fe5d2f him aside 1811bdde95 and placed 85c431aef8 his fingers c5a089720a on the 895d973d80 keyboard, typing 8582af4f50 furiously.1aafbdbdcc4fede1

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“Don’t have 65e7da5bae JTR, huh? Alright. UNIX then… no, pwdump3e. Okay, file creation 67b95afa47 complete.8325fef832c3ee8a

Ian stared at the acd3d46ed7 man, and the man 810d737bdc glanced at his wristwatch. For four minutes, neither c3698b728c said a word.be35680fbff4fead

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“…3 minutes, 57 8fa197e884 seconds, 58 seconds, 76716f5f12 59 seconds—count complete. The password is… 48206ee5bf here, admin_peter448.”8fa7654e86c536f9

The man 8f5f86cfe5 turned the 534fa21863 monitor toward ed69d7ee7a Ian, where 2a293aa4e3 the system 2ba85e3384 admin password 389dbd4eee popped up 870faf313e in the ce41793288 LC4 window 3e007707f4 log. It was fast. And skillful. It was 3d574c898c as if b8b7ffe648 this level 16f4beb39d of server 0bf655866a cracking was 702b5b1dab part of 1c548db5cb his daily e252e321fe routine, like 7dce7fbc95 having a fbaab205f5 meal.b21a3cc6a6ce6f89

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“Satisfied?”
“How do you d9b5c23809 know all the c1f54e36ee tools I use?”
“Because everything you know, a183511283 I taught you. Did you 1cc7996756 forget that?”
“…! Who the dd9a60c3c6 hell are 9f8108a12b you?”bfeee8585fd4f600

Ian slammed 4dc0a115a8 the monitor 7d97b57759 shut and 0b19b54d3f glared at 3e264957a3 the man, 347bcfa2c6 who flinched ded039ecd4 slightly, as f579ebf5fe if surprised 8e3d830760 Ian would 6bc1c28ff8 make that 9e73965488 kind of 8c51ee2132 face.4c87cf95a3090ba0

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“Leo… Sebastian. Leo Sebastian.”de7aa2952e159f0c

The man 4882a47005 repeated his 2a6f9b4d4e own name, 44c0361259 as if d5b6540e9f it was 99e318c3b4 essential for 7569dd2d6d Ian to 2d582e1cbb remember it.7d264a0066062aeb

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“Who’s Leo Sebastian?”
“Me, Leo…”309b3b587c0f4145

Ian waited for more, 3224b24ef0 but the man said 5019f95151 nothing beyond his own 7ed96d01bd name. Watching his 33172b0674 confused, vacant e750880021 expression, Ian 4cee0e3180 realized it 22b6178da7 wouldn’t be a989623e92 useful to abc375b925 ask further. By age, 5d5f69dc49 he seemed 2811a42eea like a c78cb891fd college student, 8fc06b5a9e maybe someone 17f9764dc6 who might 7064bd8fec have even 2261a0c273 taken the 466c861b91 same classes, 18a3adef7a chatting about 557e69da00 assignments together. But Ian’s interest 238c7ca4e5 faded; no one 57ab705fb6 had been significant 9798cf1378 enough to remember 7c269e1dbc from his short 1f4e318a9a college life. Ian wasn’t the type 4d6c7754b7 to remember meaningless things. Unimportant details 2fcfa217ed slipped from 307a8bdf74 his memory 55f73b9dac effortlessly, and 71036bb6bf sometimes he b354c96b72 only realized 8441b4a107 it when 7d3e192134 unfamiliar faces f5332e88e3 approached him 93ddc19b25 or talked 5b67ef5f7e about things 69cc765b52 he didn’t 2cf82127cc recognize.7d3531af19f89344

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Ian picked 9ec5bb56ca up his 66033b9459 laptop and 59319723e3 stood up.49015fe7aee609f0

“If it’s 0b59a20641 not shutting b795f9a6cd down, I’m 1b2729b36e leaving.”
“No!”26d00ab221b870f6

