salivation | 002 - Here I Go Again

[With what seems to be practiced silence, Gabriel slips out of the bed that he had shared with Kaibus for the night It isn't that he wants to leave, no... certainly not. He wants nothing more than to stay here and sleep like this forever. This boy may be a stranger, but... He's the only one that he's ever met who offered so much kindness without any judgement. He's the only one that has made Gabriel feel so safe. Even if it was just for a night, Gabriel appreciated it so much more than he could ever say.

That's why he has to leave.

No matter how much he wants to stay, being this close to someone was dangerous. If enemies found him here? They would kill Kaibus on the spot. If Gabriel fell off the wagon and went berserk? Kaibus would never be able to defend himself. He's just a normal human, an unassuming child. An innocent. There's no way that Gabriel could ever bring himself to sully something like that. It's important that he distances himself, no matter how much he doesn't want to. Otherwise Kaibus could lose his life. Besides... Gabriel didn't deserve such a person, smiling so beautifully for him. If Kaibus were to find out about all of the things that Gabriel has done... if he were to find out what kind of person Gabriel was... There was no way he would disagree. Of that, Gabriel is positive.

Gabriel turns before leaving the room and looks at Kaibus' sleeping form. Certainly, he will notice the sudden loss of warmth soon and wake up, so he doesn't have long. He takes his precious few seconds of time to look at his face. He's so sure that it's the last that he'll ever see of it... He wants it in his memory forever. He'll never forget what this innocent, unassuming boy gave to him.]

Thank you.

[It's just two whispered words, and then Gabriel turns away and doesn't look back as he steps out of the room and then through the door.]

[To put it simply, Kaibus isn't the easiest person to wake up. He can sleep through alarm clocks and fall asleep on trains with no trouble, but that's just it: he can't wake up on his own. The voice or touch of another person is completely different, and as Kaibus' eyes slowly open, he realizes that a lack of warmth is even more effective than any of that. Ah, yes, the last thing he can remember before falling asleep is hugging one of Gabriel's arms to his chest. His heart had been beating too quickly for him to fall asleep right away, but after losing himself in thought and sneaking far more than a few glances at Gabriel's sleeping face, he had eventually dozed off alongside him. But now that warmth is gone, and the highly unwelcome sound of the door opening and closing causes him to return to his senses and leap out of bed.

His scramble toward the front door can't be called elegant by any stretch of the word, but something as trivial as that isn't of any significance to Kaibus, and he throws open the door and runs to grasp Gabriel's shoulder with a hand in one clumsy movement. Though his hair is a mess, his eyes are wide open, focused, and almost painfully earnest.]

Where are you going?

[The moment that the door opens, Gabriel freezes. He hadn't expected Kaibus to move so fast. He hadn't expected the boy to wake up at all. Now... He had to talk, didn't he? He hadn't wanted to say goodbye. Saying goodbyes isn't easy. He already knows that he'll want to stay.]

Look, I...

[He takes a deep breath and speaks as firmly and aggressively as he can muster.] I'm leaving. I don't belong here.

[He looks angry.]

[Kaibus stares directly into Gabriel's eyes before deeply furrowing his eyebrows and grabbing his arm in an unwounded place.]

Get back in here!

[His grip isn't tight enough to hurt, but it's strong enough for him to attempt to drag Gabriel back inside.]

Are you deaf? I'm leaving!

[Of course he resists, but he doesn't resist too hard, for fear of hurting him.]

I can hear you just fine, and you aren't leaving!

[He stops tugging after another moment or two, but his hands never leave Gabriel's arm.]

First, you're still hurt! Second, you aren't wearing a shirt! And third, you don't have anywhere else to go!

[That shuts Gabriel up for a moment, but then he scowls.]

I'm not hurt, my attire does not matter, and I do have somewhere to go. Home.

[He can already feel himself losing this argument...]

[....Home? Does he really know how to get there? Kaibus goes quiet and slowly allows his hands to slip from Gabriel's arm.]

You know how to go back?

[Gabriel falters.] ...I don't. I don't even know how I got here.

[He glances away.]

But there must be a way.

Can't you stay just a little longer?

[His reply reaches his lips before he realizes that he spoke at all. It sounds.... desperate, somehow, and Kaibus soon feels the familiar heat prickling behind his eyes.]

Edited 2013-02-26 07:20 (UTC)

[Gabriel shakes his head.] I shouldn't.

Then where else are you going to go?!

[Gabriel is startled by the ferocity of Kaibus' question. He pauses and looks up and at his face, and is surprised to find how close he seems to be to tears.]

I...

[He's at a loss for words.]

[If Gabriel looks closely, he'll probably notice the tears that are just barely beginning to brim in Kaibus' eyes. He's a strange cross between determined, upset, and a little bit hurt, eyebrows still furrowed.]

What?

D-don't cry...

[He fidgets a bit, clearly distressed, then reaches out with a hand and brushes beneath his eyes to try and remove the moisture. He doesn't want to see him cry...]

[Kaibus glances away shortly after long fingers brush his skin, but not before placing a hand - gently, this time - on Gabriel's arm. He doesn't say another word, but he isn't crying yet either.]

[Gabriel's hand cups Kaibus' cheek, and he finds himself at a loss.]

Do you really want me to be around that much? We're strangers.

[It shouldn't be hard to see the slight bit of colour that rises to his cheeks.]

Of course I do. We aren't strangers anymore.

[The sight in front of him is rather enchanting, and brings a bit of color to Gabriel's cheeks as well, but he doesn't notice enough to hide it. He drags his fingers lightly through Kaibus' hair.]

Kaibus...

[He needs to go home though. Even though he's alone there... And he has no hope of ever enacting his revenge... It's all he has. But... He wants to stay. What should he do?]

Why don't you bring me to the place where you found me?

[The way Gabriel says his name gives Kaibus chills. Rather, it's less the way that he said it and more so the fact that he said it at all.]

It's just the park. [He points in that direction; it isn't far at all. How can he say no to a request like that?] We should go before the sun comes up.

[Gabriel lowers his hand and glances down at the ground. What if he finds a way back home when he gets there? Will they say goodbye then?]

Alright.

[He looks surprisingly hurt.]

Hey.... [Kaibus hesitates for a few moments before speaking up again.] Can I hold your hand?

[He doesn't wait for an answer before slipping a hand into Gabriel's and using the other to close the door behind him. There's no need to lock it, right?]

[Gabriel hesitates for a moment, then decides to squeeze Kaibus' hand.] Yeah. [He turns a pinkish color.]

Let's go.

[As Kaibus had expected, their search hadn't given them any clues. He's fairly sure that they had managed to make it to the park and back without being seen, but what he hadn't expected was the chilly temperature. Only letting go of Gabriel's hand once they're back inside, he offers him his warmest blanket.]

Here. You must've been cold, right? [....] Sorry. That we didn't find anything, I mean.

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