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Jake makes it back to their New York apartment without any hitch, he knows the city like the back of his hand. He is feeling exhausted after the day he’s had. Even though he wasn’t the one doing any of the fighting or who had the panic attack, it’s still the same body so he was feeling the effects of it nonetheless.
He enters the apartment, taking off his shoes at the door and heading straight for the kitchen. He puts the kettle on the stove, heating up some water to make some tea. If anyone asked he would deny that it was for him, claiming it was for Steven, but secretly he had come to love a nice cup of tea after a long day.
He walks to the bedroom while waiting for the water to boil, throwing on his favorite pair of pajamas. He feels himself relax at the soft feel of the fabric. He thinks about the events of the day, wishing anything had gone differently. He really isn’t looking forward to having to talk to Marc and Steven about this.
The three of them have gotten close ever since he introduced himself to them, but he still wasn’t the best at being vulnerable. Although, he supposes he is better at it than Marc, so that has to count for something. Jake feels a small smile creep to his face while thinking about his two alters.
If anyone had told him a few short months ago he would be this close and happy with his two alters, he probably would have laughed in their face, and then broken their nose for good measure. Now, though? Now Jake can’t imagine how he ever lived without them knowing about him.
He is pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the kettle going off in the other room. He walks back to the kitchen, pulling out his favorite mug, and pouring the boiling water in. He grabs a bag of chamomile tea, putting it in the water and waiting a few more minutes for the tea to seep in.
Steven and Marc are still quiet, which worries him slightly. He had a feeling Marc would be quiet for a while after what happened, but the fact Steven is quiet too makes him scared. He’ll sooner jump out of their eighth floor window than admit it, but he often worries about them.
He takes a small sip of his tea, hissing as the hot water burns his tongue slightly. He moves to their living room, letting himself sink down into their plush couch. It’s times like these he is forever grateful that Marc’s ex-mercenary job paid extremely well.
He wishes he could have been the one to take all the pain Marc experienced as a result of his jobs, but he’ll take the comfort where he can find it. He pulls a blanket off the back of the couch, and wraps it around his shoulders, relishing in the warmth.
It’s a soft, colorful blanket, Steven had crocheted for the three of them a while back. He had taken up crocheting as a way to calm his nerves after everything happened. He still loves Egyptology and learning about it, but he can’t help but feel a little on edge whenever he does. Jake supposes it makes sense, given everything, and he’s glad Steven has found other hobbies to help with his anxiety.
Jake takes another sip of his tea, the beverage having cooled down enough that he doesn’t burn himself this time. He sighs, melting further into the couch, feeling all the tension from the day completely leave his body.
He closes his eyes letting another small smile grace his face as he lounges. He so rarely gets to relax like this, so when he does he milks it for all it’s worth. He starts to drift off, so he places his mug on the coffee table, not wanting to spill tea all over the couch and himself.
Just as he puts his tea on the table he hears the door to the apartment open, causing him to jump slightly and spill a little tea on his hand. He quickly brings his hand up to his mouth, cleaning it off, before getting up and going to investigate.
He sees Layla in their doorway, closing the door behind her. He relaxes again at the sight of her. Realistically he knew it was probably her, but he was still a little on edge not knowing for sure. Layla looks over at him, smiling at the slightly ridiculous sight.
Jake still has the blanket wrapped around his shoulders, his eyes are drooping slightly from exhaustion, and his hair is a mess from where Marc was pulling at it earlier.
“Long day?” She asks, with a little laugh, moving to take her shoes off and hang up her coat. Jake just grunts in response, moving back to the living room to sit down, now that he knows there is no potential threat.
Jake doesn’t have the same feelings for Layla that Marc and Steven have, but he has developed a loving friendship with her in their time knowing each other. He would even go as far as to say he cares about her almost as much as he cares about Steven and Marc. Not that he’d ever tell her that. She’d never let him live it down.
He sits back on the couch, picking up his tea again as he hears Layla moving around in the other room. He sips at his tea, grimacing slightly as it has gone slightly cold, but not feeling like getting up to warm it.