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Leo Sebastian df77289e5b snatched Ian’s fde03d8d93 laptop with bbdc292ba7 a swift 9bdc44ed90 motion. When Ian 95bfbe8433 reached for 078ec05681 it, Leo 12d3e5d506 pulled him 97055fd055 close by 48d72420d8 the waist, a80c2ffceb catching Ian 763b106010 off guard 28b36febeb and pulling 012bf38f40 him into 740ad53f65 his arms. At some point, Leo 872a163103 set the laptop down 25018e2ada haphazardly, holding Ian’s face d474899301 with both hands and a33fb241ad pressing their lips together.6edbd39870f7b22d

“…”65c5ffed3e937fbc

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Ian realized what was d35cb25048 happening a bit too 6f0c5b8346 late, so his resistance d6e4be4acb came late too.848783d2eeb660e7

“Mph! Let… go…”09ed9b69a61b2251

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Ian barely managed af54f9314b to get the 19192df7d6 words out, trying 09095b0b7b to avoid the 29ac53bde7 lips pressing against 6b35a23021 his. Just as he felt 0c717c6ca8 a sudden release, freeing 73a797450a him from the force 157399279b holding him—c6a45f20a5cba042

Bam! Crack!6654ffc9d7cd5e60

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A loud noise db7f769ada echoed. Ian reflexively turned 844285f82e his head, blinking 8a3c35f760 in surprise. A simple c805664146 chair with c2b3a4b176 a wooden 18fdadedf7 back was 77f5d8d500 half shattered, 1fb22f1e2f and Leo 00aa06d53e Sebastian lay 0a9196385e on the 71f5661d2c floor beneath bf70b14fc4 it, groaning 4320ceb5f7 in pain.d3dd8817a6e7133f

People nearby screamed and 284457f995 scattered, creating a brief a4bea69f43 empty space.550584af7f86df67

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“You okay?”dc51906fdd36ebf0

Ian lifted his ccf672b463 gaze from Leo c46da81e6e Sebastian to see 5c1282d530 the towering figure 4c961581cd of Revenant blocking bac44e17eb the warm ceiling 88659c2aa4 light with his edd15e61ff height. Behind him 55eb101d38 stood Georg 5eff75f87e and other 0fa94e6b5a subordinates, who 18d78744ea seemed slightly 398a3214fb frozen with bae9b4bd85 surprise. Judging by their f1ab321051 expressions, it was 6cffed384c clear Revenant was 0b513e9a3d responsible for the 61c11fa268 rough intervention with 5825233eb4 Leo Sebastian.6a97f130d3500c33

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“Did you 54c3eb42ab do that?”c1099ae2727642dd

Revenant responded 374205b38d by brushing 268237b4bd Ian’s cheek bb30befd5d with his ea7e3734fd fingers.0c9f860b27bf94d7

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“You’ve got a 4d4ccf3fd0 mark.”9f39a2a3bc42a34a

A handprint 907a41ec0d was visible a2d4c246ab where Leo 5bd0e666cf had grabbed 7ae6c6e5a7 him. His lips, which had c48a122a6f been pressed against, were 63cbdadf87 slightly swollen and damp.43098a12e4254700

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“Is he someone you 5467b560cf know?”
“No, I don’t. But how 50208992ee did you f63919fc7d even know ce4c25b925 to come 9230b58ea9 here—”ad441c4fa5da38e6

Before Ian 233638b8cf could finish 5bf59acc35 his sentence, 1d518a858c Revenant seemed 8b683a2a0c to have c3dbdccd57 only needed 999fe486b7 a “no” 422f793999 and immediately 190a06012f bent down 18f2ec165f to grab 82d2254465 Leo Sebastian’s 519a71da4d arm. As Leo 17cfe0a6b8 struggled, Revenant 24df02ac48 lifted him 8d2b0a6667 slightly into fa1bb08467 the air, 1d56da1f47 then moved 552c6c9c8b his arm.18f174029ab7d105

