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Silas sat on his bed, his leg bouncing. He was nervous to say the least, his heart beating faster than their train was moving. He downed the last bit of his whiskey, hoping it would help soothe his anxiety. It wasn't that he felt particularly guilty about poisoning any of that food, but he had no way of guaranteeing whether or not Timothy would tell someone about it.
How he had ended up working with one of the men he was supposed to be exposing at a conference a couple of days later, he had no idea.
A knock on his door made him raise his head. He and Timothy had made up a specific pattern, so that they would always know it was the other, and Edith had a very distinct way of knocking he had already memorised by the end of his first day on the train. This wasn't either of them.
His gaze involuntarily darted towards the cupboards near the door, one of which was hiding a gun, fully loaded. Dear Lord, he needed to stop being so anxious.
Another knock sounded through the room, this time more insistent. Silas gritted his teeth, putting his glass down on the table as he stood up to open the door. These rich assholes had absolutely no patience.
He opened the door a fraction, only for Jan von Kruger to be standing in front of it. Perfect, he thought, the only person he hated on this train more than Timothy.
“Dr Saparata, hello,” Jan greeted, his tone strangely amicable, like he’d forgotten he was supposed to hate Silas.
“Mr von Kruger,” Silas replied, grimacing slightly, letting the man step inside the small room, “Can I help you?”
It wasn't that Silas wanted to help him, far from it, but he knew that working with Timothy would mean having to tolerate his brother as well, at least until they reached their destination.
“I’m looking for my brother… I assume he isn't here?” He asked, looking around.
“No,” Silas answered, eyeing him carefully.
Now, Silas was by no means an expert on alcohol and its effects, nor was he entirely sober himself, but watching the younger von Kruger, Silas could tell he had something (or multiple things) to drink.
“I saw Timothy near the end of the train earlier, would you like me to check if he’s still there?”
Jan raised an eyebrow, turning to face the door, though the action seemed unstable, like he would fall over any second, “I’ll check myself… Thank you.”
Curse Silas for being susceptible to second-hand embarrassment, because he just couldn't handle watching Jan practically stumble out of the door. He grabbed Jan by the shoulders, pulling him gently back in the room. He had to remind himself that he was doing all of this for the sake of exposing these guys, which would only be satisfying if they weren't dead from alcohol poisoning.
Jan looked up as he found himself back in the room he had just left, tilting his head in confusion, something that would’ve almost been endearing if it weren't for the scowl that appeared on his face a split second later.
Silas sighed, “Mr von Kruger, I’m not sure you're fit to be running around a moving train.”
“I’m not sure who you are to decide that, Professor.” The glare he received was nasty enough to make him drop the whole thing and let Jan be on his way. Unfortunately for him, he had a sneaking suspicion Timothy wouldn't be too happy if he let his brother walk around in this state.
“Alright, let's just sit down for now,” Silas said, carefully pushing Jan into the only chair in the room, grabbing a cup to fill it with water from the jug sitting on the table. “Here, drink this.”
The younger boy scoffed, but he took the water anyway, taking small sips of it. Despite Timothy having told him Jan’s tolerance was lower than average (well, actually, he had told him an anecdote about Jan getting so drunk from three drinks at a wedding that they had to be excused from the party, but the point still stood), Silas did feel a bit surprised seeing him in this state.
“Can I ask why you’re searching for Timothy?”
Silas didn't really expect an answer, but he supposed the alcohol was making Jan looser-lipped than usual, “He said he had some important information about a passenger onboard.”
“Ah.” Silas furrowed his eyebrows, looking down at the man sitting in front of him, “Did he happen to mention who?”
“Not you.” Jan smirked, and the sudden cockiness in his expression made Silas want to punch him. “Why? Are you hiding something, Professor?”
“Not anything that would concern you.” The lie rolled off his tongue easily, but it still left a rotten taste in his mouth.
