bsumone | ❝ Nobody knows where you’re going ❞

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.

"You look more than okay. You look breathtaking." He gently took his hands to make sure he'd stop him from fussing over his collar and cuffs. The bruises were covered and Dal was fine. And if she saw them then she wouldn't judge him for them in the slightest. The farthest thing from it.

He pressed a kiss to his lips then got his phone so he could call his mother. She was clearly delighted on the other end and he smiled when he hung up before taking Dal down to wait for her arrival.

And when she came it was in a rush. Bursting through the door without care.

"Where is he? Where is my new son? Oh! Precious boy. Beautiful boy." She immediately when to cup Dal's face, much shorter than him and with motherly sort of curves. She smiled up at him though. "Ahhhh. You need to eat. So thin! Come. I'll make you food."

Just like that she was headed for the kitchen, not taking no for an answer.

He had to believe it when Gabriel said it like that. It helped with Dal's nerves, but it didn't quiet them entirely. Thankfully, he's pretty good at keep those kinds of feelings off his face (even if he doesn't really have to in this situation). Ah, but when she bustled in with all that energy, Dal can't help but feel his nerves fade away. Even just seeing and hearing her for a few seconds, he can tell she's a warm and caring person. And the way she called him her new son... Dal felt like he might cry.

He followed to the kitchen without question or even a small protest that they just had breakfast not very long ago. No, in fact, he stopped Mama Moreno before she could even start cooking with a gentle tug on her sleeve.

"Can I hug ya?"

Gabriel stepped back to watch the pair of them, smiling at what he saw. His mom was doing exactly what she knew he would. And when Dal reacted the way he expected? It was nice.

She turned to look back at him then spoke in that motherly tone all in Spanish. Then pulled him in close, bringing his head down to her shoulder to hug him first. Over his shoulder she looked at Gabriel and nodded her approval. Yes, she had him. She loved him.

"Good boy. Hug me when you wish."

Gabriel smiled and leaned against the door frame to watch them, so glad to have Dal part of their family now.

Oh. He really didn't anticipate the heavy wave of emotion that came crashing down on him. Her easy acceptance, her warmth and affection... All things he never had from his own parents. All things he's never had much of from anyone for very long. Was this really what family was supposed to feel like?

He held on far longer than customary, so hungry for a taste of motherly love. His own mother was a cold and distant woman, more of a mythological figure in his life than an actual mother. This was... the opposite of that. And when he pulled away, Dal had to tip his head back and blink quite a lot to keep from crying.

"Gamsahamnida," he murmured, voice raw with emotions - mostly happiness. Utter joy. "Thank you."

That said, he slipped back to Gabriel's side, reaching to clasp the man's hand in both of his. This was... so much he'd never dared to hope for. A home and a family. It was enough to make Dal forget how self-conscious he felt earlier, how horrible he'd felt last night. It even made him forget he wasn't remotely hungry (and yes, he was more than willing to try at least a few bites of whatever Mama Moreno made for them.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek before letting him go, looking at him with such fondness before she moved about to start cooking. Soon the kitchen was filled with the delicious smell of Mexican food being prepared from scratch. And also the sound of her humming old songs from the country she grew up in.

Gabriel wrapped his arms around Dal, smiling down at him. "I told you she would love you."

He kissed his hair and guided him over to sit at the table with him. As he did, she suddenly came over to fish around in her purse. From it she withdrew a pot to hand to her son. "Dab on the bruises. Those doctors do not know. This is better."

A smile and a kiss to his cheek too then she was back to cooking. Gabriel chuckled before opening the jar. "Scoot closer. She made this herself to help your bruises heal faster. It helps. She used to use it on me when I was little and got hurt."

Dal thought he might just burst from happiness. Between Gabriel's strong arms around him and Gabriel's mother being perfectly motherly... So happy! He couldn't tear his eyes away as Mama Moreno moved about the kitchen, filling the room with her warmth and the delicious scents of her cooking.

When she brought the pot over to the table, Dal blinked at it. A home remedy? Looking from the ointment to Gabriel, he nodded before scooting his chair closer. "Did you get hurt a lot?" Dal was such a sheltered child, he didn't really have a lot of opportunity for the usual childhood bumps and bruises.

❝ 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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