Chapter Text
“Excuse me, Sir?” The blonde heard behind him. He looked away from his phone, his very bored expression making the meek waitress flinch. She held a serving tray, dirty dishes on top of it. There was a fearful look on her face, barely masked. She was looking at the nametag on his chest. “I don’t mean to alarm you Mr. Nijiku-”
“Zanka is fine.” He said quickly, handwaving the formalities quickly. “I just got a job around the corner from here so I’m probably going to become a regular. No need to be so formal with me.”
“Oh uh well, thank you… but there’s something I need to tell you,” She broke into a whisper, resting her tray on his table but not letting go of it. “Don’t look… but the man at the table in the back has been staring at you since you got here… he entered just a little after you did as well.” Zanka chuckled. She blinked a few times, thrown off by the response.
“Relax. It’s my boyfriend. You’ll get used to the freak.”
“Oh?” She sounded so relieved in an instant and Zanka couldn’t help but smile. He opened his phone, searching for a picture to show her.
“Yeah. It’s a long story. To sum it up, He used to stalk me back in university. Weird meet cute, I know,” Zanka sighed. She hung on every word, her eyes sparkling at the unconventional love story. “He wasn’t too invasive. I mean, some of the stuff used to creep me out but it wasn’t that bad all things considered. When I met him properly for the ‘first time’ I punched him so hard his nose broke. Since no one knew he was stalking me I looked like an asshole in front of all my friends… so I took him to get lunch as an apology. Really, I just wanted to threaten him and make him back off and, dammit, we hit it off. Been dating 3 years.”
“Weird, but that’s oddly beautiful… So, he still stalks you?”
“Yeah but I let him,” Zanka scrolled through his pictures and smiled to see the one he was looking for. Him and Jabber at an amusement park, sharing cotton candy. That was their first date. “It’s his thing. Besides… It's oddly comforting that he’s obsessed with me. Plus, Jabber is actually pretty considerate. Doesn’t push my boundaries too hard.” Zanka tilted his phone to her. As she looked at the picture her face fell. Her breath hitched. She was speechless. He could see the color slowly draining from her face. “...Miss? You okay?”
“...That’s not him,” She mumbled. “...That’s… not the man who was staring at you.” Zanka quickly turned around. He knew he shouldn’t have but he had to know. No one in the restaurant looked suspicious. “I don’t see him anymore.” He looked up at the waitress, a sinking feeling in his stomach all of a sudden.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
In a way, Jabber had completely ruined Zanka’s awareness. Before they were dating, Zanka was hypervigilant of every detail in his life. He knew the moment something was wrong or out of place. However, since his boyfriend had a kink for stalking him he had let his guard down. Anytime something was out of place or slightly wrong he would just blame Jabber and move on. He didn’t think twice about finding doors and windows unlocked or hearing doors in his house open. He would blame Jabber and move on with his life.
While it scared Zanka initially, it also gave him some hope. Jabber was constantly watching Zanka. Maybe he had seen something. He drove to his boyfriend's house, nervously tapping on the steering wheel the entire time. He was about a third of the way there when his phone started to ring, interrupting the music that was lowly playing in Zanka’s car. He answered with a button on the steering wheel.
“Hello?”
“Hey Babe, You coming over?” Zanka just scoffed, shaking his head.
“Yes. I am… Are you hiding in my backseat?”
“Nah, not this time. I still have that tracker in your car.” Jabber said casually. Zanka rolled his eyes, unsure how to take that information. Jabber could tell. “You want me to remove it?”
“I… don’t know. I could just share my phone's location with you. It’s probably cheaper-”
“Ruins the experience.”
“Of course,” Zanka sighed. He smiled though, warmed by the weird man he fell in love with. There was an edge to his voice that Jabber heard, keeping him silent for a moment. “But, yeah, I’m on my way to your house-”
“Somethin’ happen?”
“...I don’t want to talk about it over the phone.” Zanka knew that would set off all sorts of alarms in Jabber’s head. His boyfriend remained quiet. Zanka just continued to drive, the city giving way to the country as he headed into a less densely populated area. The long drive to Jabber’s house was usually calming.
“Have you noticed anything weird in your usual stalking?” Zanka asked suddenly, looking over his shoulder to make sure the backseat was empty. He may have been joking earlier but it instilled a real fear in him now. “Anything out of the ordinary?”
“...couple times,” Jabber admitted, his voice tense. Likely his jaw was clenched. “You seen anything weird?”
“What did you notice?” Zanka skipped his question entirely. “Please tell me.”
“...Well… You know I have cameras around your place-”
“Didn’t know that, but that’s my fault. I should have guessed-”
“Oh, yeah. Well, I have cameras in and around your place-”
“In!?”
“Anyway. The same guy has started taking regular walks in your neighborhood. I don’t like the way he looks at your house.” That made Zanka clam up. He kept a rigid grip on the steering wheel, staring dead ahead at the mostly empty roads. “Also, you know how I watch you mostly right?”
“The crooked elm at the edge of the woods behind my house,” Zanka scoffed at the way he answered that. It was like he was proving he remembered a birthday. “Yeah… sometimes I stare at that spot and wonder when I’ll see you there again.”
“Awww, Zan Zan~”
“What about it?”
“There was mud in the tree last time I was there.” Zanka went back to feeling dread. Someone was watching him? From JABBER’S spot!? “I thought nothing of it… but if someone is messin’ with you-”
“I’m almost at your place.”
