Devil's Effect

A Voice From the Past

It had been a good week. Chester and Ryan were enjoying their work at Score, and Mike was settling back into a routine at Red Pelican. Jason walked into the loft Friday afternoon with a smile on his face. His own job wasn't close to his skill level, but it was a job and he was fitting in nicely with his pressed slacks and button down shirts. They were all going to be bringing home paychecks now, and that was a huge weight lifted from Jason's shoulders. It had been a long time since he'd worried about money, and the fact that his business - which used to provide paychecks for his roommates - no longer did hadn't escaped him either.

But we're going to be okay. I can finally see the light, at least in that respect. With the four of us sharing expenses, we'll make it until everything gets settled. I haven't worried this much since before we met, hon. You came at the right time to take care of everything for me... and left so unexpectedly, left everything such a mess. Jason dumped his laptop bag on the table and tossed his keys and phone down next to it. He knew Chester and Ryan would probably be walking in next, and then dinner would get started. Thank goodness for Chaz. We'd all starve if he didn't like to cook so much.

He went into the bathroom and washed his hands, giving his reflection in the mirror a cursory glance before he went into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water to take to the couch. There would just be a few minutes of silence and peace before his boyfriend got home, and he and Chaz would be their usual boisterous selves. He kicked his shoes off as soon as he sat down and watched as he somehow managed to kick one under the bed. With a sigh, he bent over and tugged on the end of the shoe. The strap of the bag he had shoved under the bed a few days ago caught on the shoe, and the corner of the bag poked out from its hiding place.

Jason regarded the strap for a moment. It had been a few days since he'd thought about looking at Mark's phone. The loft was quiet, and he looked around as if someone were looking over his shoulder before he pulled the bag toward him. Ry's probably right. It's not that big of a deal.

They'd discussed Mark's phone a few times, but Jason hadn't admitted that one of the things stopping him - one of many things - was the thought that once he'd looked through whatever information was on that device, that would be all. There would be nothing left to discover about Mark at all. That phone had been a closely guarded part of Mark's private life, and it almost felt like betraying Mark's trust to go through it. You don't blame me for wanting to know, right? We both know you kept things from me, but it doesn't matter now. Not really. What secrets would you have kept there, anyway? It's probably like Ry says. It's not even going to be a big deal. And then I can put it away and be finished.

In a flash of courage, Jason grabbed the phone from the bag and plugged it into his charger. He couldn't help but look around the loft again as he waited for it to get enough juice to power on. Come on, hurry up. I don't want Ry to see me with it. No matter what was on Mark's phone, Jason wanted the ability to decide if he wanted to talk about it or not. He kept looking at the silent phone impatiently, waiting for the moment it decided to flash the Apple icon on the black screen, signaling that it was going to work.

It seemed to take a long time, though it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. As soon as Jason saw the screen light up, he sighed. It's going to be his calendar, financial stuff, apps I've probably never heard of... photos. I wonder what kind of photos he'll have. I never really saw him take photos. He always left that to me. Jason watched as the lock screen came to life, demanding a fingerprint or a six digit passcode. He stared at the screen. Six digits. God, that could be anything. Ok, hon. Help me out.

A few seconds later, he tried their anniversary, only slightly disappointed that the phone rejected that date. Jason wracked his brain, trying to come up with a significant date. He tried Mark's birthday, then his own. The phone notified him there were seven more attempts until he was locked out, and Jason knew that Mark probably had it set to erase the entire phone if there were that many failed attempts. He slowed down and tried to think logically. It took a few minutes for him to come up with the next date. He was certain of the year - 2009 - but a little fuzzy on the day he'd met Mark. Jason concentrated, piecing together bits from his past to get him an accurate date. He'd been eighteen for only a few months, struggling to keep his life together while he finished high school, and trying to figure out how to finance the future. A couple of weeks before graduation. Was it a Friday night? No. It was the end of the weekend. I had school the next day, but there I was in a bar with a fake ID. What day was that?