To Tell the Truth [Closed]

[Jacob Lawrence]

The steering wheel felt remarkably cold under Jake’s hands, even though the heat in the car was turned up to max. Large, fluffy snowflakes fell on the windshield as he stopped at the end of the driveway, sitting in silence as he looked over his shoulder at the compound that was once his home. He cast a glance over at Levi, sitting in the passenger seat with Buccaneer on his lap, then in the rearview mirror at Ein and Beta in the backseat. They were remarkably silent, likely able to sense the melancholy that hung in the air.

Jake drew in a heavy breath before silently saying his goodbyes to the man who had meant so much to him and done so much for him. “I’m sorry, Levi.” He breathed as he finally pulled out of the driveway onto the road, looking straight ahead. There was so much more that he wanted to say, but the words died in his mouth.

He was hardly focusing as he drove the familiar roads to the institute, finally biting the bullet and pulling his phone out of his pocket. If anyone would be able to take care of Levi, it would be Morgan. The call went through after a couple rings and Jake had a hard time finding his voice again. Once he did, he muttered out “Morgan? I need you to meet me at Hammel. It’s… it’s an emergency.” This wasn’t a situation he wanted to explain over the phone, so he kept it brief.

After ending the call, he looked at Levi. “It won’t be safe for you at the compound anymore. Not with the twins taking over.” Jake truly doubted that MSAD would last long without Gabe’s leadership, but that was far down the list of his concerns at the moment. First was ensuring the safety of the two people he cared about the most.

Pulling up to the institute, Jake parked the car in the rather desolate parking lot. “And I promise, you’ll be safe here.” He looked up at the main building of the school and sighed. As much as he would have preferred bringing Levi with him, he had to think about what was best for the boy in the long run.

[Levi Xu]

No one had given Levi a choice. Once Jake had decided that he was going to go away with him, no one questioned it and just let him run to his room and stuff as many of his things as he could into his backpack, then gather up Buccaneer's stuff as well.

He barely had time, in the rush, to find a black ribbon in with some things Fifi had left in the bathroom. Trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill again, he ripped it and pinned it to his coat, above his heart.

They had to go; they couldn't stay for the funeral. But Levi was going to pray for Gabriel anyway.

He was pretty sure no one else would.

Buccaneer didn't like car rides. That was what Levi tried to focus on as he cuddled the whimpering dog on his lap. Cars meant the vet to the dog, and honestly, Levi didn't know what they meant to him. "Why are they doing this?" His voice was low, probably too mumbled for his friend to hear. Paulo kicked Jake out and no one stood up for him. No one. Weren't they supposed to be a family? Isn't that what Mr. Underwood wanted?

But they kicked Jake out, and no one said anything when Levi went too. They hated Jake, and they just didn't care about him. Through his own sniffles, he managed to hear Jake's phone call and the comments after. "Where are we going? Back to my family?" They would be happy to see him again, and would probably even take Jake in, even though he was a meta. His family were good people, for humans.

It wasn't until they reached the parking lot that he really understood what was happening. "Wait, I'll be safe? I'm not staying with you? Where are we?"

And where was safe from the twins? They were fast, deadly, and the only people who scared him more than them was Jahel and whoever it was who had killed Mr. Underwood, because he'd had to have gone through them to get there.

[Jacob Lawrence]

It was the eerie silence that made the noises from both boy and dog sound so sharp in Jake’s ears. He bit down on the inside of his cheek, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. “No, but you’ll be able to see them again soon.” It would have been out of their way to track Levi down to his parents again and he doubted the remaining members of MSAD would do so. Levi wasn’t exactly favored around the compound. He likely would have been safe there, but at the same time Levi would be giving up the opportunity to train if he went back home.

Unbuckling, Jake turned in the car seat to face Levi, reaching out to run his hand over Buccaneer’s head. “I think you know by now, but that wasn’t a school. We lied to you.” He brushed his fingers over Levi’s cheek, feeling the dampness lingering from his tears. “I know it’s probably hard to understand right now, but those are very dangerous people. Gabe… he wasn’t exactly a good guy.” Jake winced, it almost hurt to say his name.