“I know. I see you-”
“What have I told you about hacking traffic cameras!”
“It’s not hacking! Anyone can view public traffic cameras online.”
“God, the future is bullshit.” Zanka complained, making his boyfriend giggle. “I’ll see you in a minute, freak.”
“I’ll be waiting~
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
”Zanka wasn’t surprised that the front door to Jabber’s house opened before he so much as stepped on the porch. His boyfriend was grinning, waving cutely at him from the moment he could see him. The vines had encompassed more of his porch than they did last time Zanka was over.
“Hi Zaaaankaaa.”
“Hey, Jabbs…” He walked right past him. Jabber didn’t mind. He looked around outside before closing and locking the many locks on his door. When they had just started dating, that used to scare Zanka. He made himself at home in the living room, throwing himself on the couch and finally letting his shoulders relax. He felt safe here. Jabber’s home was always safe.
“So that guy tailin’ ya,” Jabber started, sauntering into the living room with his phone in hand. “You know what he looks like?”
“Nope. I didn’t see him. A waitress told me he was watching me… thanks to your crazy ass I tend to tune out feelings like that. Thought it was you.”
“Amateur, got caught by a waitress.” Zanka looked at him, blinking dumbly. “Let me show you this and see if you know the guy... Hang on.” Jabber started getting to work on his phone, likely going through camera footage. Zanka waited patiently and actually flinched when the phone was shoved in his face. “You know this guy?”
“I… uh,” Zanka looked at the footage. Jabber’s cameras were good, catching the view of the walking path in Zanka’s front yard. Crystal clear. The man was deep in his yard, staring over the fence to the back. Balding. Clearly older. What was he looking for? “He doesn’t look familiar…. God, He’s creepy.”
“... I can't tell if he's a bad stalker or just escalating already. I'll look back on the footage to see how long he's been following ya.”
“Thanks Jabber. You're the only creepy bastard I want showing up at my house unannounced.”
“Aww, you're so sweet.” Something about him taking that as a compliment made Zanka smile. Jabber put his phone on the coffee table, joining Zanka on the couch. Zanka draped his legs over his lap and Jabber put a hand on his boyfriend's thigh almost immediately. “You wanna stay the night?”
“...I do like staying over with you…” That shy answer made Jabber purr and Zanka tried to keep his smile contained. “Sure. I’d like that… am I looking at a normal night or a freaky one?”
“I’ll back off with my usual brand of worshipping You, since you're going through something. You might wake up to getting your dick sucked, though.”
“I'll take it. That's as tame as you can be-”
“You sure you've never seen that guy?” Jabber asked suddenly, making Zanka pause. He tried to think but honestly he had forgotten the man's face already. “I'm askin’ cause it's kinda rare for someone to not know their stalker. Even if you don't know him personally, you probably have been in his proximity a few times. Remember how I fell for you?” Jabber teased the last bit, flexing his brow. Zanka purses his lips as he remembered.
“...Yeah… you couldn't read the fucking subway map. I helped you a few times, often weeks apart, and thought nothing of it.”
“But I fell in love~” Jabber blew him a kiss. “Sometimes… it doesn't take much to get someone obsessed… can you think of anything you may have done for this guy?”
“Bitch, I only know about how I hooked you because you told me after we started dating. I told you, that was an interaction I thought nothing about.” Jabber seemed to expect that answer but still didn't like it. He just nodded, mulling it over more silently. “...and I don't even know how long he's been following me… I would have never known if that waitress didn't see him.”
“I'll keep my eyes open,” Jabber began, leaning over to kiss Zanka's cheek. “We still don't know if the guy staring at you at the restaurant is the same as the one on the camera. You didn't see him.”
“I didn't… but what are the odds I have three stalkers?”
“As sexy as you are, Zan Zan? Pretty likely,” Jabber started to crawl over Zanka, pinning him slowly to the couch. The blonde avoided meeting his boyfriend's eyes for the longest but when he had both wrists he could help but stare in his beautiful magenta eyes. “... Let's set a trap.”
“Trap?”
“Mhm… you have a clothesline. Put your clothes out to dry-”
“I use that thing for rugs and other shit that can't fit in the washer-”
“Use it for clothes,” Jabber insisted. Zanka looked at him curiously but didn't want to interrupt anymore. “Hang a pair of boxers out… if he is really stalking you he wouldn't be able to resist. He’ll take ‘em.”
“...And why am I tempting fate?”
“Because we just know the guy is following you. He may not be a stalker. Maybe someone hired a private investigator to follow ya… we gotta see if there's an obsession-”
“By handing him a pair of my underwear?”
“If you don't wanna test it and would rather wait until he escalates, by all means do you.” That was a good point. Zanka had to admit it, there were other possibilities he had to consider before he just labeled this a stalker situation. He nodded slowly and Jabber smirked. “Let's stay at your place tonight. I'll stay with you and you still might wake up to some amazing head, don't worry-”
“Wasn't concerned about that at all-”
“Once we determine what this guy's intentions are then we can make a better plan.” Zanka stayed quiet, his chest feeling heavy. Jabber nuzzled his cheek against his but it didn't get a laugh like it normally does. Not even a smile. Jabber kissed the shell of his ear, the following whisper making Zanka shudder. “You know I'm not gonna let anything happen to you… If he wants you… he's gotta go through me.”