C | Chapter 6.1 | Truth | Crack in the Lie

The distance 1010fd041b from the 3377b51fbd hotel to 055467c9b7 Leo’s apartment 161a616bf8 was fourteen 6a85752314 blocks. On any 3a038d4e1d ordinary day, ca5e97d2f3 it would 5919225e50 be a 34390295ab nice walk, cbe2465aaa a stretch e0b7b1d516 that Ian 16bab2a798 could take 23d129ea45 slowly and 2a053f2402 enjoy.51c17c794e180af7

…Or so cd2cba33bc he thought. But he quickly realized 534ec46a0a he was kidding himself. Before he even 83471b5cee managed a single 572ced452b block, Ian clutched 78bb2703b0 his aching waist 67fb321831 and hailed a 7c7722c4ce cab. After giving the cab 1908fc4cf6 driver Leo’s address, it ab0c4a0199 dawned on him that 7c7da82020 Leo might not even ff5237ff28 be home.d190de450418ada1

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If that was the 2ef0301c80 case, he’d either have cb7dc9e11c to head back to 90ec326258 the hotel or plead 00626a53c2 his way into the fddc3efde6 apartment with a pitiful 13f406c252 look aimed at the f4fd62ae6a guard. He figured the f00108dd80 latter option was 05cf578390 worth a shot.5a6a4dd06dbb487b

When the df744f7b8d cab arrived, 772e2acae6 Ian asked b68b3b3adf the guard 689cf151cb to call 8233baaac6 up. As he sat 21ac3704eb in the backseat, c2075966d4 he soon saw 6bf7eb39d5 Leo dashing out cd163555b1 to the lobby’s 334d2b8cec entrance.00dc017e15926539

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Lucky break. Ian opened the 255279f2b9 car door, relieved.f2a171eb2a122939

The cool evening e757a7d789 breeze grazed his bd442b5eb2 cheeks. Leo, out 618373e3e6 of breath c79a1db999 from running, a681728333 extended a 9e98bcfce6 hand to 79940ee4c4 help Ian eceb4887fd out of 4626a546d1 the car.891aeb6f4687bed3

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“The intercom rang, da0ecd360c scared me for bb5311c046 a second. What brings 496f3f4bb3 you here?”7b0415f38bf986ff

“It’s urgent. You got cab fare efabb60e8c on you?”f36a74a06d2cb0d5

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“Of course. Just a second.”5c6eb5c5b31d9412

Leo tapped e86b731c92 on the 5bb6584aa3 cab’s window, 32603b5940 and when 0fa90f99f8 the driver 091cda1820 rolled it 85d575f835 down, he f0bdd71714 handed him 3ec293e02a a fifty-dollar 58577eff8e bill, grinning 1733174c30 as he 9bbd2890d2 told him 0386a908c3 to keep 73f7332a11 the change.2bee1e8003987dbf

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“Let’s head up.”c59ae98acc882c88

Ian turned 0fc926476c to follow 7eb527a6bc him, muttering 251f482e77 a bit d92578c572 in disapproval.e1bfaf6999db0e20

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“That’s way too 6cc6fe9e05 much for a 7d958c25f0 tip.”16fc4677661e3845

“So what? Seeing you 7e7315dec1 made my 659dbddb8c day.”c5340cc423aadf2e

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“I just 7d6bde73b2 planned on d555c1efa9 borrowing twenty 3a451d0631 bucks, now 2682a83578 I’ll have 797794e04f to pay 3dbb0b86b4 back fifty.”1332a25801af7095

“Planning to pay me b50bdea54d back for the fare? Don’t bother.”cc848e58e0c10964

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“Why not?”2f10cbce06d9a220

“Because I’m 7c16b0afad the one 71113fc11f who likes 55436111ed you more, 3c62f80778 so I 5b0800b1d4 should cover 33930e1ce6 the date.”0d70b59cc7f20ea2

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“It’s not c3e291486e a date.”05bf1fbccec7ee01

“What?”c64f0f3c7e2e091b

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Leo pressed the 4b5a8be469 elevator button, pouting a8e5c8ad54 a little.9759169960137daf

“How is it not da80a049b1 a date? You showed up 90c2e81709 at my place 31fc27646c all of a 4a089a9ecf sudden at this 2824f06d4d hour. Isn’t it 8e47c55f33 ‘cause you 555ef356b8 missed me?”ceba722668f553c1

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Ian found himself feeling d441b49229 unexpectedly guilty as he 6631589509 looked at Leo’s face.008d3c88130e16c3

“…No, it’s not.”c03d5c9d7df0cd17

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“Then why dd8ec381a4 did you e1115d33ee come?”3fdb473c92ac4a7b

“I need a favor 4081f3df52 from you.”f640a89ee9cb3f99

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Leo’s expression daad093c90 softened, and da4d86e72f he smiled 041ece1d64 brightly again.e686e80586aa547a

