bsumone | ❝ Nobody knows where you’re going ❞

His eyes go wide once again. It’s still so surprising to hear that Gabriel wants to help him with those things. At length, he squeezed Gabriel’s hands and nodded. Yes, he would accept his help and, someday, they would go to Mexico together.

“Gabriel… do ya mind, I mean, when we’re together…. Will ya be upset if I don’t wanna sleep together right away?”

The question was one he understood and he smiled at him. No hesitation came before he shook his head. "No. You let me know when you're ready. I'll wait as long as you want me to. You are worth that, Dal."

Gabriel probably understood better than most that Dal didn’t exactly enjoy his personal experiences with sex. Has he learned a lot about it in the last eight year? Absolutely. He’s never actually slept with someone out of affection, not once. And maybe he was a little scared that it wouldn’t be any different if… when he finally did.

Dal went quiet a moment, then flashed Gabriel a smile. “Twenty-three. November 26th. Type B. Favorite color also blue. No pets. I wanna see the Louvre one day.”

"So we have two trips to take after we get your paperwork in order. Mexico and the Louvre."

Gabriel smiled brightly at him and then laughed a bit. He liked that he could envision a future with him. Already he was sure that his mother would love him but that was a matter for after the trial was done. Right now it was just nice to sit here and talk like this. To not have to try to be anything other than who they were.

"Have you ever wanted to have pets?"

Dal pressed his lips together to keep his smile in check. At Gabriel's question, he bobbed his head in a few little nods. "I wasn't allowed. My parents didn't want 'em." But Dal always dreamed of having some small pet, some kind of mammal that would be warm and cuddly.

He sat there a moment before holding up his hand to gesture for Gabriel to wait. He got up and skittered over to his things for his notebook. When he came back, he flopped down beside Gabriel and started flipping through the pages. Face after face moved by, some drawings of that diner he spends his time in and the people who work there, too. Then he found what he was looking for: a drawing of a sugar glider. He didn't know what they were called in English.

"This."

Gabriel watched Dal go to the notebook. Scooting closer so he could look, he watched all the faces go by and knew for sure he had to get this young man out in the art world. He belonged there. He could see all of that in every detail that flashed by. But then the drawings stopped moving and he was able to see the right one. And he smiled.

"These are called sugar gliders. And I think that would be a wonderful pet for you to have." And Dal would be able to have them since they were legal outside the five boroughs in New York.

"Sugar gliders," he repeats, carefully sounding out the words. It's not terribly far from how to say it Korean, but he still struggles with getting the R and L sounds correct in English. Flipping to the next page, the little animals covered it in different poses and postures.

"I wanna get two so they don't get lonely."

"It isn't legal to have them here but if you were to come live with me then it would be there."

Since he lived outside of the boroughs it would be easy for him to make sure that Dal got to have this. And so much more as time went on too. They would really be able to help him live his every dream if Gabriel had any say in it. Which he knew that he'd like to just to see Dal be happy.

"Also I think two is a wonderful idea."

Oh. Dal looked up from the page, blinking. Did he just offer...?

"... live with you?" He heard that correctly, right? Oh, he hoped he did because Dal couldn't stop the grin spreading over his face. Those dark eyes lit up and he nodded eagerly as if he was being asked, not having it gently suggested.

"I wanna."

Gabriel gave him the warmest look when he saw Dal realize what he'd said. He nodded and smiled a little wider. "Yes. Live with me. If you really want to then you would be welcome to. I have another bedroom we can make yours until you feel comfortable enough for us to spend nights together."

Technically they already had but that wasn't the point in this moment.

Ah, what a nice thought! If Gabriel lived outside of the city, he probably has a house... with a yard! Dal's never had that, not even in Korea. His parents lived in a highrise condo in the city. But a yard should have flowers, for sure! Maybe he could learn to garden.

He felt his cheeks grow warmer and Dal pressed his lips together, looking down. "I like sleepin' next to you."

