bsumone | ❝ Nobody knows where you’re going ❞

"I left my clothes hangin' in the shower to dry," he added before getting up. Best to let him know so he's not startled in the dead of... well, it was already morning and it could very well be light by the time either of them might wake up to use the toilet.

Dal sank a little deeper into the robe and gave Gabrial a little wave before he padded off to the bed. He fell asleep easily, wrapped up in clean sheets that smelled like someone safe. Dal's not the sort who had trouble falling asleep in strange places. Staying asleep was his difficulty tonight since his unconscious mind was thinking a lot about his friend.

It's possible Gabriel woke long before Dal did. Or maybe not, considering the hours they were both keeping. Whatever the case, it was the scent of coffee that pulled Dal from sleep. For a second, he thought he was still dreaming when he opened his eyes and found himself in a much nicer place than usual. Clean, warm, welcoming. He almost didn't want to come out of the cocoon he'd made of the blankets.

Some tired sound escaped him and he asked, more to himself than Gabriel, "What time is it?"

The couch was not ideal for him. But he didn't mind it really if it meant Dal got to have a nice warm bed to sleep in for a few nights. Getting as much sleep as he could, he showered when he got up and made coffee before sending the clothes off to the laundry service. Maybe he should have asked but he figured Dal should get as much sleep as possible.

Looking up at him through the dim lighting in the room, since he'd kept the blinds closed and only used the desk lamp, he took off his glasses a moment to clean them. "It's after noon I believe. Are you hungry? I can order something. I sent your clothes down to get cleaned up so they should be up in a bit when they're done."

Closing the file he'd been looking at, he rubbed his eyes then put his glasses back on.

Oh, that's a lot of information for someone who can't even open his eyes all the way, yet. Not just the telling of it but the processing of what was behind it all. Gabriel's proven to be nothing short of a thoughtful person; Dal's seen that. Yet every time it's directed at him, it feels... He couldn't describe it. People just weren't like that to people like him. It felt new every time.

Those dark eyes swept over the room once more. It was a pretty nice place as far as Dal was concerned. The carpet was soft under his feet, the bed was incredibly comfortable, and it just... Well, it seemed very clean. Much more upscale than any place he's stayed in almost a decade.

"Is there a menu?" If it was after noon, he might as well get a lunch-type meal. Hell, they might not even be serving breakfast at this hour. "Did you eat already?"

"Here." He got up and brought the menu over to him. Then he gave a pause as he laughed softly. "No. I lost track of time actually. So I haven't had anything other than coffee today."

He held up a finger to his lips and gave him a wink like he was telling him a secret. "Don't tell my mother. She'd be very upset."

Then he gave a stretch as he went to sit with Dal to see what he wanted to have.

Squinting at the menu, he brought it close to his face as if that would make reading it easier. Sure, he just woke up, but it doesn't take long for his eyes to focus. It's more his struggles reading in English. His surprise at hearing Gabriel's mother was still alive gave him a momentary reprieve. Dal always figured that people in that line of work didn't tend to last very long for reasons various and sundry.

Once his initial surprise passed, he offered a warm little smile. "Your secret's safe with me." Who would he tell anyway? But it was nice to be silly like this.

"Is she well, your mother?" More stalling as he tried to decipher the menu.

"She is. She runs a little restaurant outside the city. Best authentic Mexican food in New York. Which works because it satisfies her need to feed everyone around her."

He smiled fondly and then leaned over to Dal. He'd suspected he wasn't from around here no matter how good he was at speaking English. So he wasn't surprised that he might be struggling to read it. Especially for something that wasn't simple like a diner menu.

Gabriel then started pointing to things to read off what was on the menu and what was in the things that might be more strangely named. Just to give Dal a reference point for what he was looking at.

He was about to ask for help, but Gabriel anticipated him. Once more, that attention to detail showing through. Dal's heart raced a little at the thought of that kind of attention. Even though he knew it wasn't reserved solely for him. No, this was just the sort of man Gabriel was. Dal wasn't anything special.

In the end, he ended up ordering a hummus and feta dip plate. The array of marinated vegetables, olives, and grilled pita (which Gabriel explained to him) sounded really yummy. Nothing that would sit heavy in his stomach like a burger. Plus, it was something he never had that sounded kind of great in the moment.

"What are you havin'?"

"I was thinking the flat bread."