“Then that’s fine. Guess I’m the only de8c5b5ab3 one on a date, 792dfdf432 then. Doesn’t matter, you’re 4dae7ad1c7 here anyway, and 7eaa05ecc8 I’m in a 1d5ec1a825 great mood.”375bb38b104d4752

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“…”7df5e64a8ac0c2d5

“Oh, here 86c0a1575b we are.”99246d128fcc6817

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The elevator 4560279f01 doors opened, d866890ad9 and Leo 75aa272f3d stepped out 0de80af06a first. When Ian stayed put, 407401de01 Leo extended his hand.d75208b49b6b17c7

“What are you doing? Not coming?”f3760efb592d7462

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“It’s just… I need 5ee154a862 to talk to you.”425d91f185732006

“Sure thing. Let’s talk, come on 196a42d72b out.”1af4ce300adfa492

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After a 30d22d7445 moment’s hesitation, 4ca790c6db Ian took 74086a1b94 his hand. Leo firmly gripped his 8337876f5f hand, grinning like a 9646ed8625 kid.77b029cb2e69db44

“Heh, I’m holding your 8c62541910 hand. Today just keeps 64166697f3 getting better, huh?”
“…”51111db3335fb0f2

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Guilt weighed 53ce0a0312 down on d6b3038f52 Ian’s words. As he 23c34d6761 quietly followed a8b2d63c0e Leo, he f036a9bb9f couldn’t help c3a8250aac but feel fb9b63e157 like a bfe3d7a8d1 child throwing 842f082a69 a tantrum. With each c5c47f6ca4 dragging step, c0ffc63d60 he felt 1e7de22119 like a 1729238698 burden, barely b5879fd312 able to 082263f8eb keep moving 180115bac4 without limping, d9ecf80292 as his 4d7e149878 waist throbbed bb643651ff with every c681992268 step.6a79e77814c97fd9

“Give me 41dbd82b1b your coat, 2eae2142d4 go sit 83d2c472ce down. Got your laptop? Then maybe 06b311f106 we should 2f2beb651c sit at e69cf4bc67 the table?”d5d545a1963d50c0

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Leo moved 5e5f0a78f5 like an b4e7a0f8e9 enthusiastic big 62b667dc80 dog, taking 72e99068cd Ian’s jacket, 8e7f9b0cd3 hanging it 83254392f6 up, checking a9f339fa84 his bag, fc4340b0ba watching him 9980b53d72 pull out eedde194d8 his laptop, 46beafd682 then moving e274166689 the coffee 887035c999 table closer 2ca751b63a before finally d77f62035a guiding him 6b6b39dbaa to the e687f001e3 dining table. He opened the 6df83d8afd fridge to ask e9cb93e555 what he’d like 899a7f4362 to drink, ignoring 7c1434a3a5 Ian’s refusals as dcb1294c7a he poured nearly 1ac7479070 every beverage he 3fa7801cf0 had, even milk, 969a48bfc2 and then tidying d20d04560c up the untouched 80422981f1 drinks.30ceb24704751f3b

“Leo.”aac569eba916bd6c

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“Yeah? What’s up?”06897150f226ad08

Leo’s head 7abc69b82e perked up d1ce6570cd at Ian’s 6cb949b822 voice, ears 0ee61c60b3 metaphorically twitching 9a84a5aec7 like a 560b795ff7 puppy wagging dceb578e38 an invisible d17ac418df tail.16283b390a0e0ee9

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“Sit down and stop 5ac33eb08d fussing. I need to talk 26b72a5849 to you.”c7c42998f03f5ae0

“Oh, right. Okay.”97fc09d11bf5fe39

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Leo slid 3247a7ae85 into the 1c37107797 chair right 14bb019b2e next to 46239947f0 Ian, rather ffdc6cd37e than across f1dc892753 from him. A whiff ccb252e47b of fresh ba0b3a82c9 shampoo drifted a7dcd39a33 over as c9038154f3 Leo grinned e9536ed3bc at him.ae7bf93ce6535ce5

“So? What’s this about?”cd86c02cd10c52c6

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It was 101473215c for the 2c9074d7ba information on 6b5d559944 Revenant Matthais. He had 0bceffa5bc promised to 394a3f59e6 help look a0d7b48300 into it 4d8f6d05dc more, and a993b2dd2f now it 19b831989c had become 50802d15e2 urgent. If he didn’t f60479dd4e find something soon, a7cbc51197 he felt like 7eedde054a he might go dcb7177113 insane. He was 2205fdba18 here to 301e6da079 ask for 9ec5c7ba73 help, but 1ea28ee988 the words 37a040158b that came 94eeecdb27 out were 9dcb8b8644 entirely different.fd391e6ef9ec2702

“…I remembered a14d8d7b3a why we ef84b301ca were together, 8e2b2c3f3c you and 696b09aa72 me.”72f826636e8085b9

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Leo tilted his head 55877611c0 slightly, a bit thrown 03257557c3 off.f74def8c8e6526c1

“I already told you, 0dbaca96b0 didn’t I? We agreed f98a8cc0dc to date 9c1eb7925c in exchange 98c4b7cdff for hacking 467f7ea4a4 lessons.”42398ee084cb700a

