bsumone | ❝ Nobody knows where you’re going ❞

"Yes. I know that my work can lead back to her so I made sure I live close but not with her. She's had a hard enough life without my work putting her in danger."

Eating slowly, he thought of all the things he'd have to do today. See if he had permission to move forward with his plan. Figure out who was going to be the bait and so on. It was a lot to do but if he pushed it hard then he'd be able to close this case sooner and stop having to deal with people who hated him for existing.

These local cops had their heads shoved so far up their asses, they couldn't appreciate help protecting their neighborhood. It was all about how Gabriel's presence made them look incompetent. Well, maybe if they did their damn jobs as effectively and compassionately...

He chewed happily on the burrito, trying not to think about the dangers outside these walls. His friend was dead, the killer still on the loose, the cops too busy having a pissing contest with the FBI to do anything worthwhile, and he was still locked out. He should be worried, but it's not in his nature. Those are just facts that he can't change. And they led him here, sitting on a comfy couch, having a hot meal with a guy he was very, very fond of.

"You're a good son."

"Thank you. I really try."

She was a good mom. She deserved to have a good son. That was how he felt about it. Gabriel chuckled softly then as he thought about something. "She'd find you too skinny and she'd insist on you eating more when you're with her."

Dal chuckled. "I can't eat a lot," he admitted. "Makes my stomach hurt if I do." Or it could be that he's half-starved all the time. But it was nice to imagine actually meeting Gabriel's mother... "You said she runs a restaurant, right?"

Gabriel strongly suspected the reason for that was due to how little Dal had been able to eat regularly the past few years. But he didn't comment on that. He let it be. If they did get together he could worry more about it then. For now he just answered the question. "Yes. Mexican food. Authentic too."

"What's it like? I don't think I ever had it." Given how far north they were and Dal's general lack of ability to get around town to try various cuisines, that's probably not a surprising revelation. He's spent the last eight years limited to a small area of walkability.

His eyes dropped before he gave Gabriel a chance to finish, something more than a little sad coming over his features. If his parents knew how he's been living for the last eight years... Would they feel bad for him or just despise him even more?

"It's savory and almost earthy. It's very well seasoned at all times. Even the simplest of things have depth to them when they are prepared correctly." Then he looked over at Dal and he rested a hand on his shoulder. Gently, he gave his hand a squeeze. Even without asking he knew what he was thinking about.

"They're not worth it, Dal. Just remember the people who don't care that you're gay and who want to be in your life. They're the ones that truly matter. The rest? They're just the path you took to become who you are now."

He shakes his head to dispel the dark feelings, trying to smile instead. It wasn't fake, but it was harder then he'd hoped even though Gabriel was being so supportive.

"It's... It's so nice hearin' how close you are with your mom. I just can't help thinkin' about my parents, too... And just wonderin'."

"As someone who found out what it was like to have a parent who didn't love him for who he was..." He gently stroked his back as he sighed. Then he gave him a smile.

"I learned years ago it's better to save your thoughts for those who care about you. Giving room to those who didn't only drives the knife deeper."

"I don't..." No, not true. "I didn't have anyone like that before now."

"Now is what counts the most." Gently, he ruffled his hair. Very gently, of course. He could see all that damage to his hair so he wasn't about to make it worse by being rough with it. "Go ahead and finish eating. We both have long days ahead."

Dal melted a little, smiling at that gentle affection. He took his time finishing the burrito. There were a few hours still before the sun started to go down, so Dal had time.

"Will it bother you if I watch TV?" Those old movies were pretty interesting.

"Not at all. You can watch whatever you find." Gabriel smiled then went to go get showered and dressed. He'd let Dal enjoy himself while he did some work and follow ups. See if he could go ahead with the plan. Though he highly doubted that he would.

The sound of the TV was actually soothing. As was knowing there was another person in the room with him. He found himself relaxing as the hours passed by.

"Thanks."

Once he finished his food, Dal threw the wrapper away and made himself comfortable on the couch. He couldn't even say what he was watching, some old-timey black-and-white show. He curled his legs up on the cushions and pulled the blanket over them. After a while, Gabriel might notice that he nodded off. His legs were tangled in the blanket and the way he was half-leaning on the arm of the chair caused the robe he wore to slip off one shoulder.

