bsumone | ❝ Nobody knows where you’re going ❞

"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.

His eyes went wide at the mention of artichoke hearts. Shaking his head, he answered with a quiet "Uh-uh. Let's get 'em. If I don't like it, I can pick it off."

He didn't see what Gabriel selected for the crust, but he'll be happy when it arrives. He bounced a little on the balls of his feet. He wasn't terribly picky about food and trying new things didn't scare him.

"This is gonna be so good!" Dal even clasped his hands together in front of him in his excitement.

Adding that last bit, he put in the order. "It'll be here in about a half an hour then I'll run down to the lobby to get it. I take it you're staying in tonight?"

Setting his phone to the side, he finally turned his chair so he'd be able to fully face Dal. And he saw that robe slipping just a little so he just...reached and fixed it. No need for either of them to be distracted by that when they were waiting until the case was done. Nope.

"Did you sleep well?"

Those dark eyes followed Gabriel's hand and he didn't realize he was holding his breath. Once he realized what the agent was doing, he quickly moved to help, pulling the collar of the robe a little tighter.

"Uh, yes to both."

Dal glanced over to where his clothes hung and offered a shy little smile. "I'm gonna... get dressed though."

That way they could both be a little more comfortable. No danger of slips or too much distraction in shirt and pants. Dal padded off to the bathroom and returned a moment later. Instead of the full outfit, he just wore the long-sleeved t-shirt and his pants (belt hidden by his shirt).

"That's better," he declared with a silly little spin.

"I'm sure you'll be glad when you can access your home again to change clothes. If you want I'll drive you to the area tomorrow so you can check to see if it's unlocked yet." Since it wasn't so convenient to do it that night given how they were staying in. The least he could do was give him a ride the next day. With any luck he'd be able to get in to change finally.

Getting to his feet, he decided he was too tired to keep staring at the files. He had ideas for where the kill area was but it was better if he gave himself a break.

"So are you okay with me using the couch now that you've had a chance to see how comfortable it is?" he teased gently.

"Thanks." Dal just smiled and gave a little shrug about the clothes. It's not like he had more than four outfits, anyway. He usually slept in whatever he was wearing and made each outfit last a couple days. He didn't have easy access to a laundry.

A grin pulled at his lips and shook his head. "Nope. It's mine now. I refuse to give it up."

That made the man laugh. Not actually the response he was expecting and yet he loved how playful it was. The more he got to know Dal the more he realized how big his heart was. How playful he was. It was endearing and only served to make him more attractive honestly.

"I can't convince you?"

Ah, that laugh was such a nice sound. He wondered if Gabriel got to laugh often due to his work. Maybe with his mother? It's a nice thought.

Dal pursed his lips as if he was deep in thought. He rocked a little from side to side, looking back to the couch, then back to Gabriel.

"Mmmmm. I don't think so. You're just gonna have to take the bed."

"Oh no. The horror."

He patted the spot next to him on the couch. "Well until it's time to sleep we can share. There's plenty of room for that."

Especially when they were only going to talk and watch the TV.

He grinned and skipped over to flop on the couch. As much as he wanted to snuggle right up against Gabriel, he didn't. He made sure there was a respectable distance between them. Once the pizza arrives, he'd scoot over more so they could put the box between them.

"You stayin' in tonight, too?"

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