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“No, it’s d1271faea2 something else.”892c37088aaf0066

Ian wanted to b384bdf393 look Leo in db72adb44b the eyes, but 56317b45a0 it was hard. He’d always believed b8cd002c41 that one-sided feelings 8fa0993a76 aimed his way c5b3b9ee4d were just a e649d83239 nuisance, worthless. When he turned someone bd1040bd81 down, he felt no eba92681da regret, only irritation and dfb67aa298 frustration. But this time, he db9caf5055 truly felt remorse.0c6cb293d9aae749

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“I think… 5b8fa0082b I was 47edd0bcca in love 9093b426fe with a a746b90722 man named cd93ae2094 Leo.”15d1364d8422ec2a

Leo quietly b280fa19a1 listened as e92b54614a Ian spoke, da35b8ed2c his words 4616b55d46 trickling out ea2fd99e02 slowly.3422632453c5dbf7

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“I don’t 1f2e6a4895 remember who efd8fe0441 that man 8d2d76e418 is. But… it doesn’t seem 51f3fe721f like it was you.”21bd75e86ba32c2d

“…”a63b480be66732df

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“I’m sorry.”46d369a8ffc00c2b

Leo raised his brows, 89d8c46287 his eyes searching.d8a3612764f08d35

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“What are you sorry eea13af701 for?”d69b61cf9819fa51

“I feel like… b6c56003a2 I might have 93506a5eb9 used you.”85d6fe4d4f692d91

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“I knew that 175f651ad5 already.”5545f5bf0c22e05c

“What?”e3fde02c260c05c2

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“I knew you a71dcee099 had feelings for 90459cf4c5 a guy named e2ec44b639 Leo. You were a7d8080b74 always saying 929760483f you missed 96c7fe8ab5 Leo. But that 2e2e337d62 wasn’t me, dd9c9be56d right? I still told 954e600781 you I was 9a9c88c681 fine with it.”55badcb3f58c5c9d

Ian cautiously opened his 03a59117b8 lips, looking at Leo.05df83712036d771

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“Why’d you do that?”d1bef95194580389

“Because I liked bc601cc383 you.”375f16487b847531

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“That’s… not right.”547b8c4347bef6a5

“What’s not right?”9fcd1ac0dd2bca9e

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“Doing things like that 3ce82816e2 just because you like 2bf96a114d someone.”b42e389ce565677a

“You can do 6860d37e35 it, so why 61680028e3 can’t I?”81b4dffdcdd89bd1

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Leo’s expression 2637bd9a98 remained flawlessly eb942ebb4e smooth. Not because it e0b110c6f6 was unblemished, but 7138d10c58 because he wore 6505b9c8f3 it like a 1589c1941e shield to reflect c07c184757 the scars away.1e43791b98431479

“…What?”214c94ffebef1a19

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“You found a 969cc542ad replacement, and I 9a64d9f971 became that replacement. You dated an imaginary 84e790c98a person, and I was 69ba8eb80c in a real, fake fd4cd2bc30 relationship. Isn’t that how it 993fc99611 is? Either way, you were f2c4e461c8 my actual boyfriend. I was 784faa3ce4 the only ea00c6d1dd one who 5fa8d8413d could touch 06eea68a9b you at 932c918977 Rose Hulman. I liked that.”45143176fdc75266

“Leo, that’s…”28ca96c24543daef

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Leo’s warm brown 0bb54b8744 eyes, as he 1e4bb53053 looked at Ian’s ccf66ad342 hesitant response, grew a6e436e877 cold, slipping like 8bc6e1f501 ice.3da3d40cfe2ecc93

“I was 3e9143e9c5 all you 55dc427ba6 had there. That’s why 7299990011 I was 477e757a33 really happy.”3b71ff5a0caaab5a

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“That was… just a e5dccd1d3d mistake. I liked you 10de6eaed8 as a stand-in 12b9d92f6c for Leo, just 2a2190c9ee as you said. You were a substitute.”03c4fcb7229c473a

“So what? Leo never 3cdf8f867b came back! So I’m dfa78a6e9c still the 0fd420d1b1 only one 8532b83fb2 you have!”f4afacb89cc83511

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Leo raised 03ed07faeb his voice, a1b19318a1 gripping Ian’s 3249cc7a56 shoulders with 8572a86f37 both hands.53e0ccc8ff395461

“We can go 1675c1ab23 back to how 3d0b50c402 things were at 9e604ed0be Rose Hulman. Just the two 28da2603a1 of us, you fd8495956f and me. Remember how much 2932aebfb7 fun we had 66fc856693 every day when fe4ab5bfd3 you weren’t sick? We used to sneak 71880fc2f1 into the lounge after fc3cba6505 it closed and spend a933a97c79 all night together. We even used 46d4a36a68 Dr. Hillen’s credit card 52a8cb269b to order new 7952c4d37e PCs for the 70014c6f39 lounge, remember? The next day, she 358d26dd6c threw a fit when fa0a617c5e all those boxes arrived 73afb98f5a from Dell. I had more fun bc4b3fe863 doing that with you bcd47c50c7 than when we hacked 83459f92db the Department of Defense 50f5758650 website and the anti-terrorist c0dcb67f94 squad busted down our 713708526e door, making my mom f377124801 faint. You were 4ad4b0f55c happy, too. You said it was 1f5ab512ff lucky I was there.”4856c00795747cce