“This is where I used to go to school when I was your age. This was where I met him for the first time. No matter what anyone else back at the house said, this is a good place.” A weak smile formed on his face. It was true that he had many fond memories from Hammel and he’d been so excited when he got to leave his home for the first time. It was bittersweet now, he’d be leaving Levi in the care of the school. He’d be driving off to stay out of the twin’s radar, at least until they moved on or fell apart.

Beta released a low whine from the backseat and Jake weakened a bit. He would have collected the other dogs if there had been time, if the situation had been different, but he was lucky to get the dane and the hound to cooperate enough to herd them into the car. “I can’t bring you with me. They might come after me and I… I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Levi was just a kid, he had so much more ahead of him than what Jake could offer, than what MSAD would have turned him into.

“There’s someone I want you to meet. He’s… He’ll take care of you.” It was a no-brainer that Morgan was a genius when it came to kids. His nerves were on edge, thoughts of how Morgan would take this news zipping through his head at light speed.

[Morgan Tonaya]

It’s an emergency

Morgan had had just about enough of emergencies. The word emergency was being thrown around Hammel like a birdie in a badminton match these days. A security emergency. A family emergency. Emergency this, emergency that. Not that Morgan doubted there were emergencies, what with attacks going around and rumors of worse things. Hospital stays…

Shivering, Morgan grimaced. None of that mattered to him more than whatever was ailing Jake. He’d been distant recently, and while Morgan had known something was wrong, he couldn’t get a hold of the other man to figure out what was going on or if he could even help. If he could help know, then by god he was going to do it. He noticed Jake’s car in the parking lot and scurried out of his own to lean against the window.

“Jake?” came Morgan’s uncertain, muffled voice from outside the window. There was a child and three dogs inside, in addition to the man Morgan was in love with. What the hell was going on? Morgan’s hesitant eyes darted from the boy to Jake, a questioning look written on his face.

[Levi Xu]

"I...I know it wasn't a school." Levi mumbled. He'd figured that out a while ago. The boy turned his face away from Jake's hand; he wasn't one of the dogs. A soothing pat wouldn't make everything better. "I know he wasn't great. But he wanted to do good things. The methods weren't always good but he was good." Levi sniffled again, "How can you say that? He's dead."

The parking lot was pretty dark, but Levi could see the buildings clearly. there were even lights on in most of the windows of one. A school? A real school for metas? Months ago that would have been perfect, but not when Jake was abandoning him."You can! You can bring me with you!" Levi insisted. It had been months since he'd come to the compound; it was home. And if it wasn't safe any more, then he was safest with the one person he trusted the most. "Nothing will happen to me. I know how to shoot. Jahel and Reese taught me." Maybe he wasn't an expert marksman, but he could fire a weapon without hurting himself. He could learn. He wouldn't be in the way. Maybe he could even do what Mr. Underwood had been training him for. "I could help you. Mr. Underwood said I have a trustworthy face. I could be useful." He didn't remove his seatbelt, as if clinging to that and the dog in his lap could anchor him into the car.

"Is it your....boyfriend?" Levi blushed as he asked, worried that the answers would be yes. Worried that the anger at the compound was justified. "Is it the guy Paulo was talking about?"

"Can we just go?" He still didn't know how his power worked, but what he picked up on was a wall of sadness. "I don't like him. I don't want to stay here."

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jake clenched his teeth as Levi repeated what he already knew. Gabriel was dead. This time, there was no going back. “I know, Levi. I loved him, even if he does… did… awful things.” It might have been easier if things were black and white, good and bad, right and wrong, but there were always the ambiguous grey areas. Areas where a lot of Gabe’s decisions and actions fell into. “I don’t know what he told you, but it wasn’t the entire truth.”

