Dal did rest a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder as he stepped out of the pants. He pointedly avoided glancing in the mirror, opting instead to keep his eyes on Gabriel. He knew there had to be more bruises that he hadn’t seen yet just from the aches they left. Right now, he didn’t care to see them. It wasn’t like he could remember where they came from clearly anyway. What point would there be in letting himself be upset by the sight of them?

When Gabriel was back on his feet, Dal took his turn to undress his boyfriend (ah, just thinking of him that way sent a rush of happiness through him!). He’s undressed others before, but it was different with Gabriel. There was no show to put on, no need to pretend to be interested or impressed with what he saw. At least with Gabriel, he didn’t have to fake a thing.

He is, though. Under his endearing school teacher clothes, Gabriel’s hiding a lot. Not surprising since he’s in law enforcement. Don’t FBI agents have to be in good shape? Dal assumed they did, so he’s not surprised. Plus, he did have the benefit of having caught a glimpse of his boyfriend without his shirt on once before. He paused to lay his hands flat against Gabriel’s chest, then smiled up at him before returning to the task at hand.