Confessions

Posted on Mon Jun 22nd, 2020 @ 12:17am by Jacob Lara & Tristan

Mission: Fortune & Glory
Location: Just outside Fortune's Echo
Timeline: Just after Landfall

Jacob had led Tristan off the ramp, pulling him to the side of the Fortune's Echo. He turned to Tristan with a wary, shy smile. "Thank you for agreeing to talk to me..." he said, feeling himself blush in discomfort.

Tristan played with the edge of his shirt. "Of course," he said, not really looking up at the man.

"I've been trying to talk to you for days, but it never seemed to really happen the way I envisioned it. You'd either avoid me, or I wouldn't have the courage..." he said, finally just looking Tristan directly in the face so he could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"I thought it would be better if I stayed away..." Tristan said.

Alison had been right. He'd fully taken advantage of Tristan, and now it was pretty clear he agreed and had been afraid to be anywhere near him. Folding his hands in his lap Jacob struggled to come up with something to say. "I'm so sorry I hurt you... I didn't mean to. I've been wanting to apologize since the day I realized what I'd done..." he admitted, eyes still locked on his hands where they sat in his lap.

"Stop." Tristan looked at Jacob with frustration. "You didn't do anything wrong, I did. I've been staying away because I realized that all I've done since coming aboard is cause you problems with your friends, and that was wrong of me. And I knew Hera was my stop, I'm not coming back to the ship. So why make it worse?"

Jacob wasn't even sure how to respond. Suddenly he was completely confused, and it felt like a rug had been yanked out from under him. "Wait, what?" he asked, scrunching up his face in confusion.

"Captain Alden was so upset with you, even after I tried to explain that you didn't hurt me at all. He seemed to think that you were at fault when..." Tristan sighed. "When I'm the one who took advantage of you. So I figured that since I wouldn't be around for much longer, it would just be better to stay away."

"Took advantage of me? How the hell did you..." Jacob said, and then stopped, taking a deep breath. "I'm the one that took advantage of you. You were vulnerable, and even if it wasn't intentional, I let myself fall into that vulnerability and went a lot further than I should have. You didn't do anything wrong, Tristan. I should never have allowed what happened to happen until I was thinking clearly and not just letting my body take over..."

"But I loved it," Tristan said, looking into the man's bright eyes. "I've...never done that with anyone else before. And I wanted to. You didn't take advantage of me at all."

Jacob blushed a bit at the other man's words and then shook his head. "I guess it's all just been one huge misunderstanding then.." he said, with a light chuckle. "And now you are leaving, and I'll never even see you again," he added with a sad look on his face.

"I-" Tristan stopped, biting his lip to stop himself. "I'm sorry. But, this was always the plan. I snuck aboard and I have to get off here."

Jacob looked up, and smiled, bringing his right hand up to brush the back of his knuckles along Tristan's cheek. "You never have to apologize to me," he said, and then turned and walked away.

"Jacob?" Tristan called out as the man walked away. He stood there, his feet unable to move, though he wanted to run after him. But what was the point? He was leaving and there wasn't anything more for them to say to each other. So he wiped away a tear, the last he would shed on this ship, and turned to walk away.