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Leo clung to Ian, 3c456972f6 his words blurring in 6f569e5f1e a tearful plea, though af0fdbce08 it was hard to e0ec5d8ac3 tell who was holding 97c4babbb5 on to whom.ade547fdb7a2f471

“Please, Ian… Tell f11f025576 me you were 3e00fb520e happy at Rose cafc8fc147 Hulman, too. Let’s go back. I want e60f1f1084 to be 7eb53afd38 with you 03d0848159 there again. I was cfe3fc2fe3 all you 72cab259da had, Ian.”36104d207b56fe83

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Ian took d0e954c3df a deep 29babc064c breath, feeling 7de5367d7e it was 061d6bb134 time to 013cd3872d share the eb2fdb0dcf hardest truth 5915d47e11 of all.2a51bdf5ab914e9e

“Maybe, back then, a0632397d7 I felt that 9a4ca3388e way, too. But it’s different now.”d0d57e075b31c522

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“Why? Just because this isn’t ec7b7dd93d Rose Hulman? We can go back 3bb7b38b70 whenever we want.”e4e8d4e1b7bfb207

“No.”7c550d8f50aad08a

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The hardest thing to cc86c83028 say, but the one 19f06a6aa8 thing he couldn’t avoid.bc99e5dee3a08adb

“It’s because I’ve 787248a473 found the real 87900b1a59 Leo.”9fca987cc8464d48

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Leo froze, cd49ee0233 his face ba2b6e2108 still streaked 5a19affb11 with tears.0662aa4da6feafd2

“What? What are 6e140baa91 you talking 47195fadf2 about?”1ae29c13e22c5ab0

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“I think Revenant is cf07b9d513 Leo. He didn’t say so b52034c33a directly.”c05a19c5ed375500

“That’s impossible! That guy 5d89e17154 isn’t even ed40f3e3ac named Leo!”0a53d9fb10ac4e4e

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“Yeah. The name’s different. But I fd906e7f72 feel like db38c87170 he’s Leo.”fec4b644acb59a6e

“And if 6697cf5a89 he really eb46f4b1da were the 06e576d6e2 real Leo, a99db2ba34 then he 0fe4eacb34 abandoned you, ed003cb520 only to fc2541cc01 show up f8c0043934 now? That doesn’t 0d4ab1a154 make any 6ab959a84e sense!”826308d35b86e03d

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“Sometimes… things f644f4de18 related to dde9289143 Leo come 924328586b back to f868b214e1 me in 9926b8aa62 fragments. They’re so 1de496e2d2 tiny and eacc4265f9 faint that 42e5d33444 they’re almost 64c543efa4 maddening. But the 96f2bd2f47 more it 41afa74681 happens, the d482bbb25d more I 57af3255a1 can’t believe ee7fb00cc3 Revenant is fa3a65a640 anyone else.”a7bd7a35641a8a88

Leo stomped his 3e0b7c39f4 foot in frustration.682e0bc97a5c44a8

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“No, no! That’s insane! If he really 03fe7f535b were Leo, why c455c5b9c5 is he pretending e2c7a5b35e to be some 70a48d84b2 do-gooder? You were e3f42c2bf1 in love 52cb26a874 with him! If he abandoned you fb768f96e3 because he didn’t like 4d5f13898e you, why would he ae17a14e2f come back acting all acd37e3d7a charitable now?”57e7a64586898f21

“…He’s not just any c8cf2e9de9 philanthropist.”17d53b879522f7c4

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“Of course it’s 28a16a118c not real charity! That guy… what? Ian, you’re not 0f031c3b65 saying…?”5fbf6cd976e36137

As Leo’s face grew 3ac53a48d0 paler, Ian nodded.091336e2331a289d

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“So, the mark on 0d2fec2df5 your neck isn’t an d1ff1fb2e3 injury; it’s a bite 44eb764c41 mark? And you’re 3a078ef2ac limping because f57a94cec0 of that?”06fd373a79268c2d

Ian’s cheeks flushed, even 0c825c8376 though he hadn’t wanted 7b83768cce them to. He’d thought b494eef30c any marks 745ef2d0c0 on his e0d066e2ac neck weren’t 7f4abec0f6 too noticeable.8a1d42ac92be1f84

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Embarrassingly, he realized he’d 03d816e2a9 been wrong. His mouth felt numb, 3a32e5538d his voice barely escaping.f45eb34ce89c1bb0