“Someday I’ll be able to tell you everything, Levi, and I promise you I will come back, but this is the best place for you now.” It was difficult to tell the boy that he was leaving him behind. Jake had betrayed a lot of people in his lifetime, and it had never hurt more than when he’d done it to the people that he loved. While Gabe seemed to show no remorse over his actions, there had always been a part of Jacob that had regretted the terrible things he had said and done. It was even harder to try and justify this decision when Levi was looking at him like that. “Besides, what would your parents think of you running off with a criminal?” Jake was quite skilled at hiding behind his smile, but this time it was different, and he couldn’t even force one onto his face.

He saw the movement out of the corner of his eye, breathing a sigh of relief when he realized it was Morgan and not one of the more violent members of the organization. “He’s… yes.” Jake answered, skipping the overcomplicated explanation. Levi already had enough things on his plate to worry about. “But he doesn’t know about Gabe. Not yet.” If there was ever a time to come clean, this was it. He couldn’t leave them both hanging while he just drove off.

He looked at Morgan and then unlocked the door, pulling the handle and waiting for the other man to move so he could open the door. Even if everything was falling apart around him, Jake couldn’t stop himself from being happy to see him. Stepping out of the car, he lifted his hands to Morgan’s cheeks, cupping his face. “Morgan, I’m glad you came.” In a way he was seeking comfort, he wanted to be told that everything was going to be okay, and Morgan offered the biggest sense of comfort that Jake had felt in a long time. “There’s a lot I need to tell you. Both of you.” He looked over his shoulder at Levi. “Just… hear me out, okay?” But the wind was biting and Jake was still paranoid that someone might have followed him. “Let’s… go inside?”

[Morgan Tonaya]

Morgan leaned out of the way and sighed in relief when Jake exited the car. It was good to just see him in one piece. At least whatever emergency was going on didn’t have to do directly with his health and well-being. It was a start. He leaned into one of Jake’s hands, closing his eyes and kissing the other man’s wrist. “Of course I came. You scared the crap outta me.” He opened his eyes, peering intensely into Jakes. “Are you in trouble Jake?” He asked, his voice small and frightened.

The way Jake was acting-- looking of his shoulder, speaking a little too fast-- it wasn’t right. Morgan bit his lip. Hear him out? What the hell was that supposed to mean? “Of course I will…” He assured him, though he did cast his gaze to the ground. “I…I’m not sure I’m allowed to just let you inside.” Morgan’s eyes darted to the boy in the front seat. A kid. He looked so young.

Morgan turned his head, forcing himself to leave Jake’s grasp to look up at the school. If there was a kid involved…well inside was the best idea. He looked back to Jake and managed a smile. “But…I guess its better safe than sorry. Lets go in.” He took Jake’s hand and squeezed it, leaning in so the kid couldn’t hear. “Whatever it is, Jake…I love you.”

[Levi Xu]

"I know he didn't tell me everything, but he told me what I have to know, and he kept telling me more. I understand why you lied. It's okay. I can handle it." Levi was trying to act like an adult, to convince Jake he should be allowed to stay. "My mom's dead, Jake, and I think my dad trusts me to make my own decisions. You're not funny, but I want to stay with you anyway."

Levi climbed out of the car, Buccaneer still in his arms, and hauled out the small duffel bag that held the stuff he'd managed to stuff in there in the short time Jake had allowed him. They'd been in a rush to get out, and then get Beta, Ein, and Buccaneer....and then come here. Here, which Levi couldn't even identify and yet he was going to have to stay.

Unless he could convince the guy that they couldn't be trusted. Jake wouldn't abandon him if he didn't have anywhere to go. "You shouldn't let us in," Levi said, addressing the blond man for the first time as he slammed the car door. "We're dangerous. You don't know what I know about you, and you don't know what he's done."

If he didn't know about Gabriel, then he didn't know about M.S.A.D. and he couldn't possibly understand. He'd judge them, and wouldn't take Levi, and then Jake would have to take him along.

[Jacob Lawrence]

He knew that Levi was trying to convince him to let him stay, but Jake’s mind was already made up. As much as it hurt him to leave the boy behind (he had come to think of Levi as the little brother he’d never had), it was just one of those things that he needed to do. He could only hope that Levi would eventually realize that Jake only had his best interests in mind and that Hammel really wasn’t so bad.

