bsumone | ❝ Nobody knows where you’re going ❞

"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."

Blue but not blue... "Are they purple, Dal?"

Anything to keep him talking as he kept rushing. He was getting closer and closer, disobeying all traffic laws in the process and grateful that there were fewer people out this late at night. New York City might be the place that never sleeps but that didn't mean everyone was out all the time.

"Would you like to grow flowers at the house with me?"

He snaps his free hand and nods even though Gabriel can't see it. "Yeah, yeah, that's it -- purple!"

Dal smiles to himself, but it's probably audible in his voice. Listening to Gabriel helps him relax despite the people milling about and being in an unfamiliar place.

"Very much," he drawled happily. He's never so much as had a plant before, so he's not sure he'd be any good at it, but he could learn, right? Plenty of people grow plants. And he's already imagined a flower garden in Gabriel's yard... which he's never even laid eyes on.

"We'll turn the front of the house into a beautiful flower garden. How does that sound?"

Probably the backyard too. And make sure to have enclosures and play areas for sugar gliders if it was safe for that outside. He'd do the research to be absolutely sure, of course. "Do you have a favorite flower?"

Dal sighed on his end of the call, already having hazy visions of a house he's never seen with a garden in the front yard. "Wonderful," he breathed out, already so happy for this thing that hasn't even happened yet.

Favorite flower? There's only a brief pause before he spits out his answer gleefully. "Pityunia." And thankfully that sounds similar enough to its English equivalent petunia to be recognizable. "'specially the not-blue blue ones. Do you?"

"I don't know much about flowers. But I'm fond of roses because they're my mother's favorite."

Alright, he was in the right part of town now thanks to speeding. He looked around and slowed the car so he could make sure that he wasn't driving past him at a time when Dal really needed him the most. "I'm getting close now. Stay with me, alright? You can have a good nap once I get you in the car."

Oh, a nap sounded so nice! Yes, he'll probably nod off due to the steady motion of the car. But right now he's focused on flowers.

"Does she grow roses?" He would love to grow roses with her. That would be... just so nice! 'So nice' is apparently the furthest his mind can go right now.

"Are ya close? I miss seein' ya."

"She has roses she grows at her place. She'd love to show you how to grow them."

Adjusting his glasses, he kept looking around until he spotted the familiar things that Dal had mentioned to him. And that was when he saw a figure sitting against a wall. Gasping, he pulled the car over and Gabriel was out of the car immediately.

"Dal. Dal, I'm here." Pulling his coat off, he put it around him before gathering him into his arms to carry him to the car. "I have you. You're safe now..."

Those dark eyes blinked as Gabriel approached. They were bleary when they peered up at him, so much so that passersby might have thought he was drunk. But there's also a moment of confusion that shows on his features as he looks from Gabriel to his phone then back to Gabriel.

It's easy for the agent to gather him up from where he was sitting. Dal's borderline boneless and certainly lacking any strength or even will to resist. What Gabriel might notice that Dal hasn't is the angry bruising around his wrists that's easy to see when Dal reaches out for him.

"You're not in my phone anymore."

He noticed the bruises but decided to reserve being angry at whoever hurt him and drugged him later. For now he just got him into his car and buckled in. Smiling at him, he fixed his hair then pressed a kiss to his hair. "That's right. I'm here. Get some sleep and I'll take you home."

Not to Dal's place though. No, to his real home. Closing the door he made his way over to the driver's side and got himself buckled in to start the drive back. Now that the emergency had passed, he was able to actually obey the laws this time. Partially so he could hopefully let the other sleep off the drug a bit.

Dal smiled, and though it was so very tired, it was also so very happy. He really was glad to see Gabriel. So much so that he didn't tear his eyes away while Gabriel settled him in the car. They followed him through the windshield as he walked to the driver's side and got himself buckled in. Only once Gabriel was pulling back onto the road did Dal let out a little sigh and let his head roll back against the headrest.

