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1792 Words
Jaxon stared into the abyss of darkness as he sat beside Markus in the back seat of the car. Trace and Lukas were in the front, their confusion over his choice of spots evident, but Markus told them not to ask any questions until his boyfriend decided to speak for himself.
Swallowing, Jaxon pulled his backpack up from the floor and sighed. Opening the door, he silently got out and motioned for the others to follow him. Markus, knowing how much pain this place caused him, made sure to stay as close as possible. Reaching into his bag as the small cross came into view, Jaxon smiled tearfully.
“I’ve held this pain in for ages, letting it control my emotions as I grew, all because I didn’t know how to deal with it. I didn’t want people to know that something was wrong with me, so I sealed away my pain, my heartache, and pushed onward with each new day,” Jaxon said, speaking for the first time since he asked Trace to drive them to the spot.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Lukas asked softly. He understood what was going on, but he also knew that Jaxon tended to avoid pain.
Trace raised a brow, his confusion growing by the minute. Dropping to a crouch, he inspected the writing on the cross. “Yi Han-Gyeol and Bae Eun Ae; Gone, but never forgotten?”
Understanding lit his eyes and he twisted his head to the teen next to him as Jaxon laid chrysanthemums. His eyes wide, he thought of every time the sound of anything crashing would set the teen off. “Your parents?”
“Yeah,” Jaxon said in a whisper. Touching his lips, then the plaque with the names on it with his fingertips, he smiled sadly. “This place is the same spot where, two years ago, Markus and I had our first fight. At the time, he didn’t know what was wrong with me, and I didn’t know how to put it into words. Now, I’m at peace with their passing. I’ve been seeing an online therapist who helps people cope with loss and grief, and it’s gotten me to the point where I can finally be around this area as well as visit their actual graves.”
Touching his face, Markus brushed the tears from his cheeks. Sniffling, he smiled, “Twelve years ago, on his birthday no less, Jaxon’s parents lost their lives. Four years later, he was hand-picked by Skylar and adopted by David.”
“That’s a long time to hold onto that kind of pain, Jax,” Trace murmured. “Are you okay?”
Smiling, Jaxon nodded as he stood up. “I’m perfectly fine. There’s no incident report that I could access, so I’m still digging around to find out how it happened. That said, Dad never did hide their burial ground from me. It turned out that my parents were practicing Buddhists as well as anti-big pharma activists. I only found out because I scoured the web and the dark web for anything I could find on them. There were pictures of them at rallies and protests, so I sort of got to know them posthumously.”
Taking his boyfriend’s hand, Markus grinned. “Are we done?”
“Yeah, but I made reservations at the restaurant,” Jaxon replied, pointing to the building across the parking lot.
Once inside, they were ushered to a table and handed their menus. Laughing at a joke Lukas made, Jaxon shook his head. Though the first few times had been rough, he was finally rid of at least one thing his anxiety could use against him. Sipping his water while they waited for their food, he felt Markus’s hand slide up his thigh. Grabbing it, he bowed his head as a blush crept across his tan cheeks.
“So, Jax, which parent did you get your looks from?” Trace asked as the food was set in front of them.
“My father, Han,” the teen said calmly and confidently. He pulled up a picture of his parents on his phone and handed it to Trace, smiling.
Nodding, Trace accepted the device. “Oh wow. So, this is your mom and dad?”
“Yeah.”
Cutting his steak into strips, Markus reached over to do the same for Jaxon. However, the stony look in his father’s eyes made him backtrack. “They’re a cute couple who made an adorably handsome guy that ended up becoming my boyfriend. I kind of wonder what they would say if they were here now.”
“I don’t imagine it would be a bad experience,” Trace commented. He smiled as Lukas poked at his best friend. “Don’t you two start.”
Laughing, Lukas shook his head. “I was only going to say that it was fun learning more about where his dad was from and what his name means. I legit was ROTFL when we searched up all the information.”
“Oh, look,” Jaxon said mockingly. “It’s Mr. I-Can’t-Keep-My-Mouth-Shut speaking up again. Don’t make me drag your ass outside, Lukie.”
Snickering, Markus put his hand between them. “Fight!”
“That,” Jaxon started.