Morgan’s presence was enough to settle Jake’s racing thoughts, even if only for a few moments. “You could say that, yeah.” Trouble? Well, that might have been an understatement, but it was a much longer story than Jake could ever hope to summarize with one word. It was reassuring, however, to know that Morgan was willing to be there for him during one of his darkest moments. But he wasn’t sure how long it would last once the truth started coming out.

When he heard those three words, he was finally able to smile. It didn’t take over his entire face as his smiles usually did, but the fact that it was there spoke volumes. “I love you too, Morgan. No matter what happens or what anyone says, I love you.” He felt the need to clarify this, to make sure MOrgan knew exactly how he felt before he started admitting his lies. He gave the man’s hand a gentle squeeze, threading their fingers together when the sound of the car door opening caught his attention.

Jake hung his head at the boy’s words, sighing. “Levi, please…” He desperately wanted to make the boy understand, but he was at a loss when it came to how. “Morgan is… a wonderful man. I wish you could have met him sooner than this.” Of course it couldn’t have happened, it would have made things even more complicated to hide around the compound. With Morgan’s hand still held in his own, he walked around the front of the car to meet Levi. “And Morgan, this is Levi. He’s, uh, been living with me for a while.” It was an uncomfortably awkward introduction, but at least it was better than nothing.

[Morgan Tonaya]

Morgan blinked down at Levi, looking sincerely concerned. Dangerous? This kid? Morgan could hardly believe the kid was anything but just plain adorable. He had a puppy for god’s sakes! But he’d slammed the car door pretty hard, and he wasn’t looking too pleased with being here. It was the kind of thing that made Morgan’s stomach sink. He looked slowly back to Jake. “I see. Well…if you’re as dangerous as you say, I’ll have to let you in.” Morgan addressed Levi without looking at Jake.

You don’t know what he’s done

What did that mean.

“It’s safer inside, after all.” Morgan finished, turning and heading in the doors, holding them open for Jake and Levi.

When they were inside, Morgan leaned over the desk and gave the receptionist the most winning smile he could manage, asking her to leave them for a bit and that this was a delicate situation. Despite rules, she scurried away. Morgan, still leaning against the desk, extended his hand to Levi. “Hi Levi, good to meet you.” He murmured, this time looking at Jake.

“Living with you? Jake what on earth is going on?”

Morgan wondered why he’d never been to Jake’s house. Met his parents. Friends or family. Except for that Oscar fellow and now Levi, Morgan didn’t know anyone connected to Jake. What on earth? Lines of worry and doubt creased his face, but what was worse was the worm of terror wriggling in his stomach. Something terrible was happening.

[Levi Xu]

Levi followed behind the two men, into the school he really, really did not to attend. "Jake, don't make me stay here." It hurt to see Jake shaking his head like that, knowing that he was the one disappointing him. He hugged Buccaneer close to his chest and held him there as they entered the building, and the very normal-looking main office. Hell, it could have been the main office of his old school.

He didn't return Morgan's greeting.

The boy did, however, shoot Jake a glare when he summed up their relationship as "living together." That was true, but just in the most technical of terms. They were part of a team...and okay, it was probably best for people not to know that they were dangerous, or that the twins were going to be killing whoever was involved in Mr. Underwood's death. But maybe, once Jake told Morgan about who they were, what they've done, then maybe he wouldn't accept him here. Jake would have to take him with him. He wouldn't leave him somewhere he didn't think was safe. "Tell him, Jake. Tell him what we do." And he turned and looked up at Morgan, wearing the smirk he mimicked from Jesse. "Tell him who's looking for us."

[Jacob Lawrence]

Even though Jake had known that this would be difficult, he was hardly able to prepare himself for just how hard it really was. Fixed with Levi’s pleading stare, Morgan’s desperate confusion, and the death of Gabriel still fresh on his mind, Jake could feel his control of his emotions slipping. He knew that his composure wouldn’t hold up in the face of everything that he had to deal with.

