Disaster

Dani: hospitalized.

Xavier: missing, presumed dead.

Gabriel?

Gabe was barely holding it together. First the lunch hall incident, now Xavier vanishes while saving his sister from drowning. Is this real life at this point or was Gabe trapped in a nightmarish drama that kept slapping him in the face at every turn.

Skidding at the crosswalk, he could see the hospital across the street and the crossing light could not have lit up fast enough. His sneakers slid on the foyer floor, and seeing Angelo brought up tears he didn't think he'd have. He was tired, he was upset, he was beyond pissed, but hopefully there would be good news from this.

He powerwalked (running was bad as one of the nurses had given him the stink-eye upon his arrival) and crashed into Angelo and tightly wrapped the teen in an embrace.

"...how is she doing?" He muttered softly, trying to pull himself into something somewhat presentable.

Gabe let himself be guided towards a seat, holding both of his hands together tightly as possible. He took a deep breath in, then exhaled. He tried to tune out all the noise in the hospital and just focused on centering himself. Meditation wasn't ever something he really believed worked, but he felt his stomach settle and eventually he relaxed entirely.

"Sorry for bein' a mess. I don't think I'm dealing with this well. Xavier massively screws up, then Dani nearly drowns and he saves her but disappears and is most likely dead. I'm mad at this situation, yet I'm sad that someone I called a friend is gone." He paused, looking down one of the hallways. "Never mind how Dani's gonna feel when she wakes up tomorrow morning, if she's not awake already."

The teen slowly began to lean towards Angelo's shoulder, but hesitated before sitting upright. "...How are you holding up?"

"You would be perfect at handling disasters, Mister Former Teenage Superhero." Gabe let out a weak laugh, settling into the awkward half-hug. He felt somewhat selfish, constantly looking to Angelo for comfort and support. They were barely dating, but Gabe wasn't sure there was anyone else to reach out to for support.

His best friend was still missing, which was another stressor that lingered in the back of his head. Xavier was a criminal and the root of the current emotional crisis Gabe was facing, and his mother would worry about her child hanging out with bad people again.

So Angelo it was.

"I guess when you... deal with it, let me know. I'll be there for you like you've been for me. I care about you, Angelo, and I want you to know that."

Gabe remained silent for a long moment, lips pursed tightly as if thinking.

"I should be okay after a bit. I'm kind of used to handling things on my own. I'm not super used to having... support. Back home I just had two people: mom and Diego. I couldn't talk to mom about it and Diego had his own troubles and didn't need mine with it."

Gabe let out a sigh, curling into himself on the seat. With his knees to his chest and an arm resting on top, he felt so... frail. So tiny. Just like in Halcyon.

"Having you as support is nice but I worry that I'm being too needy. Too greedy with your attention, even. I'm not used to opening up as much as I have with you. I'd known Diego for years and I hid a lot even from him."

Gabe couldn't help but give a smile at Angelo's answer. He did offer to listen, sure, but he was sure that the blond had no idea how much he enjoyed their time together. It was honestly the one thing keeping him sane currently.

At the mention of Diego, his smile faltered slightly. It was a nicer topic to discuss, sure, but there was still that lingering worry in the back of his head. "You know Diego. You know him very well, actually. Or at least you'll never forget one another." Gabe grinned, turning to look at Angelo.

"He was my best friend growing up. Even more than that, honestly. We were thick as thieves and very much like brothers in all but name. He practically lived at my house with how often we were together." Gabe paused, looking away for a moment. This was one of those personal moments that Gabe had kept close, no one knew about it. But Angelo wanted to talk and he was a very understanding listener.

"He was... well... It's hard to say out loud. Diego was my first..." Gabe felt his cheeks grow hot and he looked out towards the lobby. "First inkling that I wasn't entirely straight. It was a conflicting time for a while, but we drifted apart due to my personal issues."

"We met up again when I was doing the villain thing and then... and then...!" Gabe buried his head in his knees, shoulders beginning to shake. He remained hidden for a moment before looking back up with a few tears streaming down his face.

But these were not tears of sorrow, but ones of Gabe giggling like an idiot. "Then you shot him right in the groin!" He whispered, still giggling at the memory. It had looked horrible at the time, but it was hilarious to think about now.