Layla comes into the room a few minutes later, having changed out of her work clothes into her pajamas as well. She sits next to Jake on the couch, pulling the blanket from his shoulders to lay it across both their laps. Jake grumbles slightly at her, but is too tired to put up more of a fight. The two sit together in comfortable silence, Jake periodically sipping on his tea despite the fact it had gone cold. Layla watches him with an amused smirk, as he grimaces slightly every time he takes a sip of the tea.
“Must have been a really long day for you to be continuing to drink that tea, despite the fact you are clearly not enjoying yourself.” Layla says, leaning further back against the couch. Jake pouts at her, making her smile even wider at the frankly absurd sight.
“You have no idea,” he grouses, taking another sip from his tea, before finally giving up and placing it back on the coffee table.
“You wanna talk about it?” Layla asks, smirk turning into a sympathetic smile. Jake groans, running a hand through his hair before speaking.
“It’s Marc,” he says lowly, looking over at her. Her gaze quickly turns concerned, smile dropping as she frowns slightly at him.
“What happened? Is he okay?” She asks, worry evident in her voice. Jake is silent for another moment, before speaking again.
“He will be. He just-” He pauses, not sure how much he should say. He thinks it over for a moment before deciding it’s okay to tell Layla what happened, she is his wife after all. “He had a pretty bad panic attack earlier. In public. About our mom.”
Jake has started shaking slightly, the reality of what happened earlier catching up to him now that he is somewhere safe. Layla scoots closer to him, taking his hands in hers, helping to ground him slightly.
“Mierda. Lo siento. I don’t know why I’m reacting like this, it didn’t even happen to me,” Jake says, looking down, frustrated at himself for getting upset over this. Layla rubs her thumbs over his hands, tilting her head slightly so he is looking at her.
“Hey. You don’t have to apologize. You don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to,” she says softly, Jake shaking his head at her words. As much as he doesn’t want to talk about this, he has to. She needs to know what happened, and Marc is in no state to tell her right now.
“No, no. I have to, I just- Dame un minuto.” Layla nods in understanding, not letting go of Jake’s hands as he takes deep breaths. They stay like that for a few minutes, before Jake feels calm enough to continue.
“We were on a mission with the Avengers earlier today. Marc was the one fronting. I wasn’t there, I was back in our headspace, not paying attention. Steven was there with him, but they weren’t co-fronting, because the Avengers still don’t know about us.” He starts, Layla nodding along to show she understands. Jake takes another deep breath, pausing for another minute to gather his bearings.
“The mission went well, as far as I can tell. I think there were a few hitches, which caused Marc to have to go back to Avengers tower and debrief or something, I’m not entirely sure. I didn’t know what was happening until I got forced to the front. We were curled up in a ball in the corner of the room. Marc must have retracted his armor during his panic because we were just in our civilian clothing. Jodeme- I, I panicked. I was thrown to the front so suddenly I thought we were in danger. I pulled out Marc’s knife, and pointed it at everyone. They obviously panicked as well, I mean, there was a strange man pointing a knife at them. And then- Then someone stepped in and made everyone else leave the room. I don’t know if Steven and Marc have told you about Sam, but he was really helpful today. He sat with me, calm and understanding and tried to understand what happened.” Jake has started shaking again, but he tamps down his anxiety, determined to finish telling Layla what happened. He doesn’t even realize he’s been crying until Layla moves one of her hands out of his, and brings it to his face, wiping away some of the tears there.
“Huh- I uh, I didn’t realize I was crying, lo siento. I don’t know why I’m doing that,” Jake says, feeling more tears fall down his face without his permission.
“Hey, it’s okay, Jake. Do you need to take a break? You don’t have to tell me everything that happened right now if it’s too much.” Layla says, a kind smile on her face as she wipes away more of his tears. Jake shakes his head again, he needs to do this. He can do this.
“No, I’m fine. I can do this.” He says, Layla moving her hand off his cheek back to his hands, giving him a reassuring squeeze and nod. “He uh, Sam, he sat down with me. He was patient and kind, even though I was still pointing a knife at him for like half of our conversation,” Jake says with a small laugh.
“He asked my name. He seemed to instinctively know I wasn’t Marc. Probably because I was yelling at everyone in Spanish, and suddenly didn’t know where I was. I asked him what he wanted with us, and he told me he just wanted to know what happened with Marc. He said Marc had been fine one second, and then he was having a really bad panic attack the next. I- I didn’t know what had happened. I wish I had, so I could have stopped it, but I didn’t.”