A bunch of things floated through his mind at the mention of home, which he, of course, thought of as his little room above the Chinese restaurant. That's where his things were. Ah, but the thought of curling up in his own bed seemed divine. A shower, too, in that tiny shower stall. Maybe he'll be lucky enough to have enough hot water for the sort of shower that steams up the whole apartment! But sleep first. He was too tired to stand up and wash.

"Mmkay. Wake me up when we're there."

"I will."

But first he stopped by Dal's apartment so he could go inside and gather up his things. He had to fish around Dal's clothes carefully to get his keys but soon he had all the items in the back of his car. Clothes, makeup, toiletries, sketchbook... Basically everything that looked like it didn't belong there.

Then he made his way back to his place, glancing over and smiling at Dal sometimes. It was good to see him sleeping peacefully like this. He'd have to take care of those bruises and any others he found but that was an issue for when they got there.

Some time later, he pulled into his driveway and first got all of Dal's things out of his car and into the spare room. Tonight he'd have him sleep in his bed so he could keep an eye on him. But first he went down to gather him into his arms, trying to be careful to not wake him while carrying him into the house. Gabriel kept him tucked in close all the while though, ready to head up the stairs to the bedrooms. But he did pause to see if Dal was still asleep first.

All of his belongings fit perfectly in the duffle bag Gabriel would find there. Four or five changes of clothes, no pajamas, no underwear, a plethora of socks ranging from brand new to terribly worn, no extra shoes. And, of course, his makeup, toiletries, and his sketchbook. There's nothing in the minifridge worth keeping, just a box with some leftovers in it that Dal's honestly forgotten about. There isn't much to gather at all.

Dal doesn't rouse when the car finally stops again. But when he's jostled to be picked up, he makes a soft sound that indicates he may be waking up. He's cognizant enough of what's happening to wrap his arms around Gabriel's shoulders. Notably, he doesn't smell the lingering scent of Chinese food, which prompts him to pry one eye open.

This... definitely isn't anywhere near his apartment. For a second, his heart starts to race and panic edges in around his mind. But, then he remembers he's with Gabriel. That means he's safe. Is this Gabriel's home?

"... where?"

"Home."

He smiled down at him then brought him up the stairs into his room. Gently he set him down on the bed before kneeling before him to help get his clothes off. Dal would need an entirely new wardrobe but they could figure that out later. Right now he just wanted to get him out of these so he could better see the bruises.

"You're safe here. I got all of your things too, I promise."

Home. Gabriel's home, for sure. This was far too nice to be anywhere near where Dal lived. He sat on the bed, wobbled a little, and then took a look around to see what kind of place Gabriel called home.

Oh, but he's getting undressed. Dal helps how he can, sitting up a little off the mattress, lifting his arms over his head. He's a waif of a thing under his clothes. Thin, skinny even, just shy of looking malnourished. The sharp collar bones and faintly visible lines of his ribs only add to that look. There are more bruises to be found, too: wrists, shoulders, something that looks suspiciously like finger impressions around the base of his neck, like someone held down with their weight behind it.

And in his current state of mind, being undressed like that's definitely got him thinking one thing. Even like this, his instinct is to turn it on, going all half-lidded smiles and being oh-so-solicitous in the way Dal drapes his arms over Gabriel's shoulders. The smile on his lips is different than the sort he normally gives to Gabriel, his eyes are distant in a way that has nothing to do with whatever he's been drugged with. It's like the light in them suddenly dimmed.

Gabriel was just setting something aside when he realized something was off. Turning back, he found Dal offering himself to him. That was... That was not at all what he'd meant by this so he took his wrists and gently guided him back so he could put those hands in Dal's lap. Then he gave him a kind smile.

"Not tonight. I want you to tell me when you're ready. When you aren't drugged." Then he went to help him out of his pants too. All of the bruises... He wished he had a way to track down who did this but he knew he didn't.

"Dal, stay here a moment, alright? I'm going to go get a cream for the bruises and something for you to eat," he informed him as he grabbed a blanket to drape over him so Dal wouldn't get too cold while he was waiting for him.

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