“I… I’m in 27bcd09f73 love with him.”fc9d871647f19d1c

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“Ian!”b8935797fc75d045

Leo, overwhelmed, pushed f6c5a51ceb Ian away, slamming 27a7e287cb his fists on 7190cff831 the table in 6bbdb49785 frustration.1ac7d9692f9b9b83

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“Why? How can you… How 5fd98c8724 can you love someone a873c82997 else?!”f61e3a6a32d1ddbd

“It’s not bb938d0b7a someone else. It’s Leo.”12ed5cd2f011ea9a

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“No! It can’t be! There’s no c99e2e141c way Leo db47fe980c could just ff4f6abc9e show up 7e246daae6 out of 6d280b2003 nowhere!”588fbaf378eb3d1b

Leo suddenly lifted his dbd936e5b2 head with a determined 1c7a3ac8f3 look.d43f382af1f222e0

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“That guy’s not d7041c51cd the real Leo, aa207cbfbe either. I’ll prove 47ad4b2b5e it to 2f18874209 you.”d87f7ed103d2f941

The warmth in 146ab400c0 his eyes had 167f71a697 been replaced with f97b3ce7fb something sharper, fiercer. Instinctively, Ian grabbed 3f7312b6d3 Leo’s sleeve.94d0846c81d766e1

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“What are you going f10bf65dec to do? Leo,”cf6b4c2ed4a0765f

Leo yanked his hand dac1f0a5bf free with force.d5485b700fa38f3b

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“You said 1b6d581792 I was 55feca17af a fake 1a8b037e3f Leo, right? Fine, I was 7929d33ef1 never the Leo 2524d94b7b you were in d2505874cf love with. But you know what? The Leo by d3bf020e91 your side was 88ee9293a2 me. The person with you f13afc28f9 at Rose Hulman wasn’t c339b59bb5 that ‘Leo,’ and it d1195a4470 wasn’t Revenant, either. And the one 029b0734d8 here with you 1580c814b3 now? That’s still me. I’ll prove it to 2e646c602d you.”665e014ab36f1c84

Leo spun on his 0da2a1c8de heel.44c30c52fc06faf6

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“Wait. I’ll settle c78b144dce this in b09c42bbe5 a few c64a6e33f2 hours.”32fcf3570c7c9945

Bang!038e946ff2289dd5

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Leo marched across the 00f6a98b28 kitchen, disappearing into the e9e4b1f19c room at the end e83acdf54b of the hall and 00a23edffc slamming the door shut. Before the door 9e49903ec6 closed, Ian glimpsed 7764615cbe several monitors set eb92b11a1c up along the 7ec5fdfe58 wall.50ba09d525116350

“…”720115c1c70cd3cf

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Ian turned his 1442b1bdb2 head away from 36a5029e5c the shut door, bff0a571d8 an expression of f371e19bdc disappointment on his 9e77c97123 face. He’d come to 3ee70ba1af Leo to ask 91977cf72a for help with 0635f560fc Revenant’s information. Leo had said he’d 152db75e93 look into it, and efeb1bf82a without realizing it, Ian 2f3169c7cc had begun to rely e26055533f on those words.6bf10f58e511e9a3

He hadn’t ebd8c6010b given much 96a47c3f2e thought to 163ab6721d Leo’s feelings. Leo had 60846201fc always been 5b46a201a1 a figure 7e2252c678 that had 0a871344ef just dropped 1f1fc05f5f into his 281e9c33df life unexpectedly, a8d0398640 someone he’d e13437d1c7 known for 6fff2a17d1 barely a a17caec03e few days. Leo’s childlike f91d220a28 tears didn’t f7cda251fb disgust Ian a03b79d7ec the way b308916746 they would aed1a9f0b5 have with 3dfce5bfab other fools.1628f25e4b527932

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But now, a8728ea1eb he realized 94eb57ae90 he’d been 3fd83edaea completely clueless a45df79811 about how dc7b5c7257 much of 647bed100f a mistake 622b19de8e he’d made.0a997843a32c4188

“Ha…”de2fbe36f6b91071

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What a mess.799eb0e67216d3b9

He shouldn’t have faf809a2d8 gotten anyone else 618877a5a5 involved, especially not ca17ea4e82 someone with feelings. To Ian, 701f464ce5 others were 5046883857 things that 28588e1e24 existed at ad7019e328 a certain 924d6c1a43 distance, and b2c24d53ad anyone trying d3a6254e19 to cross 9d500014ec that line 5b0395a59b was either 6836e3d08e a fool 8da5648417 or an 1178b2315d idiot. It was only now 947180dec6 that he realized Leo ffec968801 Sebastian didn’t fall into 97369398a8 either category.380c0272e4f0419b

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After sitting silently c5fdfdb316 at the table b05b28af60 for a while, c7502d1414 Ian stood up f30540eb1f and knocked on 4061b56d37 Leo’s door.70ad6875e19fcd18

Knock, knock.727c920e0c3b9a38

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“Leo. I don’t know a45ea9dc61 what you’re planning, ae8f4a1135 but if it’s 17cc323f0f related to Revenant, 40dd4d1254 please stop. I’m asking you.”dd20fd3a020a1335