Layla cuts him off, shaking her head, “no Jake. Don’t do that. Don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault.” Jake feels more tears slip down his face as he thinks of all the things he could have done differently. All the ways he could have helped, if he had just been paying attention.
“Hey, what did I just say? No blaming yourself, okay? You did everything you could. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I’m almost positive there was nothing you could do.” Layla says, as if reading his mind. He still can’t help but feeling like he could have done more, but he pushes the thoughts aside for now, intent on continuing the story.
“I asked Sam if Marc had said anything during his panic attack, and, mierda, from what he said, I-” Jake takes another deep breath, breathing in for four seconds, holding it for five, and then breathing out for six. “Marc, he was repeating the word ‘no’ and the phrase ‘it’s not my mom’ over and over again. He- he hasn’t had a panic attack like that in so long. I asked Sam if anyone had said anything before it happened, and he said Stark had said it was, ‘all your fault.’ It wasn’t directed at us, but, carajo, Layla, it didn’t matter. I don’t- I explained to Sam about our DID, but didn’t explain beyond that. He said he won’t tell the others, y gracias a Dios por eso, pero- I don’t know what to do. I’m so scared, Layla. Neither Marc or Steven have said a word since everything happened, and I’m just- Estoy tan asustado.” Jake finally lets himself break down, sobbing harder than he thinks he ever has.
Layla gathers him in her arms, holding him against her chest and letting him cry. He brings his hands to the back of her shirt, holding on so tight he fears he may rip the fabric. He lets out absolutely gut wrenching sobs, Layla rubbing her hands up and down his back the whole time, whispering reassurances in his ear.
It’s moments like this Jake is forever grateful for Layla. He may not love her in the same way as Marc and Steven, but he doesn’t know what he would do without her.
They sit together like that for a long while. Jake isn’t sure how long he cries for, but once he has finally calmed down his throat is raw and he is pretty sure there aren’t any tears left in their body. He doesn’t pull away for another little bit after he’s calmed down, letting himself enjoy the warmth of being held by someone he trusts.
After his breathing has completely evened out, he finally pulls away. He doesn’t go far, still holding on to Layla’s shirt, letting her continue to stroke his back, but he moves away far enough he can look at her.
His eyes are red and puffy from crying, and he has tears still wet on his cheeks. Layla moves her hands from his back, bringing them up to his face and wiping away the tears. Jake lets himself melt into her touch, closing his eyes and leaning into her palms.
“Lo siento,” he whispers, feeling guilty for making her deal with his emotions. Layla is quick to quiet him, shaking her head as she continues holding his cheeks.
“You’re starting to sound like Steven with how much you’re apologizing, Lockley.” She says with a smile. Jake feels a small smile brought to his own face at her teasing, moving his hands from her back to playfully shove her away from him. She lets out a laugh at his antics, hitting him lightly on the chest in retaliation.
They both laugh, Layla relieved that Jake seems to be feeling better. The sun has set, in the time since Jake has gotten home and now, proving that he was crying for longer than he thought. The two sit together in comfortable silence for a few more moments before Layla speaks again.
“Okay, let’s get you to bed. You look awful and need to sleep.” She stands up, offering a hand to Jake to help him up. He takes it, letting himself be pulled up, but he looks slightly confused.
“I can take the couch tonight, I don’t mind.” He says, causing Layla to give him an incredulous look. “You shouldn’t have to take the couch just because I’m here instead of Marc or Steven,” he further explains.
Layla rolls her eyes at him, taking his hand and all but dragging him to the bedroom. “Neither of us are taking the couch tonight. We are going to share the bed and cuddle like adults.” She says, a finality in her voice that says she won’t let Jake argue with her on this.
She lets go of his hand once they get to the bedroom, laying down on her side of the bed and looking up at him expectantly. He shuffles a little awkwardly in place. It’s not that he minds cuddling with her, he just feels bad that it’s him instead of one of her husbands.
“Are you sure? I really don’t-”
“Shut up and come cuddle me, Lockley.”
Jake stands in place for a moment more, before he finally gives in, moving to lay down on their side of the bed. He lays on his back, not moving to touch Layla for a moment before she huffs and pulls him against her. He instantly relaxes in her hold, already feeling himself drift off to sleep.
