Everyone, I actually finished a chapter part even with these three obstacles: 🏫🤧🛫.
That night, Reth forced himself to stay awake. He had convinced Reco to sleep in his little "house" this time as payment for abandoning their rap battle, and he had luckily agreed. Reth kept his tired eyes on Reco's still body, looking for any signs of movement. He waited for a long time. He would fall asleep for a few minutes before the anxiety of the situation would pull him back to reality. Eventually Reco got up and discreetly walked outside through the open door, sending one small kiss in Reth's direction before leaving. This made Reth smile and pause for a minute. His tiredness seemed to consume him, but he fought the urge to lie back down and moved to follow his boyfriend after he was sure Reco was a safe distance away.
He began the tiring walk all the way to Reco's "office", constantly hiding behind walls and turning streets every time Reco tensed. Either Reco was playing dumb, or he really didn't know Reth was tailing him.
After about ten minutes of chasing, Reth paused behind a brick border and peered out to see why Reco had suddenly stopped walking. They were in front of a large warehouse, in an unfamiliar part of the back alleys Reth had never explored. There were stationary cranes with small, flashing, red lights raised high in the air. The surrounding area appeared to be a construction site. Reth found himself wide awake as he intently watched Reco enter the warehouse after looking around for bit, somehow oblivious to his boyfriend's presence. Reth waited again, this time for what seemed to be an eternity, before running through the broken doors, scared of being shot by hidden figures in the shadows, hiding on the rooftops with their sniper guns pointing right at Reco's forehead...
"Andrea isn't dead," he told himself. "Not in this timeline."
Right upon entering the building, Reth tumbled to his side and hid behind a pile of heavy creates marked with multiple warning labels, catching his breath. There was a group of men inside, armed with guns and sharp knives, marching around the area, and one of them had seemed to stare into his soul. He couldn't find Reco in the one second he had been able to see the inner space. He waited impatiently, not sure what to do. There was no backing out now. These guys would shoot him at first sight. "Reco..." he begged in his mind. He really wished his lover would come and save him. He was utterly helpless, having left the time machine at home. He looked at the small square in the wall that served as a window, closer to the ceiling. He could see the moon and the stars, if not for a few covering clouds. After the previous week of heavy rainfall, the weather had been surprisingly clear. His frantic thoughts calmed for a moment, only for them to come back when he heard someone growl, "Turn around." The voice was so menacing, so deep, that Reth had no choice but to turn around and come face to face with a the tip of a long, heavy-weight gun pressing against his forehead, the metal cold against his skin. Just like he had feared. Great. He carefully looked up at the man's face, not wanting his finger to press any harder on the trigger. When he saw who the perpertrator was though, he scrunched his face in confusion and swatted the gun away with his hand.
"Funking hell, Reco," he shouted, loud enough to cause a swarm of workers to crowd around them. The man's head of spiky orange hair was unmistakable.
Reco looked surprised for a second, but that quickly turned to annoyance.
"Reth? What are you doing here?" he grumbled. "Did you follow me? I knew something was off."
"You were followed?" someone started, but he was held back by the others.
"Relax. Just this once," said Reco, addressing the growing audience. At this point, they all had their hands on the handle of their chosen weapon and were scanning the area for anything else out of place.
Reth got up from his knees and stared directly into Reco's eyes.
"We need to talk."