Gabriel knew in that moment he couldn't resist this bit of affection. Reaching out, he cupped Dal's chin gently to encourage him to look at him. Leaning forward just a little bit, he smiled at him and nodded.

"Then you are always welcome in my room until you are ready for it to be ours. I promise."

Looking up, he met Gabriel's eyes with such warmth. For the first time in a long time dal felt like... Well, like there was something to look forward to. Something to work toward and hope for. The dream of a life better than merely existing, one where he can be safe and happy and at Gabriel's side.

"Thank you." For not wanting to rush. For offering Dal everything he once dreamed of. For just being himself.

"You don't have to thank me. When I see you smile? That is thank you enough for me."

Gabriel then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Dal's forehead. The most he could afford to risk at the moment. For both their sakes and the sake of the case. Then he sat back to smile at him again.

"When I have a chance I'll get everything ready so you'll be able to have a warm and safe home to go to."

He dips his head slightly when Gabriel moves in close. He knows what's coming and he takes those fleeting seconds to savor the press of Gabriel's lips against his skin. His eyes fall closed and a soft little hum escapes him. Would he like a proper kiss? Oh, for sure. Is he going to press for it now? Absolutely not.

"I'll work hard til then." Because it doesn't sit right with him to expect Gabriel to support him completely. If he can manage to save up some money, maybe he could find a more legal-ish job outside of the city. Or he can work around Gabriel's house to earn his keep. The thought that Gabriel would want to take care of him like that never crosses his mind.

"Just take care of yourself until then. It will make me very happy to take care of you."

He brushed a thumb over his cheek and then finally sat back to lower his hands. Dal was really such a beautiful man. He felt lucky that Dal would want him at all. Gently, he stroked tucked a strand of that silvery blue hair back then nodded to the food. "Let's finish eating."

Gabriel might already realize it, but Dal feels much the same about him. He really is exactly the sort of man Dal used to dream of before the thought of a partner became unrealistic. Kind, warm, caring, and handsome on top of all that! It makes him wonder how Gabriel's able to endure the horrible things he must see and hear about every day in the course of his job. Dal couldn't do it, even knowing he's ultimately helping. That only makes him admire Gabriel more.

Closing his sketchbook, Dal sets it aside so they can return to the table and finish their meal before it gets too much colder. Once they were done, Dal helped to box up what was left and stow it in the minifridge in case either of them got hungry later. That's when he finally asks, "How long can I stay?" With Gabriel, he means.

"As long as you want to."

The days that followed were long and tiring with the defense trying so hard to prove their client innocent while knowing they stood no chance. After all, law enforcement had caught him in the act. Not only the police but the FBI as well. Getting him off the hook for this one? It was going to take a miracle that was never coming.

When the sentencing came about, Gabriel made sure that Dal knew about it. He had a right to. And then he met up with him after and swore he'd go get the house ready for him. That he wouldn't keep him waiting long.

What he didn't expect was a late night call from Dal. Before he even answered the phone he was already grabbing his keys and glasses as well as stepping into his shoes as he headed for his car. "Dal? Dal, what's wrong?"

Something that probably hasn't come up in conversation was Dal's incredibly poor sense of direction. He was comfortable in his little neighborhood because he's spent the last eight years learning those blocks. It's actually a little disorienting for him when he's outside of that familiar territory. That's a big part of the reason he didn't often do out-calls. That and the fact that he'd have to pay for a car to get wherever a client wanted him to go. No, he just wasn't that kind of whore. The work came to him, in his nice, comfortable handful of blocks.

This time? Well, the money was too good to pass up. A nice hotel in uptown; too nice for the likes of Dal. He definitely stuck out as he picked up the key that was left at the front desk for him. The clerk didn't meet his eyes, just directed him to the nearest elevator to hurry him out of the lobby.