“Was lame,” Luke finished.
Acting like they hurt him, Mark fake cried for a few seconds. “Screw you!”
“I would, but we’re in public,” Jaxon said without missing a beat. Looking at Trace, he said, “Would you like me to translate the acronym?”
Chuckling, Trace leaned back in his seat. "Naw. I’m not your father. I grew up in the generation that created those acronyms to escape the wrath of parents. I know that it means he was rolling on the floor laughing. So, what did you find out about yourself through research?”
Happy that the man seemed genuinely interested, Jaxon grinned. “Only if we can order dessert.”
“You drive a hard bargain, kid. Yeah, you guys can grab a dessert,” Trace chuckled, rolling his eyes.
Preening, Jaxon sat a little straighter. “Well, what I found out was about my original name, Yi Ji-hoon. Yi, or Lee, as most people use, is actually a high-end name in South Korea. In fact, it was the family name of a major time frame called the Joseon Dynasty. Translated, the family name means the same as it would in China: plum tree. My first name, Ji-hoon, was what had Luke in stitches. It literally means wisdom or intellect. The place my father hailed from before moving to Canada and marrying my mom is actually known for its amazing advances in high-tech industries like information technology and bio-engineering.”
The table fell silent.
Slowly chewing his food, Trace set down his fork. “Are you kidding me? Your name means intellect, and you’re a tech genius? What’s going on with the Fates? Are they trying to play a prank?”
“You have to admit that it’s funny as all get out, Dad,” Lukas laughed. Finishing his food, he downed the rest of his water. Signaling to the waitstaff, he grinned as he ordered a round of chocolate mousse. Looking at his best friend, he said, “Tell him the name of the city, Jax.”
Catching onto the hint, Jaxon laughed. He grabbed Markus’s hand, running his thumb over the roughened skin. “The city where my father was born and raised was, and still is, Incheon. Within that city are several smaller districts, one of which is a Free Economic Zone called Songdo International City.”
“Oh, wow,” Trace breathed. “That’s basically a city set up specifically to bring in foreign investments. What kind of business does your family have there?”
“I haven’t gotten that far yet, but I’m hopeful I can go meet them in the next few years. I want to get through university and my training first,” Jaxon replied.
Eagerly digging into the dessert that was placed in front of him, Lukas grinned. “Mmmm, chocolate. Hey, Mark?”
“What?”
“What’s it like to lose your virginity?” Luke questioned, egging his brother on.
Turning red up to his ears, Mark silently reached over and slammed Luke’s face into his plate. With his father holding in his laughter and his boyfriend trying his hardest not to get in the middle, he smirked as Lukas gasped. “Why don’t you ask your hand, little brother?”
Unbothered, Lukas grabbed his napkin. Getting to his feet, he went to the counter and ordered two more desserts. Coming back to the table with them, he set one down before moving to his brother. Grinning, he slammed the plate into Mark’s face, making sure to rub it in.
Losing their battle, Trace and Jaxon broke into riotous laughter. Trace shook his head, “This is what happens when I raise my boys to get even rather than get mad.”
“Not the first time they’ve fought over food, and it won’t be the last. So, Trace, got any more new projects for me and Luke to do?” Jaxon asked.
The man shook his head. “No. It’s been really quiet recently, so there hasn’t been much need for it. Now, there’s something else I wanted to talk to my boys about. See, someone called the house the other day, and I felt it necessary to get the facts before I made any kind of move.”
Markus scowled. “Wait, why is it relevant that Jaxon is here for that?”
“Because it involves him. That said, your mother has reached out for the first time in ten years,” Trace told them.
Lukas paled. “What did she want?”
“To let me know that she’s hired an investigator to check on ‘her boys,’” their father stated.
“Why would they be any of her business after she walked out on them?” Jaxon asked.
“This is why I wanted to bring it up in front of Jax,” Trace said. “His ability to slice straight through to uncover the facts and keep others grounded at the same time was needed by you, Mark. That said, now is the time to provide your input.”
Lukas scoffed. “Let her eat a bag of d***s. I don’t want her around.”
“I believed for far too long that she was right, and it nearly killed me. I don’t want her in my life either. I’m still getting over the trauma,” Mark told his father.
- Writer