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The next morning Steven is the one to wake up in the body. He doesn’t hear anything from Marc or Jake so he assumes they are probably both still sleeping. He opens his eyes, and is met with a curly head of hair in his face. He smiles at the sight, moving away slightly to look down at Layla’s still peacefully sleeping face.
He brings one hand down, tucking some of her unruly hair behind one of her ears, before bending down and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. She shifts slightly, but doesn’t wake up just yet, so Steven takes the time to admire her.
He always thinks she is gorgeous, but there is something extra special about seeing her first thing in the morning. Layla shifts slightly again, this time opening her eyes slowly and letting out a big yawn. Steven smiles again, letting out a yawn of his own.
“Good morning, love,” he says, as she fully opens her eyes and looks up at him. As soon as she sees his face she smiles so brightly Steven swears he is going to go blind. He feels a hot blush rush to his face at the sight, as he swears he has never seen anything so beautiful.
“Morning, baby,” she says, sleep still thick in her voice. Steven feels himself blush harder at the nickname, bringing his head down to hide it in her shoulder. Layla laughs at the action, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “How’d you sleep?”
“Good, I think. I must have fronted in the middle of the night, because I don’t remember going to bed,” Steven says, not moving his head from its place on her shoulder just yet, enjoying the warmth radiating off of her.
“Yeah, Jake was the one fronting last night. Sounds like you guys had a pretty rough day yesterday.” She says, bringing one hand up to stroke through Steven’s hair.
“Yeah,” he says, leaning into her touch. “I don’t know a ton of what happened after Jake fronted yesterday, but I know some of it. It was a rough day.”
Layla hums softly in understanding, pressing another soft kiss to Steven’s head.
“How are Jake and Marc feeling today? Jake was doing better by the time we went to bed, but he had a rough night as well.”
“I’m not sure yet. They’re both quiet this morning, I think they’re both still sleeping.”
Layla nods, the two falling into a comfortable silence in the early morning light.
“Wait- You said Jake was fronting when you went to bed last night?” Steven asks, suddenly sounding confused.
“Yeah? Why?” Layla asks, not sure where Steven is going with this.
“Well it’s just. He usually doesn’t sleep with you, is all.” Steven says, still sounding a little confused. Layla laughs at this, a bright smile taking over her face once again.
“Trust me, he didn’t agree to it easily. I had to practically drag him in here to get him to cuddle me. He was very insistent on taking the couch, but I wasn’t about to let him sleep alone after the night he had. Plus, as soon as he got into bed he curled up and practically purred like a cat.”
“Did not,” Jake grumps suddenly fronting just to complain. He falls back again, letting Steven take over, but he stays close to the surface, appearing in the mirror they keep next to the bed. Both Steven and Layla laugh at his grumpiness, making Jake grumble from his place in the mirror.
“Morning, Jake,” Layla says, still laughing slightly.
“Morning,” Jake grumbles, not moving to front, just trusting that Steven will relay the message.
“He says, morning,” Steven says, still laughing a little as well. Layla and Steven lay together for a few minutes more before she pushes him away slightly, moving to get out of bed. Steven pouts at the loss, but lets her go.
She laughs at the frown on his face, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to his lips that he eagerly returns, before moving to walk to the bathroom. As soon as she’s gone Steven sits up on the edge of the bed, looking at Jake in the mirror.
“Have you heard from Marc yet this morning?” Steven asks, a worried frown making its way to his face. Jake shakes his head no, a worried frown of his own on his face.
“No, I haven't heard from him since before everything happened yesterday.” Steven nods, looking down at his hands as he thinks. He knows Marc will be okay, things like this have happened before, but it’s just been a long time since any of them have had a panic attack that bad, and he’s worried about him.
“What’s going on in that head of yours, cariño?” Jake asks, drawing Steven’s attention back up to his face.
“I’m just worried, is all. Something like this hasn’t happened in a while, and I just wish I knew he was okay.”
Jake nods again, looking thoughtful before speaking. “How much of yesterday do you remember?”
“Not too much. I remember everything that happened leading up to Marc’s panic attack, but after you got forced to the front things are a little fuzzy. I remember some of your conversation with Sam, but not a ton.”