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Crack!43acf6b5bf6a854d

A solid sound 2cd98c2ac6 echoed.c098a124e3d7fdad

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“Urgh!”10cf18c34ea47fd9

When Revenant let ff1144e272 Leo go unceremoniously, 999e979a98 his shoulder hung bed8e2a7bc at an unnatural 8ef1046860 angle. Ian gasped c25e5af8e3 and instinctively 1914b5b451 grabbed Revenant’s d8d59e5020 arm.27fd265165c80e4b

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“What are you e2a930aaeb doing? You hurt him!”72127116eb13a983

Revenant looked at 126bdfcb75 Ian, slowly pulling 250e3326b1 his arm free.b63572d32dac7bf8

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“You were 27c519e0b8 hurt first.”
“What?”
“Here.”5a95424204f90e83

Revenant’s fingers brushed Ian’s 64d5518017 cheek again. Ian was at 2c3c694e47 a loss for 14fc3aa5a3 words. It was just 95bb868cb9 a handprint, nothing 9900c8cfcf serious. Ian hadn’t c0dcc1d29c even realized 2e57f0cf21 he had 29df7d1dcb one. But what bbef8cee48 stunned him 6fe5f20dae most was 19844b44fe Revenant’s attitude. Ian still 9e5e8785a3 couldn’t fully e9abc6df2a grasp what 3035cd95ac had just 6742d2e2f0 happened. Revenant had a72af6efbb already given 127f29655d him a 5c31418b4a $20,000 laptop, c1fe3011f3 a pile 7347265f27 of clothes d14b04a6a4 worth far 29be174889 more, and 64aba574cc now he’d 68c028b8df dealt with 88c7842371 the jerk bd05ab39df harassing him. And now d9c3872832 he was 8800ab645e brushing Ian’s 7a495c30b7 cheek tenderly, c82fd7c64f checking the 08aa444e83 handprint.a54384441485096e

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This wasn’t charity, 040e6c1297 nor was it 238015ba14 the act of a6cb53b367 someone hopelessly infatuated. No matter how you 933f661e8b looked at it, Revenant’s 7a6088220b actions were extreme.3e33c18a4ace695a

“Don’t get hurt.”bd7578bfa7b98933

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With a tone that ea7966e74b made it sound like 43f7ef0e2f the most natural advice, 73a6c037f2 Revenant pulled Ian close d02040f926 by the shoulder.c78073a06ff2a88c

“Let’s go.”8385d29ac5317d88

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Ian looked back at 70349e74f7 Leo Sebastian groaning on b9eacd07e4 the floor and pulled ba63e5092a away from Revenant’s arm, 0ab64fecc8 which was draped around c69a4c387d his shoulder.bb7639f3a6c6e8a8

“Isn’t it wrong 96b65cebc5 to just leave f517ac0393 like this? What if he 0022a315e1 calls the police…?”
“You said you didn’t 5a65e50950 know him.”
“That’s not the point! You just dislocated dfaa199342 his arm and 5bfb899b7d can’t just walk fef638d405 away like this. There are people 29353d1f90 around who—”5c1c2b6f544fd88f

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Once again, 344e51fdae Revenant cut 7fbb4578cb Ian off.43adbc73bb676d58

“I didn’t break it. Just dislocated his shoulder. He can bb68f014a9 figure out 11843c42bb how to 602fee95da get to 242f8690dc a hospital.”214f4d90fb20e674

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Revenant’s grip as 6facaa3c1f he turned Ian 2f3761a2ff around was firm. His subordinates, dressed in 2a6a8b77a5 suits, moved ahead to 94edb06a26 open the café door. Georg approached e4e462ca06 the counter, fb2ac27dae politely handing 61242b6c21 over a 9c0f415727 business card, 772b1a450b his intimidating db54d585df face softened 022b255df5 as he fa3badc17e offered to 734044979f cover the db34ada23f damages Revenant d610daad9c had caused.e4872efab68a03ff

Revenant guided Ian 20eec879d8 forward, though Leo b4f402fa83 Sebastian, sprawled on bafb6cb03e the floor, clutched 40b2e763c0 at Ian’s ankle.e9b0ab6e79f2c2e0