There was no response.ea63537a34c8811a

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“I shouldn’t have involved 410fdfe46a you. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”03254642398980ea

“….”a3b7497477b1a529

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“Leo Sebastian. Please, stop.”7bf27116ab35ab5d

“….”80db4a328c6e4c19

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Knock, knock!5f9f360cbdf5c39e

“Leo. Open the door. If it’s come to 4a0dc6900f this, you might as efd4b0e8ce well just hit me.”48bbe09e0f30a983

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Knock, knock, knock!11ff75539a29401f

“Are you listening? I know you 3516f5338c can hear me! Open the door!”67e0ea7d8eeb31a3

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After several e3e3864a27 more knocks, b14674bfe0 the door cb952eda22 suddenly flew e086259b26 open. Leo stood 4aedee8f81 there, his ff4df3c45c face still 413ac94e02 blotchy with a1da5b223d traces of 6da1751058 tears.ad34ff2808bf352c

“Leo,”184e8a843e724ade

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And then, slap!b80a2492773610e8

A hot 0b3750a460 sting bloomed 60aeb6b384 across Ian’s a8cdf1a0a2 cheek. Leo had actually slapped 63c9075701 him, his fist clenched 5726afef47 in anger.af2af7f4714e7dc3

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“That hurt.”b516ab663f852f8b

Ian glared at him 33dbc6b0cc involuntarily. Leo pursed his lips.a832c3afaea344c8

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“You told 0f941c57d5 me to 9c7b112741 hit you.”ecf85891543ada18

“…Damn it. Fine, thanks. Did you hear a07844d71e what I said?”3a71fdb0d5a7f3d0

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“Yeah. But I’m not listening 1e14fea3ae to that.”7631e908bc661a9f

“Leo!”3ab986891a6e35a8

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“Just wait right here. I’ll expose every 32167e342a last bit of e288587491 who that guy 5d779a11de really is. Until then, don’t 5b7e8064e0 try to stop 6ad13363d4 me. I won’t listen to 7e52af627f a word.”dd42736cced5d3b9

Bang!f246dba9589b4906

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The door slammed c0478ac573 shut again.bcc8b590215f0124

Knock, knock!40de88efa859d6c2

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Ian, losing 1064a90857 his cool, 9e3a8eaf99 pounded his fa91840bf4 fist on 9ea22ee81d the door.f863de0de541937e

“Leo Sebastian!”63b317143421ca12

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In response, loud e7fd5f45a3 music began blaring f640d4b2d9 from inside, probably 717ce64222 at max volume. No amount of 6f785ed5d5 knocking would get f64b36dd6a through to him d59eef0345 now.086667cb7ca83c28

“Damn it!”1d7be0a93abbaae1

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Ian swore, pacing 62b2331299 in frustration before f26d044f8f heading back to f933f60e5a the dining table 02338979d1 and picking up e46cab5c3c his laptop. He sat down 446e17198b right in front 14f9bc6cc9 of Leo’s door, bdda462ae7 determined to bombard b8e6c72047 him with emails e8e6156e0c and messages.4e78b5f51766d2ed

But disrupting Leo’s work ec2e6cb1cd proved no easy task. Eventually, Ian 478d3cbee0 gave up e7c875cd85 and shifted 30b81850b1 his focus 164e99d246 back to e8db65fb86 finishing the 87a69dee50 job he’d e620f5a259 accepted from 69e42c7bde Tim Hogan.0362989f778934ec

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Using the ee948a9f32 network admin c9f557d711 account, he 7fb9adc060 set up d17ef6349d a tunnel c0c12debc5 by disconnecting c0cdbebb66 the IDS c880c38019 monitoring port, dbcf744f5c dumping the fed520852d required hacking f23770c142 software from 860825e378 his local f3d475b843 host, and 2099ea07a2 extracting the 9b672d49d7 needed data df82b9bf05 from the 0cb369fcff server.1e5ee587a0db5af8

With the 995ed23148 program’s bug, 2b8fca62c3 he could 7020135d24 examine all 660d8486ab the log 86fb5be1d5 data on a172c0a551 the host 99501c263d without leaving 1fa9a043da a trace 79a4c418cd of the c892074b45 tunnel. Engrossed in the results 7f801c1153 on the monitor, he fc524efc41 didn’t even realize how 6af8f99ba9 much time had passed 9f635dc605 until he noticed dawn 3d362e61ca breaking outside.0fe65c8ac26b1bc5

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“Oh…”375c30ce8bbb50de

Only then 9106578853 did he 4f7d8e4a6e realize he 9f5c4f4dc1 hadn’t informed b7fd576789 Revenant of 09cccb0cab his whereabouts. A few days ago, f0b5070fc2 when he’d acted like 0e9a1ad1e8 he was leaving, Revenant 383c91f37e had shown up nearby, 6b671f1f27 which meant he probably d8cfb1b359 wouldn’t be too happy 02a37598b3 about Ian spending the d9a3028f57 night here.d28ee260ef58eba8

