bsumone | ❝ Nobody knows where you’re going ❞

Maybe he could practice on something not alive to get better once Gabriel showed him how to do it. He thought of balloons, but if they popped... No, he wouldn't like that. But Gabriel gave him confidence. He squared his shoulders and nodded.

"I'll learn it. I know you'll teach me how."

Dal pressed his lips together then smiled. "C'mon, let's hurry. I wanna meet her!" Mama Moreno. He was nervous but eager. She was so special to Gabriel and Dal felt like they might be kindred spirits due to their similar backgrounds.

Gabriel laughed then turned the water off. "Let's leave detail work for tomorrow. That way you can focus on meeting mama."

Ushering him out of the shower, he grabbed a towel to start gently drying off his sweet boyfriend, unable to stop smiling the entire way through. Dal was just too sweet for him to resist and he loved that a great deal.

"She'll be happy you're excited to meet her."

"I'm nervous, too," he admitted. He's certain he didn't need to be, but feelings didn't always follow along with what he knew in his mind. That's not how feelings worked. "Feels important, ya know?" Dal wanted to make a good first impression, but there he was, all waifish and bruised.

What if she thought he only liked Gabriel because Gabriel's helped him so much? What if his shirt collar didn't cover the marks on his neck well enough and she asked what happened? What if...

Dal gave his head a little shake in an effort to clear away those kind of anxieties.

"This feels familiar," he finally murmured in a quieter, thoughtful voice. Perhaps he was remembering impressions from the night before.

"This conversation? Or me drying you off?"

He smiled fondly at him and cupped his face to give him a soft kiss. "Just remember that she understands you. She's been in your shoes before. All she wants to do is love you."

"Dryin'," he answered. Even if it was vaguely familiar, it still felt really nice to be pampered like this. Almost dizzying, actually. Feeling so much love and care, it was strange for Dal.

And maybe that's part of why he's nervous, too. He's just accustomed to receiving love. If his own parents couldn't love him, how could anyone else? And yet Gabriel's mom, who hasn't even met him, wants to do just that.

Dal reached up to lay his hand over Gabriel's, just taking a moment to bask in his gentle affection. He finally broke out into a smile and ducked his head to let out a small laugh. "I'm still surprised ya told her about me before."

Taking ahold of Gabriel's hand, he gave his boyfriend -- that was such a warm thought! -- a light tug toward the bathroom counter where all the lotions and potions he used on his face and skin sat. "Want me to just show ya and explain 'em today?"

"Of course. I tell her about everything that's important to me." So why wouldn't he tell her all about Dal? Someone so very special to him that his heart leapt just thinking about him? He gave him a little grin and then gently ruffled his hair before drying off as he followed him to the sink.

"Go ahead and explain while you do your routine. I'll watch."

That way he could get to know what things were and why they were used rather quickly.

It was quite a process. Eight steps in total (and that was just for the morning!), but also not every item was for everyday use. Those spindly fingers picked up each jar or bottle and explained which was what. Toner, essence, ampoule, serum, eye cream, moisturizer, sunscreen. Dal only washed his face with water in the mornings. He took his time so Gabriel could see what each item was used for.

Once all that was done, it was time for makeup. Once again, he picked up each container to show them to Gabriel and tell him a little about what each one did. Primer, foundation, concealer, contour kit, blush, various eye elements for brows, lids, and lashes, his favorite tinted lip balm, and the setting spray. Then, just as with the skincare regimen, Dal begin to apply each item in its turn, going slower than he normally would so Gabriel could see how it went on.

When he was done, aside from being undressed and his hair still being wet, Dal looked like he usually did. "We can practice when ya have time," he said with a smile. For today? He wanted to make sure he looked perfect to meet Gabriel's mom. "It's a lot, I know."

Gabriel listened quietly, asking questions when he needed to. He'd watched his mother get ready as a child so he remembered some of this. Enough so that he wasn't surprised by it. It would take practice but he didn't mind that. He wanted to put in that work for him.