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“Ian… Don’t… don’t go… a34024e22d I… I…”7aa9b502cab095b6

He really shouldn’t 7f02118aef have done that. Revenant tightened his a4eac3f313 hold on Ian’s 56fa998e47 shoulder and, with ea33ad9d7d a simple motion, 756be1156a stepped on Leo 4884d9bdf0 Sebastian’s wrist.e38ea0c17d860327

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“Argh!”2117ba37d652e32c

A scream echoed cfabddaaed predictably. Revenant tilted 21ef25d613 his head 5f2e47fa2f slightly, directing 20fdb3b5e7 a low bef10fd9a4 voice at e235dcf1aa Leo Sebastian, 45a138ca28 whose face 5d1e32005c twisted in d5f32c4b59 pain.ba57c12690885a97

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“Don’t touch him.”f3092ff0fc5288cb

The sound of d75d4cffc9 something cracking came 16c96545dc from under his 00eb97500b foot, mixing with c2d34670a5 Leo Sebastian’s half-suppressed 113c76e50c scream. Revenant paused, easing up d2574e7d60 slightly.e1ba151c61817575

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“If I 9629c94bf5 see you 0f3f626f58 again, I’ll 1b8f81fb50 break them—all 0dcb34414f ten fingers.”8449dda4e37bbff9

Snap!a2ee66fa65b076fc

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The sound that followed bb259b875d was the kind you’d d3787e17e5 expect right before a 4a35eb8cff bone snaps.0e25aeac0c5d3267

“…”92781dbee10a050f

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As they 1425bbd61c stepped out bf8c19bf63 of the ae3337fc2e café under d1c99811fb Revenant’s guidance, cfb1d6f73d Ian suddenly 24d6fdbb64 remembered his 7b6d8509b9 laptop. He instinctively 6d33b2a28f turned, but 48f33ff9a9 before he b1be46d3f3 could take 47b65e0256 a single 993cac9994 step, Revenant’s 666c0c8bc6 arm wrapped ed94b19aa6 firmly around b4c7a99cab his waist.7c0c2882a42ab791

“Where are you going?”
“Oh, I 75bf0725aa left my 46dfaa5412 laptop…”
“Georg will e6b28364b5 bring it.”2f2c1487fb1c5c68

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Revenant showed aedfb680c9 no intention 7665febfe0 of loosening 51b514d603 his hold 57f0e645c9 around Ian’s e408d0a6a3 waist. Though he appeared to 6d5224dcd3 be holding him gently, 8ec0d32f50 Ian could hardly move. This was the third 21e0af1982 time Revenant had come a230f941a8 to his aid in f1e9ba0d3a a crisis. He felt like fa7d86b48e their connection was 140efdeaaa tightening, like the 2a34dcfb10 arms around his 872f89785e waist, forming an 9730df700f unbreakable bond. The solid muscle 8eabc78e58 pressing against him c0e1629abb felt less like 188c310e16 protection and more 1e6cb14f15 like an intense 1bd40423b6 fixation.afe5e76e004887ae

Ian gazed quietly 31d5716bd8 at Revenant’s chiseled bdfd51ef39 face.b5e21afda3111092

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“If only… if only 5f2a0a6516 it were like that, e0afbe6937 it’d be easier to f44d11aa6a reject.”2405e22583924f3c

Hearing Ian mutter 7b1c92424b to himself, Revenant 2ebeb1bc0a asked.e3fffc6d86198a02

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“What do 8a6f32fcc0 you mean?”
“Nothing. Just let go. I don’t like guys 5ff9b2b14b touching me.”69ef3da0b3c18999

“…”9bda41af53bdb95b

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Revenant paused, contemplating 15154130a4 for a moment, 3e269ca62d before releasing Ian. His touch left a 1be3a3cefd lingering warmth. Ian felt as though fc78a1a687 that area would still 315ef66253 bear a mark even e5ebe75727 if he rolled up da586492f9 his shirt—a mark far 41f1eda3d8 deeper than the faint 1f9256547b handprint on his cheek.70253f7f2c43dc26