He settled in a chair that sat against the wall and rested his forehead in his hand, taking a few deep breaths as he began to put the words together in his mind. This was it, everything that he had worked so hard to protect was now crumbling right in front of him. “The man who attacked James Campbell was Gabriel Underwood, my boss.” There was no sugar coating it, this time Jake was going to be completely honest. “He stole a list of possible students and that was how we found Levi. He, Gabriel, brought him here and we trained him. Not to use his power, but… to work for us. Someday.”

“We--They were called MSAD. Meta Supremacy and Domination. It wasn’t campaigning towards equality, it was putting meta-humans on top… by any means necessary.” Even as he said those words, he hated them. What he had once been so proud of, he was now ashamed of.

So many things had changed since Morgan had come into his life, most drastically being his morals and his values. Meeting Morgan and, more importantly, falling in love with him had shown Jake that he didn’t need all of Gabriel’s glitz and danger to make him happy. He could have had a normal life, a normal job, he could have had someone as wonderful and as loving as Morgan all along.

“But he’s dead now. Someone killed Gabriel and I don’t know who it was, but they know about us now. He used Paulo and Penny to spy on me just so he could find out about you, Morgan.” That was the part that terrified him the most, that they would go after Morgan even though he had nothing to do with Gabe’s murder. “I don’t know what they’re going to do now, but I know if I had stayed, Reese would have killed me. And Levi…” He rose from the chair and walked over to the boy. “You know they’re dangerous, but you’ll be safe here. No one at Hammel would ever let anyone hurt you, okay? That’s why you have to stay here, because they can protect you better than I can.” His eyes met Levi’s and he was sincere as he said, “I’m sorry.”

His voice was shaking now and his mouth was dry, but there was still so much more that he wanted to say. He reached out and took Morgan’s hand, though his grip was loose. “I never wanted to lie to you. I never wanted to pull you into all of this. I was being stupid and selfish and now I don’t know how I’m going to fix it, but I love you, Morgan.” Above everything else he wanted Morgan to know that what was between them wasn’t a lie. He always told as much of the truth as he could when he was with the other man and it was important to him that Morgan knew this.

[Morgan Tonaya]

Morgan’s stomach crawled at the look on Levi’s face. He had only known Jesse briefly, and as the ‘problem student.’ His recent disappearance in light of everything else that was going on really did make him assume the worst. The fact that Levi could have donned a blonde wig and been his doppelganger at this point was even more unsettling. “Looking for you?” Morgan parroted quietly, his voice tight as his throat dried out. Hugging himself around the waist, Morgan waited for Jake to get up the words to speak.

When he finally did, Morgan’s stomach fell to his knees. He paled considerably, wobbling in his standing position and collapsing to sit on the desk. His faced looked grey, ashen. Morgan had been at the security briefing after James had been attacked. He’d seen the aftermath. They’d been warned to protect those they loved.

“I called you…” Morgan choked, swallowing hard. Right after they’d been warned, he’d called Jake to make sure he was safe. To tell him to be careful. “And you were involved with the attackers?” Morgan was slowly growing into hysterics. Even though Jake had corrected himself, Morgan caught the slip. “We? Jake! You’re telling me you were part of a terrorist organization?” He accused, squeezing his eyes shut.

His mother had told him that usually squeezing shut your eyes in a dream would make you wake up. Morgan just wanted to wake up. He wanted to wake up and open his eyes and see a bleary eyed Jake staring back at him. Not this man he barely knew. Kidnapper. Accessory to assault. Supremacist.

Morgan kept his eyes closed, his hands shaking in his shock. He was trying to keep down the bile roiling in his stomach. When Jake was finished talking with Levi, Morgan opened his eyes. He side-stepped when Jake approached him, turning a shoulder to the other man. Jake took his hand anyway and Morgan pulled it away, turning abruptly to face Jake. Tears finally stung in his eyes, making them shine behind his lashes.