Jake winces slightly, an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry about that, querido. I think I probably tried to block you both out after I fronted to protect you. I was pretty sure we were in danger when I got thrown to the front.”
Steven nods in understanding, a kind look on his face. “It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize. It wasn’t your fault.” Jake laughs slightly, Steven’s words a direct parallel to Layla’s the night before.
“What’s so funny?” Steven asks, a confused little frown on his face.
“Nothing, it’s just- Layla said the exact same thing to me last night right before telling me I was starting to sound like you for apologizing so much.”
Steven laughs a little at Jake’s words, feeling a little more at ease knowing at least Jake was okay. Jake laughs a little too, before a somber look comes over his face, as he looks down at his hands.
“I had to tell Sam about our DID yesterday.” Jake says, not making eye contact with Steven. Steven studies Jake’s slightly guilty look, feeling his heart constrict at the realization Jake thinks he will be mad at him for this.
“I know, I remember that part of the conversation,” Steven says gently, keeping his eyes on Jake’s face.
“Lo siento, Steven. I know you both didn’t want to tell any of them, pero- I just didn’t know what else to do.” Jake feels tears welling in his eyes as he apologizes to Steven. He can’t stand to look at his face, worried that he’ll see anger or hurt there.
“You really are starting to sound like me.” Steven teases lightly, a small smile on his face. Jake looks up cautiously, searching Steven’s face for any sign that he is upset with him, but all he finds is love and understanding. Jake feels a few tears fall down his face, his relief that Steven isn’t upset almost palpable.
“¿No estás molesto?” Jake asks nervously, still not entirely convinced Steven wasn’t going to yell at him.
“Of course not, love. You protected us, and made sure we were safe. You explaining our DID to Sam, was part of you making sure we were safe. I would never be upset with you for something like that.”
Jake lets out a long relieved sigh. He hadn’t even noticed he was holding his breath, until he stopped. Steven gives him an understanding smile, before getting out of bed and starting to get ready for the day.
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It’s around noon when Steven and Jake first hear from Marc. Layla has gone off to work, so it’s just them in the apartment. Steven is in the middle of making himself a sandwich with some of the new vegan bread Layla picked up at the grocery store when he feels a soft tingling at the back of his neck.
He looks up to his reflection, expecting to just see Jake there, but when he looks a little harder he can tell that it’s Marc. He looks tired, the bags under his eyes looking more like bruises, and his eyes are red rimmed and puffy, showing he has clearly been crying.
“Marc!” Steven yells excitedly, not expecting to see him there. Marc flinches slightly at Steven’s loud tone, Steven rushing to apologize. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I’m just excited to see you, Jake and I have been worried about you.”
“Sorry about that. Haven’t been in the best space,” Marc says quietly, voice sounding rough and tired, a small apologetic smile on his face. Steven smiles back at him, worry evident in his features, but his smile is genuine.
“That’s okay, love. Yesterday was a lot for you.”
Marc nods slightly, Steven going back to making his sandwich, glancing up at Marc every few seconds to make sure he’s still there.
“How are you feeling today, mi amado?” Jake suddenly pipes up, appearing next to Marc in the reflection. Marc doesn’t answer for a moment, seemingly thinking it over before responding.
“Better,” he says, not elaborating further. Steven and Jake glance at each other, worried frowns on both of their faces.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Steven asks gently, not pushing, just giving Marc the opportunity to talk if that’s what he needs.
“Not yet.” Marc says, voice sounding more tired than Steven or Jake has ever heard it. “I think I’m going to go lay down for a bit longer. I’m still feeling pretty tired.”
“Okay, love. We’re here if you need anything. We love you.” Steven says, giving Marc a reassuring smile as Jake nods in agreement. Marc is silent for another moment before he gives them both a small smile. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes, but it’s genuine.
“Thank you.” Marc says, before he retreats back to their headspace, leaving Jake and Steven alone. Steven and Jake just stare at each other for a moment, not really sure what to say, when the phone rings.
Steven jumps slightly, startled by the sudden noise. “Bullocks, just a second,” he says to the phone, making Jake laugh slightly. Steven walks over to the phone, answering the call without looking at the caller id. The only person who ever calls them is Layla anyways.