When Dal was done, he cupped his chin to look at him then smiled. "Beautiful."

A quick kiss and he stepped in. "Let me show you the detail work for my beard then we'll finish getting ready. I don't want you going out with wet hair, after all."

There was no doubt in Dal's mind that Gabriel would catch on quickly. Gabriel's a clever guy, Dal knew that. The compliment, though? That was enough to bring some extra color to his cheeks and prompted Dal to lower his eyes. So many times he's heard things like that. Pretty, sexy, beautiful. But never with any real sincerity. Nothing beyond the hollow flattery of someone who only cared that he was sticking his dick in someone aesthetically appealing.

Gabriel never sounded like them. Not ever.

That kiss left a soft, almost giddy smile in its wake and Dal immediately nodded. Just as Gabriel wanted to learn his grooming routines, Dal wanted to learn Gabriel's too.

"Can I just watch this time? I wanna see what you do before I try."

"Of course."

Going through the motions, he showed him how he got his face damp with warm water then put a little of the gel on the edges of his facial hair. Opening the razor, he put a new blade in to show how to do that then slowly cleaned the edges of his beard and mustache, keeping the blade flat against his skin.

"I don't tend to take much off like this. Just enough to get smaller hairs..."

He watched closely, leaning for a better look without getting in the way. One thing Dal could say for himself was that he had a good memory. He only needed to see this once or twice to remember the process, in general.

After Gabriel finished, Dal inspected his work, then graced him with a curious look. He knew Gabriel’s dad hadn’t been around so…

“How’d ya learn that?”

"Mama taught me. She said that since I was going to be an important man I should know how to take care of my beard."

Cleaning the razor, he disposed of the blade then rinsed his face off and applied a cleanser and an aftershave before patting on a moisturizer. Then he inspected himself and nodded.

"What do you think?"

The more he heard about Gabriel’s mom, the more nervous excitement buzzed inside him. She sounded like such an amazing person. Dal was practically vibrating in his eagerness to meet her.

Reaching out, Dal brushed his fingers lightly along Gabriel’s jaw line. His eyes went a little glassy and his expression soft and warm.

“Beautiful,” he echoed. Truly, Gabriel’s so good-looking in his eyes. Dal thought him handsome when they met. Each time they encountered each other after only reaffirmed that. His kindness and caring only made Dal find him more attractive.

“You’re so handsome,” Dal added in a dreamy voice.

Gabriel smiled warmly at him and took a moment to pull Dal into his arms. To just hold him few a minute while he gazed into his beautiful eyes. "Thank you. I admit I've been trying harder just for you."

Not that he thought he was unfortunate looking, of course. Rather, he enjoyed being able to impress someone he cared about as much as he did this man.

"Let me help you dry your hair and then we can get dressed."

Oh. Dal snuggled in against him, closing his eyes as he wiggled to press his cheek against Gabriel's broad chest. Did it matter to him that they were still naked? Not at all! Whatever nervousness he'd felt earlier about that were long gone. Gabriel has a talent for making Dal feel at ease.

After a moment, Dal leaned back in Gabriel's arms so he could look at him with a small smile curling his lips. "It's workin'," he teased. Then he heaved a sigh. "The more I know ya, the more handsome I find ya." It was nice that he wanted to put in effort for Dal. But Dal wasn't different in that regard. He, too, planned to take care of his looks even if he didn't need them to lure people in anymore. He wanted to look nice for Gabriel (and his mama!).

Dal nodded at the suggestion, taking a small step back to put a little space between them. "Can I pick watcha wear today?"

Could he pick what Gabriel wore today. That was such a sweet request. There was no way he was going to ignore that. Smiling enough that the corners of his eyes wrinkled, he nodded. Yes. Of course he could help him pick what to wear.

Grabbing the hair dryer, he encouraged Dal to stand by the sink so he could stand behind him and get that hair dried, even grabbing a brush partway through to help keep it from getting too fluffy. Then he led them back to the room and to his closet where all he did was put some underwear on. The rest was for Dal to decide and have fun with.