He spoke in a tight whisper. “Jake…It doesn’t matter what you wanted. It matters what you did. I can’t---I don’t even---“ Morgan took in a long, shaking breath. “I love and I will always love Jacob Lawrence.” He looked into Jake’s eyes, the gaze sharp, accusing, and pained beyond what Morgan had ever felt.

He just wanted to wake up.

“But I don’t know who you are.”

[Levi Xu]

As Jake spoke, Levi pulled Buccaneer up higher, burying his face in the puppy's soft fur and trying not to cry. It had been six months of training at the compound, and every step of the way they had drilled it into his head, their absolute need for secrecy. They were living in secret, and the boy was pretty sure that they weren't all in the country legally. Plus they were metas, and so they were already under suspicion...it just wasn't fair. How come he wasn't allowed to tell Evan or Zac about them....

"We aren't fucking terrorists!" How could Jake let this guy say things like that. They weren't terrorists. They weren't.

"Jake, Jake let's just go." Levi whined. Surely, there was no way that his friend was going to leave him at this "school" now. Not when this Morgan--The Morgan--was calling them terrorists. Attackers. Things that made them sound like monsters.

He's anti-meta, Levi thought, as Buccaneer started to whimper from being hugged too tightly. He's anti-meta and he's going to turn us in to the police because we're fighting for equal treatment."

But hearing the last part Morgan said to Jake was too much. Despite everything, he was claiming that he loved Jake? That was just evil. What was he trying to do, break the man's heart. "He is Jake. And if you don't understand that then you don't know him." Finally, Levi felt like he was understanding what was happening. Jake would only consider leaving him here if he trusted the people. And there was no way he was going to trust Morgan now. Not after this. He took the hand his friend had offered the blond man, and gently tugged on it. They didn't know how long the burial would take, and Reese and Lala would be coming after them soon enough. They knew too much to just be allowed to leave.

(Though Levi was practical. He figured the twins would trust Jake not to tell since anything he said would incriminate him as well. But Levi was younger, and would certainly not be charged with anything since he was apparently kidnapped. (Yeah, that was slowly sinking in for him.) So he was still a threat. Or maybe he was a threat for the first time, now.)

"Come on." Levi said, encouraging as he could force himself to be. "He said it. There's your closure. Now let's get out of here before they put him in danger, okay?" Levi was going to play as many sides of this card as he needed. There was no way he was staying here.

[Jacob Lawrence]

The guilt that weighed on his chest didn’t budge, even as he confessed. He was foolish to think that this would change things for the better, but a part of him had remained hopeful. Morgan had every right to hate him for what he’d done, but Jake had still entertained the idea that he’d be forgiven.

When he saw the tears pooling in Morgan’s eyes, his jaw clenched. It was his fault that Morgan was hurting, his fault he was crying, and it crushed him to know that. As much as he wanted to say something that would make Morgan understand why he had to do the things that he done, he knew words wouldn’t be sufficient enough to explain his behavior. Even more than that, he didn’t want to lose Morgan… but it was too late.

Jake’s eyes burned as Levi tried to defend him. He curled his fingers around the boy’s hand, fighting back the quiver that threatened to make its way into his voice. “It was real, Morgan. I can’t… and I won’t defend what they did, or what I did, but when I was with you, it was real.” He hung his head, unable to bear the hurt in Morgan’s eyes.

And Levi, young, misled Levi, was begging him not to leave. Levi, who shouldn’t have been a part of this at all and who would have been better off never knowing Gabriel, Jacob, or MSAD at all, wanted to stay at his side. But this, Hammel, was where he should have started all those months ago.

“I know you don’t owe me anything, Morgan, but please make sure Levi is safe. And please, stay away from them.” Jake might have looked weary and downtrodden, but if he had one last goal to fight for, it would be the safety of Morgan and Levi.

“Trust me, Levi, you don’t want to come with me. It isn’t going to be pretty.” He understood Levi’s reluctance to stay, but Jake’s mind was made up and for once, he knew this was the right decision and he was going to stand behind it. “They’ll never get to you here, I promise.”