Private Finished I don't deserve...

Once he hung up, Yuki turned to Gabe. Honestly, he was so cold that he was shivering, but he shook his head politely at the offer of sharing the handwarmer. He could put up with a few more moments of cold if it meant Gabe would be fine. If he was anything like Carmin, the cold could seriously be a problem for him.

...which made Yuki feel a pang of guilt again. He felt his expression somber as he looked away from his friend. Gabe had gone through that for him... Gabe had suffered through the cold as he'd chased Yuki. Gabe had endured the cold temperatures as he'd waited for Yuki to wake up. Gabe had...
Yuki really didn't understand it. Why was Gabe so nice? Why hadn't he left Yuki already?

Sometimes, Yuki still blamed himself for what happened with Yato. Sometimes he wondered if it was his fault. If he wasn't a good enough friend. He'd done everything Yato had ever asked, and yet he still hadn't been enough, somehow. Yato had cast him aside like he was nothing, as if all those years together were as insignificant as dust in the wind... The boy was scared. Terrified that Gabe might cast him aside too, if he wasn't good enough. He didn't want to lose another friend. He didn't to be left behind again.

Ace's familiar car pulled up in the distance, but Yuki didn't speed up. He wanted just a few more moments. Just a few more minutes of this...

Yuki was too lost in his thoughts to respond properly to Gabe's words or actions, still frowning a little as he was pulled along and put his seatbelt on out of habit rather than conscience. He was still lost in his headspace, thoughts lazily swirling around and bubbling up to the surface. It was nice to be warmer though, and Yuki felt the shivers recede. He greeted Ace once more out of habit and took to staring out of the window.

Until Gabe nudged his shoulder.

"Huh...? Oh, um, yeah." He agreed, not really having been paying attention. "I'm glad to be out of the cold." He smiled slightly. "Ace, could you direct the heating back here a bit more, if you don't mind?" He asked, mindful of Gabe's condition. The other teen was still shivering even though Yuki was quickly warming up. Yeah... Gabe really was susceptible to the cold. It made him feel worse...

He hoped it didn't show on his face.

Yuki smiled as he watched Gabe relax into the warmth. It was kind of cute, watching him feel so at home so quickly. If it were Yuki, his head would probably be spinning around like crazy now, thinking of all the ways he could possibly embarrass himself. Still watching Gabe, Yuki smiled as his friend put his hand on his. Gabe was still kind of cold, but Yuki's hand was already warm. The boy was kind of surprised to feel a firmness to them, a little rougher than his own.

"Hey, Gabe...what's your place like?" The bard decided that he ought to stir up some kind of conversation, to prevent both of them getting too caught up in their thoughts. A quick glance at the sat nav told him they were near their destination, so he'd only have to keep it up for a few moments. Something told him he wouldn't be able to use his butterfly persona tonight, and that it wasn't quite appropriate. He'd have to do this as himself.

The white-haired boy was surprised. A two bedroom apartment... a 2LDK? 2 rooms, a living room, dining room and kitchen... it sounded nice. Maybe it'd be stylish, like the ones he'd seen on TV. Knowing Gabe, it was probably clean, too. Gabe seemed like quite a put-together guy, maybe in the past he would've been a bit rougher, but now... well, since he worked in a flower shop it would probably be clean and filled with flowers. Yuki liked the idea.

It wasn't like Yuki didn't note the slightly troubled look in Gabe's smile. It matched his own - the boy had probably been right. But now wasn't the time for more sadness. Yuki had brightened up a little, so it was Gabe's time to as well!

Wait. Sleepover? As in, right now? "You mean right now?!" Yuki looked over to Ace, who gave him a noncommittal shrug. Well, if Ace wouldn't snitch, then... "I mean... I guess I could...check if my schedule was free..." He didn't want to sound too excited. Maybe Gabe didn't even mean it as today. He tried not to get his hopes up as he also looked away, trying not to pressure Gabe.

Ah... he knew it. He was glad he didn't get his expectations too high, but it still kinda deflated him a little. Damned would he be if he let it show, though! He had to save at least a little face.

"Yeah, that's fine. I was kinda worried about what my parents would say anyway." It wasn't a lie, but it kind of felt like one. He was downplaying his disappointment so hard that it was pretty much invisible. In fact, maybe he'd overdone it a little. Gabe had sighed when he got out of the car. With a casual goodbye and making sure they drove off, Yuki began sulking in earnest.

He hoped Gabe hadn't seen through his bluff. It didn't seem like he had, so it was probably fine. Besides, this was for the better. Yuki knew for a fact that he wouldn't want to suddenly be imposed on, so he didn't know how he hadn't... no. He shook his head. No dark thoughts! If he let himself go there, he'd be a mess all over again, and Gabe's hard work would all be for naught. Plus Ace might find out. Yuki couldn't afford to have his insecurities outed to everyone.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Yuki said to Ace with a smile. "I'll make sure to show you my gratitude in earnest once we've rested. Apologies for the nuisance..." He said.

Later that night, having bathed and climbed into bed as quietly as possible, Yuki looked out at the sky. The moon shone down gently, and the snow glistened in the moonlight. A lot had happened tonight, all in the space of a few minutes...

And with that, the boy drifted off to sleep, to dream of hardship, friendship and all things inbetween. Tomorrow he'd give Ace a bonus, and probably hand Gabe something as thanks. What a crazy night it had been...