yrs,

ｒｅｂｅｃｃａ＇ｓ  ｗａｒｄｒｏｂｅ

ｌｉｏｎｅｌ＇ｓ  ｗａｒｄｒｏｂｅ

Mickey looked at him with a bit of confusion, a bit of hurt  ——  why did there need to be any mercy? “Jeeze, chill. I just helped move your shit here and ate his ex out. You think I need to show anyone mercy?”

 “I don’t want to move, man. I just wanna go to bed,” he said, despite having his mother’s voice in his head telling him that he shouldn’t. Sleeping after a concussion meant a coma, in her words. Was it true? He had no idea. But fuck it. 

“Slipped and fell? How the hell was this the big sports star of high school? How much brain damage do you think he has by now?” Mickey couldn’t help but laugh, uncaring of the fact that Gabriel was standing right there. She paused, finally getting up to figure out wherever the Ziploc bags were. “Fine. I’ll do this for you, not for your man.”

Gabriel allowed Lionel to pull him in closer, despite wanting to try to do it on his own. It probably was smarter that way  ——  and could prove to himself that he could be close to Lionel again in public. “I’m really fine, I just need to take a nap.”

“Really? Did Becca actually knock you out?” she asked Gabriel, wondering what on Earth happened. She looked back to Lionel, wondering why he was so bratty all of a sudden. “Hey, you can do it yourself. Your man, your Ziploc bag to fill.”

Gabriel shrugged at the question, trying his best to walk off from Lionel on his own without falling over. “I’m just gonna lay down, guys. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Mickey was looking at one of Lionel’s comics, almost not even glancing up at the two entering. She paused, wondering if it was even smart to say anything. Eh, fuck it. Who cared about smart? “You two love birds get your shit together?” she asked. “Who scared Becca away?”

Gabriel rolled his eyes, remaining quiet as he felt his nerves rise.

“Now that you won’t tell me, yeah. Maybe.”

“... Maybe, like, a year or something. But that could’ve just been infatuation.”

“A while…? Like a week? Two?”

“Does it really matter? I mean, the feeling is still the same.”

“I’ll try to be more… chill. When Mickey makes any stupid comments,” Gabriel insisted, knowing that was his primary downfall. “Or anyone does. I don’t want to fuck this up again.”

“… How long have you known that you love me?” she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“Or I just… don’t get it. It might be the concussion, I, uh, think. Or I just don’t get it,” Gabriel admitted, slipping slightly on the ice as they walked. “Fucking shit. Ugh. I… I’m still me. I-I’m still not ready… for all the public stuff.”

“I don’t get it either,” he chuckled. None of what he felt had made sense to him, he wasn’t sure it ever would either, but he decided very recently that he didn’t care anymore. “That’s okay. You know what? You’re worth the wait.”

“I still deeply care about you. I hope you understand that,” she said, opening up her arms for a hug. 

Home. That’s right. He had a home with Lionel now. A place that he didn’t have to worry about what he did or said. “That sounds great,” Gabriel said, leaning almost all of his weight onto the other male. “Are you… are you really sure you want to be with me?”

“Doesn’t it?” Lionel said, beaming from the outcome of this horribly disastrous year. “Either you’re super concussed, or you just love validation, but yes. I haven’t been more sure about anything else in my whole life.”

“N-No, no, you can. Just… I don’t feel right saying it, at least not yet,” Bellamy quickly insisted. She knew she had already told him that this was going to be the case, that she wasn’t going to be quick to love. “I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t just ruin the morning for you.”

“Y… You…. okay,” Bellamy said, not knowing what to say back to that. She didn’t feel love for him, at least not yet. She knew it was there, deep down, but it wasn’t quite there. “You’re really… you’re going there, huh? Thanks. And, yeah, yeah. Breakfast sounds good.”

Shit. This was actually happening. Gabriel felt his knees giving out underneath him, as he returned the kiss. “I think I’m… gonna pass out, El,” he said, pulling back from the kiss.