At some point, things went fuzzy. When were there three people there? Three in addition to him. Everything blurred out of focus, features of faces he'd usually remember so clearly were soft and shapeless. Time slipped away from him, too. How long was he there? Dal didn't know for sure. It was getting dark when he arrived and it was dark when he was shooed out of the room and wobbled out of the hotel into unfamiliar streets. A spike of anxiety lanced through him at the strange buildings and the well-dressed people on the street around him.

It took him longer than he'd like to fish his phone out of the inner pocket of his coat. Longer still to scroll through his contacts with shaking hands to find Gabriel's name and press the button to call him. There was no way he could text right now. Reading was hard, his vision still too blurry.

At the sound of Gabriel's voice, he smiled in relief.

"I'm lost."

The answer came after a short delay for him to work at translating from English to Korean then from Korean back into English again. Even in those two words, his cadence was slower, the words even less articulated than usual.

There was something wrong with Dal's voice. He sounded drunk. Only he doubted that the other had touched a drop of alcohol so drugged was more likely. Frowning, he started up his car and immediately set out, putting his phone on the blue tooth for his car so he could have his hands free for driving.

"I'm going to be a bit but I'm on the way. Tell me what you see around you. I'll find you."

The main thing he knew was that he shouldn't go to Dal's usual neighborhood. If he didn't know where he was then he wasn't there. That meant he might be in a different part of the borough or another one entirely. Either way he'd find him.

"It's alright if you can read the signs. If you are able spell them out for me, alright?"

No, he definitely wasn't in his comfortable blocks of the Lower East Side. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, sounding out the words on signs until he started shuffling further down to the corner to find the street signs. Naming them revealed he was in Midtown. Not terribly far, but definitely not somewhere he would've walked on his own. It was so far out of his comfort zone that the enticement to go there must've been substantial.

Once there, he had the good sense to stop walking. How would Gabriel find him if he kept going? Besides, he was so tired. So tired, he leaned up against the nearest building and slid down to sit in the little notch by the window.

"Please hurry." Ha! Hurry in Midtown traffic? Dal wasn't thinking about anything but getting back to his apartment. Somewhere familiar and, thus, safe. Beyond that, every person that walked by sparked some alarm in him, maybe because there were so many of them, but also he couldn't clearly make out their faces. It was a little scary and he may or may not be panicking a little by the time Gabriel gets there.

Midtown. Alright. He knew where to go. And he recognized some of the locations as well. Grateful for that, Gabriel changed directions and was grateful this was late at night. It would make getting there easier. Going faster now, he ignored many of the laws of the road. His plates would mark him as FBI which would keep the cops from pulling him over and he was grateful for that in this moment.

"Stay on the phone with me, alright? I want to be able to hear you talking so I know that you're still there. Why don't you tell me about something new you've drawn? I'd like to hear about it."

It would be a good opportunity for him to be able to listen in on any background sounds too so he could better pinpoint him when he got there.

There's nothing unusual happening in the background: cars driving by, snippets of conversations as people pass by. It's not so late that the streets are empty, less busy than peak working hours, but there are still people around.

Dal leans back against the window behind him and closes his eyes, sighing heavily. Gabriel's talking, wants him to keep talking. It's difficult when he feels so tired. It's like everything feels heavy, even thoughts.

"Flowers," he finally answers. A few apartments on his block have flower boxes and now that spring's arrived, their plants have bloomed. "Neighbors have flowers." Wait, was that English? No, probably not so he repeated himself just in case.

"Flowers are beautiful. What colors are the flowers?" He kept his tone calm, even as he encouraged Dal to keep talking with him. It likely wasn't easy but this was something they needed to do in order to ensure that they'd get him to safety. That Gabriel could ensure this.

What colors? He would show Gabriel at some point. If they go back to his apartment, Dal's sketchbook is there and he can show him. They're so beautiful, bright pop of color against the dull bricks.

"Yellow, pink, uh," He furrows his brow a little. "Blue but not blue." Purple is the word he's looking for. "So pretty."

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