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"Mc, are you sure this is necessary? I am already feeling incredibly out of place and we have not even made it there yet." The tall hooded hacker grumbles. He drags his shoes against the cobblestone paths that pave the town of Duskwood. This pouty, reluctant behavior of his would be comical or even cute on most days.
However, you both were already 20 minutes late meeting the group at the Rainbow Cafe.
Jake had taken forever to get ready in the motel and then he trudged along purposely slow which resorted in you having to practically drag him. Regardless, It was just around the corner now, you were almost there.
"Jake, for the last time you are part of the group. You belong with them and me. And they want to meet you! Your sisters especially."
You try convincing him but his brow remains furrowed in a nervous way.
His beautiful blue eyes looked into yours, pleading. You let out an exaggerated sigh and turn to face him. He was wearing his black hoodie with the hood up, covering his freshly washed dark hair. He also decided on wearing a black face mask, claiming it to keep a low profile. Though on a warm day in Duskwood he more so stuck out like a sore thumb.
You reach your hands up and lower his mask down just enough to give him a quick but passionate kiss to his lips. His anxious look changed to one of adoration and his cheeks get subtly dusted pink. You smile slyly and stand on your tippy toes to whisper in his ear.
"You know, when we get done here..we could go back to the hotel.. maybe you could unzip some of my files?" You suggest flirtatiously.
His brow first furrows in confusion then raise as his eyes widen slightly. The blush on his face wasn't subtle any longer, and you couldn't help but laugh at his flustered reaction. He narrows his eyes at your smirking face and pulls his mask back up with a huff.
"Are you attempting to bribe me?" The dark haired man asks while crossing his arms.
"I don't know, did it work?"
He pauses and you could practically hear the gears turning in his head before he simply replies with a simple "..Yes."
"Great, let's go then." You grab his hand and pull him along, passing by the people of Duskwood. You could see the group in the distance, though they didnt seem to notice you two yet.
You approach closer to the Rainbow Cafe, the outside was beautifully decorated. Solid black tables and chairs were aligned symmetrically along with black pots of bright pink flowers. The group was sitting at one of the tables, seemingly chatting about who knows what.
Jake followed shyly behind you, keeping his head down. You squeeze his hand reassuringly. His anxiety almost made you second guess this meeting, but you believed it was in his best interest to connect with his sisters. Jessy, Dan, Thomas, Cleo; they also wanted to meet him, to thank him for everything he did to help Hannah.
You'd hoped he'd want to do it on his own accord but his lack of social skills made him put it all off. Infact, he was really only in Duskwood for you. As you move closer to the table they are at, you feel him tighten his grip on your hand, not enough to hurt of course. But he was clearly still nervous.
Finally, you reach them and they all turn to face you and Jake. You sat down in the empty seats side by side that they left for you both. You sit next to Jessy and Jake sits beside Dan and across from Lilly and Hannah. Instantly, all eyes are on the both of you. They all have excited and curious looks on their faces.
"Everyone, this is Jake." You say gesturing to him like a proud child showing off their science fair project.
"Hello." The hacker greets shyly and everyone responds with a different greeting in response. Except for Dan. He looks over to Jake next to him. One of his eyebrows raises in suspicion.
"Wait- you're really hacker boy? You look more like a bank robber with that mask" Dan says with an obvious undertone.
"Dan!" Jessy scolds from the end of the table. "Don't mind him Jake, we are very happy to meet you. I'd like to personally thank you for everything you did to help us find Hannah." She says and smiles at the masked man beside you.
"No need to thank me, Jessica. It was a group effort. If we are to thank anyone it should be Mc." Jake says.
"Yes. Mc, thank you so much." Hannah says suddenly from Infront of you. She extends her hand across the table and lays it on top of yours in a kind gesture. "I'm so glad I messaged Thomas your number, even if it was an accident."
~
Just as you hoped Lilly and Hannah start to talk to Jake about various topics. You heard Lilly say she wanted to compare facial features but Jake declined, insisting it was safer to keep his face mask on in public settings.
Hannah already knew what Jake looked like from video calls, though she didn't really pay attention to any similarities between her and him. She didn't think he was her brother back then after all.
Suddenly, a pretty blonde waitress in a cute uniform comes up to table with a little notebook in her clutches.
"Hi everyone, what can I get for you today?" She asked.
One by one they place their orders, most either picking coffee or tea and deserts.
"Mc, you should get the strawberry chocolate cake here, it's what their most famous for." Cleo recommends enthusiastically.
"Okay, I'll have one of those and a coffee." You say to the waitress.
"I'll have the same." Jessy adds.
"Okay so that's 4 coffees 3 chamomile teas, 3 strawberry chocolate cakes, 2 chocolate cakes and 1 blueberry muffin. And what would you like sir?"
The waitress asks Jake who hasn't said a word yet.
"..Nothing for me, thank you.." He answers.
"Alrighty! I'll bring you all your order shortly." The waitress smiles and closes her notebook, slipping it into her apron before she walks inside.
You turn to Jake beside you and nudge his foot with yours under the table, getting his attention.
"Are you sure you didn't want anything? You haven't eaten today." You ask him quietly.
You had a feeling he only declined because eating or drinking anything would require him to remove his mask.
He points to his mask discretely confirming your suspicion. Jake told you his pursuers were persistent and you had seen it first hand though the mask seemed to be a bit much.