Then it would have a lot of vegetables and some protein on it now. He'd been eating poorly recently so having something a little healthier would be good for him. It wouldn't balance things out but it wouldn't hurt either. Gabriel grabbed the hotel phone to call down the order before coming back to get coffee for Dal, handing that over to him.

"Here. It's still hot."

Reaching out, he took the coffee in both hands with a nod of thanks. And maybe, just maybe, their fingers touched in the process. Was that intentional? Maybe. No, it absolutely was. Dal's a little tactile -- probably not that surprising given his line of work. But it's rare for him to be able to touch others on his terms. He smiled and then closed his eyes to breathe in the scent of coffee. It was a scent he enjoyed because it always made him think of warmth.

When he finally opened his eyes, they were more cleared of sleep and very warm as they fell on Gabriel. "How did you end up in the FBI?"

That little brush sent tingles through his fingers that he made sure to ignore. It wasn't appropriate to focus on those no matter how pretty Dal was. Instead, he grabbed his coffee and sat down to drink his own coffee. At the question, he thought about that a bit.

"After I came to America, I studied hard to get my citizenship. I did odd jobs here and there and kept applying at the FBI offices until they'd hire me. Then I worked my way up. But, I knew I wanted to be part of this because I wanted to be a part of something that was taking down the worst in the world."

Gabriel laughed a little. "That's how it started. Then it turned out I was really good at dealing with things here in America and talking to people who others would look down on or forget about. So I've been doing that since. Keeping the streets safe when the police fail to do their jobs."

"You have a face that people can trust," he murmured into his cup before taking a sip. "Your eyes are really kind. People can tell you really care when you look at them." And the whole part about him treating everyone around him with some iota of human decency.

"Well, I know what it feels like to be in your place. I know what I would have given anything for back then."

So, he made sure he was the one who gave it. It didn't mean those at his job always liked him but that was alright. He was good at what he did and that counted for a lot more to those higher up who largely just wanted to see results without so much a care about how those came about so long as it wasn't illegal.

Gabriel looked over at Dal curiously. "Why did you leave Korea?"

Because he strongly suspected that was where he was from by now.

Ah, that question got a reaction. It was subtle, but he seemed to grow duller and shrink without actually moving at all. His gaze dropped back to his coffee, eyes following the swirls of the liquid in the cup. Since Gabriel already told him some things about his past -- his mother and coming up on the streets -- it only seemed right to do the same.

Dal took another sip and let hs eyes fall closed.

"My parents prefer no son to a gay son."

Gabriel nodded in understanding. When he'd learned who his father was he'd been told he had no son because he wasn't capable of creating someone who was gay. It had been the thing that had really motivated his mom to cross the border and start a new life here. If he'd forgotten her and was disowning his own son for being gay then...

"It's not easy when someone who is supposed to love you rejects you for something you were born as." He let out a long sigh then smiled a little. "It's not easy being gay either but I'm never going to judge you for that. I promise you that. Doing something like that would mean I'd have to judge myself first."

So Dal was safe to be who he was with him. He wanted that to be clear.

Those dark eyes blinked, tearing away from his own vague reflection in the coffee. Yet another piece of the puzzle fell into place. So this agent was gay. No wonder he didn't seem at all uncomfortable among the male prostitutes. Dal's seen so much toxic masculinity and machismo (not that he knows those terms specifically) from the local law enforcement that made them vastly uncomfortable among the gay hookers, but no such vibe at all from Gabriel. Knowing what he knows now, it all makes a lot of sense.

"They didn't throw me out," he clarified quickly. "I left on my own."

"That was brave of you."

Gabriel finished his coffee and set his cup down. No need to hold it when it was completely empty. Relaxing, he took a deep breath. It wasn't often he told people he was gay. Hardly anyone at his office knew. In fact only a couple of those higher up the food chain new because he'd admitted it to show that he'd have more understanding than some of the others around him in a case a year ago. It had worked too.

"How long have you been in America?"

He took another, longer drink, trying to finish before the coffee had a chance to get cold. It also gave him a second to do the math.

"Since I was fifteen so, uh, eight years? Yeah, eight. I just turned twenty-three. In fall."

In all that time, he learned to survive. Though his spoken English is decent, he can barely read it. His passport expired so he has no ID. And he's been working on the street the whole time. He's a ghost, so if he were to vanish, no one would ever know.

"Happy late birthday then."