When it was starting to get dark, Gabriel realized that Dal hadn't left yet. Which meant it was now too far for him to walk to where he needed to go unless he did so in the dark. Considering everything, he wouldn't have been comfortable allowing that. It was a struggle because he knew that Dal needed to work to make the rent but...

Doing his best to ignore that shoulder, he went to his coat and slipped some money into the pocket before going over and gently rearranging him to be less tangled up and more stretched out on the couch. He'd let him sleep. Somehow he had a feeling that Dal didn't get to 'sleep in' like this that often.

With that, he went back to his work, dimming the lights to make sure that he could still see but the man on the couch could sleep peacefully. It was a challenge to not keep thinking about that bare shoulder but he really did his best.

Considering he stayed up later than usual the night before, he was definitely more tired than normal. It was his phone buzzing on the table beside the couch that woke him with a start. Confusion painted over itself over his features for a few seconds as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. That robe shifted a little further down as Dal put things together. He was watching something on TV and... He's still on the couch and it's definitely dark.

A quick glance at his phone tells him it's well past 9. "Shit," he hissed under his breath. Shoving the blanket off, Dal sprung up and made a straight line for his clothes. Once he grabbed them, he stopped en route to the bathroom. Not because he found the money Gabriel stashed in his pocket but... Would one night off the street really break him? It was already dark and he's much further away than usual.

Dal let out a breath and slowly hung all his things back up. No. He was going to stay in tonight. As long as Gabriel didn't mind him being there while he worked... Bare feet padded quietly across the carpet to come stand by the desk. "You let me sleep." It wasn't accusatory. In fact, there was some fondness in his tone. He hesitated, then rested a hand on Gabriel's shoulder.

Gabriel heard him but he figured he'd let him get dressed before offering to drive him. When instead he heard him talk and felt that hand on his shoulder, he closed the file he'd been studying to figure out where the killing grounds were. Turning to face Dal, he gave him a tired little smile and nodded.

"You seemed tired. I put some money in your coat to make up for whatever loses you might have by missing a night."

Better Dal have a night to rest though. Giving a small stretch, he relaxed in his desk chair a moment. "Are you hungry? I can order us food again."

He could eat. Especially if it was something they could split or would keep for later. Which... Suddenly Dal lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Can we get pizza?"

That was so cute. Gabriel was so charmed as he watched Dal light up. Smiling up at him, he nodded then got his phone out to look up what places were nearby that would deliver to the hotel.

"What would you like on it, Dal?"

"Anything but those little fishes." He's literally bouncing where he stands. "Can we get sodas, too?" The idea of going back downstairs in the evening was a little intimidating. Not only had the bartender seen him wander off with that businessman, he knew he stuck out being from the street. Well, at least with his clothes washed and a shower, he didn't smell like the street.

"No anchovies and yes sodas. What soda do you want?" He was already putting in an order on an app on his phone. Realizing there were pictures of the sodas though, he beckoned Dal to come around behind him to show him. This way he wouldn't have to read anything and he could just point to the picture of the soda that he really wanted to have. Much easier that way.

"These are the options here..."

Dal peered curiously at the pictures on Gabriel's phone. He took a second to consider what he wanted. On those rare occasions he treated himself to fizzy drinks, it was either a cola or a lemon-lime. He debated for a moment and pointed at the can of Sprite. "The green one."

Then he turned those curious eyes to Gabriel's face. "What do you like on pizza?"

"The green one for you and I think I'll join you on that." Ordering those, he went back to look at the pizzas again. He knew those pretty eyes were on him but he didn't turn to look. If he did he knew how close that face would be.

"I usually tend to be happy as long as there's meat and vegetables on there. But I won't ever say no to spicy sausages." He paused a moment in consideration. "Do you like spicy food, Dal?"

"Mm, I do like spicy food. I don't get it a lot, though." Usually, he makes do with hot sauce on his eggs. "I wanna try the spicy sausage. Maybe... olives or peppers or those little tomatoes?" He meant the sun-dried tomatoes. "Do you like any of those?

"I like all of those. Have you tried artichoke hearts?" He did like those and he even added some chicken to the pizza along with the spicy sausage. And, because he knew that Dal didn't like plain sandwich crust and might not like pizza crust, he selected the option for a stuffed one instead to make it more like a cheesy breadstick.

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