Jan’s eyes lit up, clearly interested in what secrets a man like Silas would have, but the train lurched forward and he had to grab onto Silas’ arms to stop himself from being thrown off the chair. Silas took a small step back to steady them, exhaling as the train kept going at its usual pace.
A small groan left Jan’s mouth, causing Silas to frown, concern etched on his face, (Jesus, why did he actually care now?), “Are you alright?”
The other man nodded, but his grip on Silas tightened, his forehead still leaning against the professor’s torso.
“Are you sure?” He asked again, placing a hand under Jan’s chin to tilt his head up, wanting to make sure he was really okay.
His breath caught as Jan looked up at him through his lashes, a small, impish grin gracing his face after the split-second of surprise wore off, “Are you worried about me, Silas?”
The way he said his name…
Silas blinked back into reality, realising he had been staring at Jan for the past five seconds. “Uh- of course, why would I not be worried for a fellow passenger’s safety?”
Great save, he groaned internally, biting his lip.
Jan hummed in response, but he didn't move. Neither did Silas. Moving would’ve felt like admitting something, something he didn't particularly feel like admitting.
Their eyes met again. Silas wasn't sure which one of them leaned in first.
The kiss was rough, desperate, nothing like anything he had experienced before, but God, it felt so right. Jan tasted of alcohol, he was sure he did too. Jan stood up, more stable than he had been for the past couple of minutes, his hands coming to rest on the nape of Silas’ neck, sending a shiver down his spine. His hands moved on their own, wrapping around Jan’s waist, the kiss deepening.
Silas pulled away, breathing heavily. This was so wrong on so many levels. There were so many reasons this wasn't supposed to be happening. He could not be making out with the man he was going to expo-
He gasped when Jan kissed him again, his body fighting his brain about what to do.
“You’re drunk,” he frowned, pulling away again.
“So are you.” Jan responded, chasing his lips.
“Barely.” He muttered, kissing Jan back. “You think I’m suspicious.”
“You are suspicious.” Jan scoffed between kisses.
“Your brother is obsessed with me.” By this point Silas knew that listing reasons for why this was a bad idea wasn't going to change anything, but it gave him peace of mind.
“Yes, that irritates me endlessly.” Somehow they had ended up sitting on the bed, and Silas knew he was going to have dreams about Jan’s weight on top of him.
“We’re both men-”
“Do you ever stop thinking?” Jan snapped, pulling back. Despite the obvious annoyance on his face, he looked beautiful in the moonlight, resembling a figure from a renaissance painting Silas had spent hours studying as a student.
“That’s rich coming from you,” Silas snickered, “You’ve been watching everyone like they’re ready to murder you at any second since you got on this train.”
“I observe and analyse and am rightfully suspicious of everyone, you’re just paranoid.” Jan huffed, pressing an accusatory finger to the taller’s chest, leaning back in again, “Now, shut up.”
Timothy sighed as he made his way to his room.
He had tried to apologise to his brother for abandoning him at the bar despite being the one who asked to speak, but Jan hadn't been in his room. He supposed it was a good thing as he hadn't exactly made up an excuse to explain why he had disappeared for two hours.
The real reason was that he had spotted an opportunity that was sure to help him and Silas with their plan, but he still hadn't told Jan about it, not wanting to put him in unnecessary danger. Though, knowing his younger brother, he probably suspected that something was happening and would eventually interrogate Timothy anyway.
Finally, he got to his room, ready to lie down next to Silas (as Edith had refused Silas’ proposal of them switching who sleeps alone every night). However, upon entering, he was met with a sight he certainly hadn't expected. Silas, comfortably asleep, a hand wrapped around his brother’s waist, pulling him closer even in their sleep.
He chuckled quietly, rolling his eyes. So this was how Jan would get back at him for constantly talking about Silas. Well, he supposed he would just have to find a place to sleep for tonight. And then make fun of his brother in the morning for drunkenly flirting with someone he claimed to hate.