Jacques notices someone's made a new friend.
At the front desk, Charles and Mourice sit close, whispering and giggling. Mourice brushes his fingers against Charles's hand, and Charles doesn't pull away.
Of course you are. Good luck with that. He laughs internally.
Jacques hurriedly packs his pen and rushes out of the class—not because he can't stand seeing Mourice and Charles together, but because he has something exciting to do.
From the police academy dorms on the right wing, further to the east, there's a concrete pavement that leads to a huge abandoned and sealed building. A few years ago, cadets were allowed to bring their own vehicles, but once they started bringing in weird and irrelevant ones, the rule was changed. The building was sealed off and has remained unused ever since.
Jacques managed to unlock it and now uses it as his secret workshop to build his own camper pod. Since he can't afford a real engine or machinery, he scavenges parts and modifies them himself. He's just getting started, but with exams ongoing this week, he only has time to check in and keep the engine running. At least once a day, it needs to be started to keep it from stalling.
As he warms up the machine, a jingle comes from his phone—it's Ethan.
"How's the first day of exams? All good?"
Jacques replies: "All good. I've got my physical exam tomorrow, so today I'm resting. How about you?"
Ethan replies almost instantly: "I nailed it. Hey, are you free to go shopping with me? I need to restock my groceries."
Technically, no one is allowed to leave the dorm during exam days—especially those who live on campus. But since Ethan needs something, why should Jacques care about rules?
"Give me 15 minutes and I'll be there."
After warming up the engine, Jacques grabs his motorcycle key and sneaks out, driving straight to Ethan's flat. Ethan's waiting at the lobby, and together they head to the nearby supermarket.
Jacques pushes the shopping trolley with quiet obedience, letting Ethan lead the way through the aisles. Ethan takes the task seriously, scanning shelves and calculating ingredients while mentally piecing together the healthy meals he plans for the week.
"Spinach, carrots, quinoa…" Ethan pauses, grabbing a bundle of leafy greens and tossing them into the cart. "We need protein, too. You're not skipping breakfast again."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. Why do you think I'm doing this?" Ethan says, eyeing two blocks of cheese from different brands in his hands.
"You plan to cook this for me?" Jacques asks.
Ethan turns on his phone camera and starts recording. "Yeah, tomorrow is your physical exam. You need to eat nutritious food. Jacques, are you allergic to anything?"
Jacques appreciate this.
"No, I'm not."
"Good," Ethan says, tossing some beans into the trolley and turning off the camera.
The cart creaks as they turn a corner. Ethan grabs some salmon and adds it to the growing pile.
Jacques notices that Ethan records almost everything—all the time. And when they arrive back home, even as Jacques is cleaning the vegetables, Ethan is recording him again.
"What are you doing, Jacques?" Ethan asks cheerfully, camera in hand.
Jacques smiles, playing along. "I'm helping my mom prepare the food."
"I'm not your mom," Ethan laughs, pinching Jacques's tricep affectionately.
Later, while Ethan is busy prepping ingredients—mixing spinach with milk and carefully seasoning the dish—he looks tired. But when he notices Jacques quietly recording him, he breaks into a giggle.
"Come on, you're supposed to tell me if you're recording," he says, wiping his temple and forehead to make sure no sweat is visible.
"Candid's always the best," Jacques teases lightly.
Even during dinner, Ethan continues filming. But he's not recording the food or the room—it's Jacques he's focused on.
"How's the food?" Ethan asks.
"It's delicious, as always," Jacques replies, scooping a big portion of spinach into his mouth.
"I love seeing you eat healthy food," Ethan mutters, still recording as Jacques enjoys the meal.
After dinner, Ethan returns to the kitchen, busy baking banana bread. He plans to freeze it so Jacques can have a quick breakfast or a late-night snack while studying for his history exam in two days. When Jacques returns home from Ethan's flat, he carries a bag full of food.
Ethan also makes sure to text Jacques reminders to sleep early, to keep his stamina up for the next day's exam.
On the fourth day of the exam, Jacques is hunched over the Forensic Science Manual, studying intensely. Tomorrow, he'll be put into a VR simulation where his decisions and performance will be judged. It's not his weakest subject, but he knows simulations can be highly theoretical—sometimes even stranger than real-life scenarios.
His eyes are sore from all the reading, but forensic science fascinates him enough to push through. Unlike history, it doesn't bore him.
Suddenly, a text from Ethan pops up.
"If you pass the exam, I'll give you something nice," he adds smile winking emoji at the end of the text.
Of course, that's exciting. Jacques replies: "How about you accompany me to Gulliamerre?"
A long pause follows.
Jacques sets the phone down and goes back to studying. His eyes grow heavy, and eventually, he falls asleep.
The next morning, he wakes up to a message from Ethan: "Sure—if you score more than a B."
When the exam results come in, Jacques scores a B+, saved by his strong performance in the physical portions, especially agility, which helped lift his overall grade.
They sit together on Ethan's balcony, surrounded by blooming flowers. The sky above them is scattered with stars, and between them, rests a warm pot of jasmine tea. Ethan feels a bittersweet swell in his chest as he watches Jacques, glowing with the quiet triumph of having passed his exam.
"You really pushed yourself, didn't you?" Ethan says happily—and part of that comes from knowing he helped motivate Jacques to get there.
Jacques beams. "So, how about it? Gulliamerre?" His excitement is infectious, his voice unable to hide the anticipation.
"Where even is that? That's a planet, isn't it?" Ethan asks, slowly combing his fingers through his bronze hair, soft and smooth as silk.
"Yeah, it's a planet—not far from here. It's where my friend Sulu was born. I need to see an oracle."
"You could meet an oracle nearby," Ethan says, raising an eyebrow.
"Sure, but... this is different. It's traveling to another planet." Jacques shifts forward, his eyes sparkling with excitement. That glint—so full of wonder—is exactly what made Ethan fall in love with him in the first place.
"Silly... you could just take a bus somewhere, but instead you pick another planet. You know psychics exist online too, right?" Ethan hugs his knees to his chest, resting his chin atop them. "I think you just want to take me there."
"You're not wrong," Jacques says, sipping the tea. "Right now, I'm building my camper pod. I've been scavenging machinery from the junkyard—piece by piece. Slowly but surely, I'm going to launch myself to the sky and become a voyager." He turns to Ethan. "And I want to live with you."
Ethan's eyes soften. "You... want to live with me?"
"Yes," Jacques answers simply. A short reply, but completely sincere.
Ethan pauses. His voice drops to a murmur. "I see... so you want to see whether I fit into your world?"
"N-no, it's not like that. But... maybe, yeah." Jacques shifts, nervous. "But you don't have to go if you don't want to. I'm not forcing you." He speaks gently, aware of Ethan's sensitivity.
Ethan is quiet for a moment. Then, he pulls his legs in and stands up.
"...Well then," he says, pushing his legs to support his body up. "I guess I need to pack."
"Sure."
Ethan walks inside, leaving Jacques out on the balcony. He opens the closet and begins choosing clothes to take on their little journey. The holiday break is coming, and there's just enough time to go and return. The time dilation won't be too bad; Gulliamerre is only a neighboring planet.
But as he stands there, folding a shirt, Ethan's tears begin to fall. Silent, slow, and steady—trailing down his cheeks. He doesn't make a sound.
Because he won't tell Jacques the truth.
The truth about himself.
The truth he's been hiding all along.