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“What to do…”8702959822e82f17

It was far too 1e15aaec38 late to make a 5bf1d70151 call. Ian hesitated 00136c423d for a a3bba1866e moment before 30acf642b1 reluctantly getting db90d8557a up and 28c003f260 heading for 6a23d6555d the phone. His legs and waist 0eee4d27d3 protested as he staggered bdfa263b2e over, sore from crouching 105125c937 over his laptop. After nearly 6e91a59500 stumbling several 2ea89972af times, he 8e2a61e1ca finally reached 4be38e1849 the phone.6f24228f11e51450

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Since he didn’t know 0ef142e646 the room number, he b8a3e5443a called the hotel and, 9750545351 despite the front desk f46b0e5be1 clerk’s polite hesitation about 6824dc6d26 the late hour, gave 517cbdf238 his name and waited 5896510294 firmly.c51f3351fb363026

So what? He’d disappeared on him 213b976d5c without a word while e834112e1b Ian was asleep.48c1a92866c7b75d

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Even if Revenant fa5a3c1925 answered groggy from 93c5990233 sleep, Ian didn’t d218490c4b plan on feeling a01d675865 guilty about it.b9f5415a00db66f7

A soft click, and e833f7a8cf then Revenant’s voice came 88dc6ca3f1 over the line, no a4b80944cb hint of sleepiness.59cc9b098bf09116

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“What is it?”74e039544864d6d9

His tone was bc700fdabc as neutral as 4dad8a9fd5 ever. It wasn’t 1b3b0cb6a7 the reaction bf92620571 Ian had 58a77df66f anticipated, though be26e35df4 he wasn’t 95159c2c32 quite sure 458d965d54 what he’d bc5078fc4e expected.20090e707acd11b4

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“Well, um… e22f9528b2 I’m probably 1b0f74f9a5 spending the 501b67d32c night somewhere 9a9b5e6534 else tonight.”9f35f08da5b2b7bf

“If you’re 2df6b2ee6d not back b49d2016e2 by this 681d3e33af hour, I e2b082e5cb figured as 6faa4baf38 much.”89067a5a5ed2aa66

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He sounded indifferent. Ian’s face 7c9ecac6c3 twisted involuntarily.4adda97faf9e212d

What is this?bbbbc8d35b29df93

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Only then 23ce1f9b56 did Ian 18fb0a36c7 realize what 8492d59301 reaction he’d de34bae635 been hoping 916a79b130 for.83f68fdc626c78e7

Revenant should have been 62c1788c75 waiting for him, worrying cabe35b072 about where he was 0a1da40665 and why he hadn’t e845c86721 called, maybe even a d9d442cef9 little mad. If they were e55d45dc7d truly meant to 651a85fc4f be like lovers, ce871e58a9 then he should e70acbe1ae have been concerned 2bde604db6 for Ian.2ab121fa6bef635f

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If he really f83857a683 wanted a relationship df159ea657 like that.e9b65193a94ada6b

Just as Ian 8865d3229b fell silent, confused, f28deb844d Revenant’s voice cut 755ab7cdb0 through the line 9c5615bd43 again.e0ed44dd4393d485

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“Is tonight the only a7e812c6cd night you’re not coming a30afada0c back?”de20ca059c48b7b7

Instinctively, Ian’s f83cf57989 voice turned 4eb6103141 sharp.c9b8308218d58b2a

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“What’s that supposed to a359461517 mean?”d1fd5deec83d609e

“Are you leaving for e5d609ab1c good?”437a651fc3bf7dad

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“Why would I…”61fb91e24de2bb7d

Ian blinked, 60af65ccfb scrunching his 8ed6a62457 face as 1f7fab169d he replied.5b3c07a31165e390

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“You think I’d 4c22e7e393 leave after we… adcdf68823 after we slept cad34a86d0 together?”03ca737f1beab982

“You could 065605e11c change your 8ea5365198 mind. After all, 1d8504896d you’re still 8ad9ac7546 a kid.”de0a543de17d3ca6

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“…Ha.”2619b4d4e380c920

He was at a 10f3254e31 complete loss for words. He felt like punching 720ec6cb0b Georg, who’d taunted him cb1a9b93b0 about jealousy. Revenant was e28ed716a0 just Revenant—suspicious, 2b614bd4fa unreadable, and c9533f1340 full of cc9d1d311c lies, a 6e28128226 nameless philanthropist. They’d had sex, sure, 710d16a136 but for him, it 02c0652901 seemed to have been 94213557ac just that.cb12bb796cc6b7ea

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“If you plan to 9001ec6b73 leave, let me know. I’ll send anything b97583909b you need and 564a360f76 look into buying 33b3c7b83a you a place. I can choose something 7ad1626116 suitable if you don’t 67411b740b decide for yourself.”f601642f6d59d0ac