“What’s up, love?” He answers, assuming it’s Layla on the other line. No one answers for a moment, before a voice who is definitely not Layla speaks.
“Steven?” A man says. Steven recognizes the voice, but he can’t quite place it for a moment. He takes the phone away from his ear, looking at the caller id and seeing it is Sam.
“Sam! Hello. Sorry, I thought you were my wife,” Steven says as he brings the phone back up to his ear. “Wait- that sounded weird. I just meant my wife is usually the only one to call us, so I assumed it was her. Sorry.” Steven further explains, cringing at his awkwardness.
“Don’t worry Steven, you’re fine.” Sam says, laughing good naturedly, easing some of Steven’s tension at his fumbling nature.
“Oh thank god. So, what can I do for you?” Steven asks, his usually bright tone back in his voice.
“I just wanted to call to check on you. I know yesterday was rough, so I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Steven feels himself smile at Sam’s words. Sam always was so kind to him and Marc, and he was glad to have a friend like him.
“That is very kind of you! We’re doing okay today, Marc is still a little shaken up, but overall we’re doing good.”
Sam is quiet for a moment before he asks more softly, “how is Jake doing?”
Steven looks over at Jake’s reflection, knowing the man is still listening in, a silent question on his face. Jake thinks it over for a moment before nodding. Steven lets himself fall back, not going far, taking up Jake’s place in the reflection as Jake fronts.
“I’m doing better today,” Jake says, feeling a little tense from talking on the phone. He never has been a fan of phone conversations, as it makes it so hard to tell how the other person is feeling. The only reason he is willing to talk to Sam right now is because he knows it’ll be easier than having to have Steven repeat back to Sam for him.
“That’s good. I’m so glad,” Sam replies, after only hesitating for a second, clearly caught a little off guard by the sudden switch, but taking it in stride. “Have you gotten to talk to Marc or Steven about what happened yesterday?”
“A little bit. Steven was there for some of it, but not much,” Jake relays, looking over to Steven for reassurance. Steven smiles encouragingly at Jake giving him two excited thumbs up to show he’s proud of him. He knows how much anxiety phone calls can give the other man. Jake smiles back at Steven, laughing a little at his silly antics.
“He knows the basics of what happened, but we haven't gotten to talk super in depth about it. I’m not sure how much Marc knows. He’s been quiet, I think he’s still pretty shaken up by what happened.”
Sam hums quietly in understanding, not speaking for a moment. “I wanted to ask you- and please feel free to say no if you aren’t comfortable with it- but I wanted to ask if you maybe wanted to go get coffee or something and talk.”
Jake thinks it over for a minute, looking to Steven to see what he thinks.
“I think we should,” Steven says from the reflection, giving Jake another encouraging smile. Jake doesn’t respond for a moment more, continuing to think it over.
“Yeah, yeah, I think uh. I think we’d like that,” he finally says, still looking over at Steven, feeling better knowing he’s with him. “Would it be okay if uh, if our wife came with us?”
“Of course!” Sam says, a clear smile in his voice, “what time are you free?”
“Does five work?” Jake asks, a small smile making its way to his face as well.
“Five sounds great! There’s a lovely little coffee shop near the tower, that I can text you the address to. They have a ton of really good vegan options.”
“Oh wow! That sounds lovely!” Steven says, suddenly fronting to express his excitement.
Sam chuckles lowly at Steven’s delighted tone. “I’ll see you at five then?”
“Yes! Oh, I’m so excited! You’ll love Layla,” Steven says, a huge smile on his face.
“I’m sure I will,” Sam says with another laugh, “see you in a few hours Steven.”
“Laters gators!” Steven says, Sam giving his own goodbye as they hang up the phone.
Jake stares amusedly at Steven from his reflection, smiling at his excited alter. Steven feels his phone buzz with a text from Sam, giving him the address as well as the name of the place. Steven smiles down at his phone, sending back a smiley face before going to text Layla to make sure she can come with them.
She texts back a thumbs up, letting him know she would be home around four. Steven looks back up at Jake, wide smile not faltering for even a second.
“Oh Jake, this is going to be wonderful!” Steven exclaims, Jake smiling at how happy Steven looks.
“I’m sure it will, amigo.” Jake responds, feeling himself grow excited as well.