Gabriel knew what all of that meant and he took careful note of it. This was a prime victim here. More so than the others. Were he a lesser person he knew that Dal was the perfect bait for his plan. But he refused to do that to him. Instead, he just gave him a smile then looked up at the knock on the door. Going to answer it he found that the food was here and so was the laundry. And a toothbrush he'd asked for while Dal slept.

Nodding his thanks, he brought everything inside. "Let's eat and then I got you a toothbrush for while you're staying here."

There goes his stomach again. It's getting embarrassing how often that happens in front of Gabriel. But Dal just let out a puff of a laugh and shook his head at his own wretched body. But he's grateful for the timely interruption so they can have a natural change of topic.

He threw back the last sip of coffee and leaned back, inhaling deeply. A smile curled his lips as he exhaled. "Smells good."

And the toothbrush? That was great, too. Just because he was locked out of his room didn't mean he didn't have rent to pay. Which meant he'd be on the street as soon as the sun went down tonight. He didn't honestly think any of the johns cared about his breath, but Dal did. He may live on the street, but he does his best to take care of himself.

"It does. The food here is pretty decent even if I don't get room service that often."

He got them both some water from his supplies then set up the food for them to both dig in. A decent amount of food for them. Good that was good energy for them later. Gabriel had a few bites before hesitating a moment. Should he even offer this? No, he really should.

"If you need a ride back here after you're done tonight you can contact me. I don't mind getting you. It's a long walk in the dark otherwise."

Dal was digging in, dipping his little pita triangles into the hummus and piling up the vegetables on it. He took his eyes off the spread when Gabriel made that offer. Under more normal circumstances, he would've declined without a thought. However, knowing there was someone out there targeting people like him and knowing that his mind was still processing a friend's death... By the end of the night his mind might not be as clear as it is now. Especially if it's still raining.

"I'm gonna go by my building. I'll letcha know if I need to crash here again." The implication was that if he did need to stay here, he'd let Gabriel pick him up. His tone and eyes were both so very grateful.

"I really do appreciate all you're doin'. For all of us and for me."

That was good enough for him. He wasn't going to ask where Dal was living after all. That was for him to feel comfortable enough to share and not for him to demand. Gabriel could respect that. So he nodded to accept the terms with a smile then continued to tuck into the flatbread. He did pause at the gratitude though. Lifting a brow, he swallowed then shook his head.

"This is the least I can do. I may be FBI now but I was one of you once. You are my people. If I can do anything to help make your lives easier then I'm grateful for that."

"I have to thank you for those of us who can't." The ones that avoid him because he's law enforcement. The ones that won't talk to him. The ones who are gone.

Dal dropped his eyes back to the food, clearly enjoying it. He'd never had anything like this before and he definitely hoped he could again sometime. After a few more bites and a couple swigs of water, he looked back to Gabriel, a thoughtful look painted on his face.

"I'm really glad your mom's doin' well." He wonders about how she got out, but he's not going to pry. Not only was it not his business, but it also wasn't necessarily Gabriel's story to tell. But knowing that she got out and was able to get herself and her child off the streets, seeing this caring, generous man she raised. Dal had a feeling she was one amazing lady. He's sure he didn't have to tell Gabriel how hard it is to get out of this life.

"I feel real lucky we got you on our side."

"She is. She's very happy. Well, usually happy. She's not so happy right now that she can't walk down the street to make me breakfast each morning." He chuckled softly because he knew that probably seemed silly. But honestly he was thrilled he had that. Not everyone could claim to have something like that in their lives. A mom who would walk down the street to make sure that there was a homemade meal for breakfast. Who would chew anyone out for saying anything about her gay son.

She was the best woman. He was glad he had her in his life and that she could be safe here now.

"I'm glad I can help you all. Life is hard enough without having to worry about looking over your shoulder. I'll get back on that after I'm done eating. I am pretty sure that I have a solid lead and a plan. Just have to figure out all the pieces."

It's nice to hear. It's also kind of cute that they live so close but not together. It made him wonder if his family ever thought about him, if they ever missed the son they wouldn't accept. Every now and then, they crossed his mind, but only in passing. It's been eight years, they could easily have had another child by now. Does he have some little brother or sister who will never even know his name?

"I might try to get some more sleep after this, if ya don't mind. But, you don't hafta keep it dark. I'm used to sleepin' durin' the day."

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