Gabriel always dressed so nicely. Dal was sure there’d be no bad choices in his wardrobe. And, well, he was a little excited to see how Gabriel organized some of his more personal space – like his closet.

While Gabriel dried his hair, Dal spent the time wondering how the man’s closet would look. Was it arranged by color? Maybe all the shirts were together, then the trousers, and maybe jackets and ties? Was everything evenly spaced out or shoved in however.

Since Dal didn’t own underwear (not something he’s really needed in his line of work), he took a second to pull on the pants he laid out before they went to the shower. Like most of his clothes, they were a bit big on him, but he’d put on his belt before they head out to go see Gabriel’s mom. Padding over, he peered around Gabriel into his closet as if something secret and wonderful were hidden there.

Dal went with light colors for himself, so maybe something darker for Gabriel? His eyes moved over the garments, taking note of how they were organized, before he stretched out a hand to point to a pair of dark brown trousers and a patterned shirt in different, lighter browns and tans.

“How ‘bout that?”

The outfits were all nicely tailored to him and in tame but beautiful colors. Very stylish even if they were practical. He smiled as he watched Dal explore the closet, sitting down so he wouldn't be hovering. The outfit that h was pointed to was nice and he got up to go over to it.

"It's a good choice. Is that what you want?"

He'd wait until his boyfriend was very sure so he'd understand that he was going to listen to and respect his decisions on this.

Dal looked at his own clothes and then back to the ones he chose for Gabriel. His were blue, jeans and a blue sweater to wear over his white button-up. And Gabriel in browns and tans. Yes, that would look nice. Smiling over at Gabriel, Dal nodded.

"Mmhmm."

He already knew it would look nice on Gabriel. Everything in that closet was well-suited to Gabriel (and obviously tailored to his body) so anything Dal chose would look wonderful on him.

"Do ya wanna jacket, too, or just the shirt?"

"I don't need a jacket today to spend time with mama. But if we happen to go out and you want to pick one for me we'll come back."

Gabriel tilted his head with a fond gaze. A little playful too based on what his next question was.

"Would you like to help me get dressed?"

Oh! That look was very nice on Gabriel's face. It made Dal's heart stutter. He's already half dressed, but he could definitely let Gabriel help with the buttons of his shirt if he wanted to.

He fought the urge to dip his head in shyness and met Gabriel's eyes instead.

"Yes, please."

Getting to his feet, he went over to help with the rest of those buttons before giving his boyfriend a gentle kiss to his lips. A soft touch to that pretty hair and then he nodded.

"I'd enjoy that too. Please feel free."

This would let them keep having the chance to have these intimate moments to let Dal see that they didn't have to always have things be about sex. They could simply be precious moments like this one now.

Dal pressed his lips together in an effort to hide his smile. An impossible task, truly. Once Gabriel helped him with the buttons, Dal picked up the shirt he laid out for his boyfriend and held it out so he could get his arms in the sleeves. Moving around him (and maybe, just maybe admiring how broad his shoulders were), Dal grinned up at him.

"This one, right?" Dal indicated the second button from the top, the one just below the collar. Unless he was wearing a tie today, there wasn't much reason to button the first one, right?

"That one."

He grinned as he watched his boyfriend inspect him as he dressed him. It was sweet and very charming. He loved every moment of it. Laughing softly even, he did a little pose to make sure that Dal got the best views and angles possible before offering his arm to him to head down the stairs again.

"Shall we go call her over then?"

Ah, it was time! Dal felt his nerves flapping around like so many butterflies in his stomach and he lifted his hands to cover his face without actually touching it. He swallowed the lump in his throat down and dropped his hands, shoulders squared in determination.

"I'm ready," he assured. Then, more quietly, "Do I look okay?" He fussed with the collar and cuffs of his shirt to make sure the bruises weren't prominently displayed.

❝ Nobody knows where you’re going ❞

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tfw you realize you totally misread a tag /scrubs face

it's all good. it worked out.

<3

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