"Hey, mc." Jessy says, twirling her fingers through her auburn hair. "I told you I'm planning on moving to Colville hopefully sometime in September. You should go apartment hunting with me one day."
"Oh yeah, for sure Jessy." You say smiling.
"Jessica, you're leaving Duskwood?"
Jake asks the woman curiously, an obvious attempt to socialize.
Her face contorts into one of annoyance at Jake's persistent refusal to call her 'Jessy'. She glances to you questioningly and you shrug your shoulders in response. You didn't know why he called her that either.
Jessy clears her throat before speaking.
"Yes I am. The thing with..Richy.... Y'know. I just need a break from Duskwood for awhile." She answers a bit sadly while looking down at the table and you rub her back comfortingly. Richy was still a very sore topic among the group.
The waitress returns with the beverages balanced on a silver platter. She hands out the steaming coffee mugs to most, only setting chamomile tea down in front of Lilly and Thomas.
"Here you go, your food will be out shortly, here is some sugar packets. I'll be right back with you." She placed many sugar packets in the center of the table but more so in front of you and returned inside once more.
Everyone sipped their drink, some grabbing sugar packets and others not. You thought it was fine as it was so you didn't take any. You turned to your right to face Jessy and Lilly who were discussing something Phil did recently when you suddenly felt a tap on your shoulder.
"Hey honey, pass me the goods." Dan says as he points to the sugar packets. You roll your eyes at his nickname for you but go to grab some for him.
Suddenly, Jake reaches for it first, making you retract your hand.
"I shall get it." Jake says coldly.
You watch as he slides a single packet of sugar from the pile and without looking, flicks it across the table. It slides until it collides with Dan's coffee mug perfectly. Lilly and Hannah snicker as Dan takes it anyway and rips it open, pouring sugar into his mug while shooting a glare at Jake.
"Damn hackerman, jealous much?" Dan grumbles as he stirs his coffee.
"If you call her 'honey' one more time Dan, I will put you back into that wheelchai-'
Before Jake could finish his sentence the waitress returned with the food. She perfectly balanced each desert skillfully in her hands."Sorry for the wait, here you go." She says as she places the most beautiful slice of cake you think you've ever seen in front of you. Jessy and Cleo also got the strawberry chocolate cake while Lilly and Hannah chose chocolate cake. Thomas being Thomas he ordered a muffin. Dan didn't really like cake so he didn't get any.
You took a bite of the cake. The flavor was amazing just as Cleo had suggested. You turn to Jake who looked more uncomfortable than ever, being the only one without anything. You smile at him and get another peice onto the fork though you don't eat it, instead holding it up to him.
"C'mon Jake, you gotta try this. It's really good." You say to him.
Jake shakes his head 'no' and points again to his mask but you give him your best puppy dog eyes. Jake sighs, he could never decline your wishes when you did that. He looks around the table at everyone occupied with their food, deciding it wouldn't be so bad if he did it quickly.
He pulls his face mask down, leaning towards you and wraps his lips around the fork, accepting the cake. He tosses his head back against his chair as he chews, enjoying the taste. You had been right, it was extremely good.
"Oh, he looks alot like dad, doesn't he?" Lilly says to Hannah who nods in agreement.
Jake swallows harshly, and leans his head back up, causing his hood to fall in the process. The cake was so damn good he forgot to pull his mask back up, now completely revealing his face to the group. With all eyes on him, Jake wished he could go offline in this very moment but you can't exactly do that in real life.
"Yeah I can see it now actually." Thomas says as he leans his head on Hannah's shoulder for a better angle. "That's for sure your dad's nose." He adds, staring at the hackers face.
"I can see it too. Hey, not half-bad, Mc."
Jessy adds patting your shoulder teasingly and Cleo nods in agreement. Dan just scoffs and rolls his eyes.
Jake was stunned into silence by all of the attention on him. He was torn, on one hand so many people seeing his face and knowing who he is was dangerous. If his pursuers found out and took drastic measures against them then he was positive most of them would break. Thomas would anyway. Yet on the other hand he genuinely felt accepted in this moment, like he belonged. Seeing you happy and joking with all of your friends and being united with his only family left, it was everything he could have wanted and more.
You looked at Jake as everyone continues to ogle him. You wondered why he hasn't pulled his mask back up yet, maybe he was going into a wholesome shock. Or a regular one, you couldn't tell. You took his hand into yours under the table, bringing him back into reality. He looks down and smiles sheepishly.
Jake takes a deep breath, deciding to let himself enjoy this moment fully just once. He knew the dangers but if he would never allow the eternal separation from you, then he couldn't hide from them forever either, not completely anyway. He takes off his mask, there was really no point in putting it back on now anyway. He puts it the front pocket of his hoodie, much to your surprise. He'd just have to hack into the Cafe's security cameras and delete the footage later when he had the chance.
~
Everyone continued to talk and joke. It wasn't actually as bad as Jake thought it would be. His anxiety eventually subdued and he felt more relaxed. He even enjoyed being in the group, despite Dan's sly remarks. He allowed you to feed him more cake, getting 'Awees' from his sisters in the process.
As morning turned to evening the group eventually parted ways, Jake felt relief wash over him as only you and him remained. You both got up and started the walk back to the hotel, holding hands along the way.