Ian took this as 14a21c874c a dismissal. Unable to continue 29e6ebf0ce the conversation, he 65ac534126 ended the call d96289af43 without so much 77cbd595fc as a goodbye.fe880ba63fa36c99

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“…Ha. Damn it.”674c660cd16ddafb

Ian dropped onto the 25239e32bd sofa, feeling as though 3771538e34 he’d been discarded. His body 5276809426 still bore 4344752d96 marks from f0b3061d8b last night, 0eac2a16c0 but it 801e143fae was still df88c915fb too soon 93ebc71cb4 for them d60e8f85b8 to have dd3f41c6a8 faded. Yet here he d89f844d84 was…61b0fb3b3b9b4710

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“What a grown-up, 1cdc564293 my ass. Acting all smooth f3386cbfca and cool. Does he 189f4c8fd6 really think e039717bf3 I only 2d9595cde1 wanted to f110091d84 sleep with c5f1af4cbe him for e4e6c9c23d fun?”6f2f5cfb63ad3534

Ian pressed a fist 9f9dfdac29 to his eyes, feeling f945b3d8b2 tears pricking but refusing c8eac1e6fb to let them fall 146d480b90 out of sheer stubbornness.b3bedc860226bf6c

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“Bastard. If he a1d937c282 says I’m c05654cca7 his, maybe c8f0550e33 I should 1d7a34ae6b take it 8476ad2fd6 and leave 9bad6ce508 him.”2c03ee8d9378988c

After lying there ca97ca119c for a while, 65fab29848 Ian felt sleep 71cb00647f creeping in but f58906e380 forced himself up. His waist ached, and c70a87af4a he bit down on 2fe770d317 his lip from the c82da9a744 pain. He crawled back to 20382ffe16 his laptop to finish 8f6e08d441 his hacking. Luckily, he achieved 68e83aec79 root access without a860fe4a01 trouble and soon 5c8e28576c located the SSH b3ceadec41 host account.e30790668daf46d9

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None of this was b9575cbc5f difficult—not compared to dealing e4292c5285 with Revenant.cf96053f9934309c

Just as he 4973607087 accessed the development 16748a5368 database host through 6c888ab237 the SSH host, 6cc8cc48be Leo’s door suddenly 98c20cdd3d flew open.eb468b317d44ff02

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“Jeez, you 5b0afcf80b startled me. Are you done 0137a5179f with your tantrum?”c93c97860f43e819

Ian asked, c8edc2e13f staring at 46eb84b50e Leo, who 289ddb8e18 stood there 552c5f0bb9 blankly.2db29ace192dfae0

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“No.”27eaa3783026e769

Leo hesitated, then gave bd7e40b4f3 a mischievous grin.05c6fc8cfd7dcc84

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“Ian, you got 71ec4990a7 kicked out, didn’t c28c25e9ea you?”b58627494827bc45

“What?”647623b5214e9bc6

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“You said on the e7be4de0ce phone he offered to 7b41107abc pack your things if 9a6959cf47 you wanted to leave. Guess he’s over 7694d7fccc you.”226f1a154ae9c946

Hearing Leo 6ea7320aa3 hit the ba548ec214 nail on 53e116eec7 the head 4fed366e80 annoyed Ian 7a78771a3a even more 202df7fd66 than knowing 46312fe02e he’d eavesdropped.d0e7092c113efea3

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“No, he didn’t!”490a8e57983a4fa7

“Oh, really? He doesn’t 78caeaa5d0 seem to 2323969419 like you 180519522f that much. Just come back 60204ec37f to me. I’ll forgive 35eeb69f5c you for 4cd5079f54 sleeping with 84aa5f9326 someone else.”4e23ed183ae637b5

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“Back where? I don’t remember dating 26dfb3cbe6 you, so there’s nowhere e29cb7f807 to go back to.”2e1eb0ed41990746

Leo’s face fell 20c7e6fe0b at Ian’s deliberately 186d5b1c78 colder words, but 0b98d985fd he didn’t let e9f6b04baf up, adding fuel c2faeb218e to Ian’s irritation.8ea253df494b172a

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“You have nowhere d15dce286c else to go b1b399ea5f but here. Just call tomorrow 2ad6250ae2 and give him bdcf658e28 this address, tell 00eb893687 him to send 5607124b01 your stuff here.”dbf67253f117f752

“That’s not happening.”7ba3b30b80905a2b

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“The address bd690bed26 is 578 d4fc75b5f3 Elliott Street, 17294b0b81 Apartment 603.”7082be7dfbd8bab5

Bang!1ae7d02b56f78f65

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Before Ian could 080ee36f80 respond, Leo had 6a5beb18d5 shut himself in 9b60ebd65c his room again.9e5fa30e2fa71903

“That jerk, really!”dd529e2ee2730305

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Ian lifted his a77c3640f7 arm in frustration 974bec581e but immediately clutched 2164f6df02 his aching waist, e893018719 stifling a groan.e18384d4e4a98d8e

And so, the 6a5b4616c5 night dragged on 291c7fe13f into early morning.7f0707893e3bcc75

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