More than Alike

Gabe looked at the police officer very confused. He was backing off? That was surprising. He was so used to cops being pushy and aggressive, especially when questioning someone. This seemed very off. It was almost as if Officer Genovese was trying to make him open up more and be more susceptible to getting led on.

Probably not, though.

This was Angelo. Well, an alternate version of him, but Angelo all the same. He was kind. The man was probably trying to make actual conversation. Great. Now Gabe was the asshole in this situation. How unsurprising that he jumped to conclusion.

"No, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to snap. I'm... not so great with cops. And you calling Xavier a 'fish' was kinda disrespectful. He didn't choose to become a mermaid. He's just a dumb teenager who made a few really, really bad decisions and got punished for it. Probably in a few ways he didn't deserve." Gabe let out a sigh. "He is... was, I don't know. At one point in time and maybe down the road once he gets everything settled, he'll be my friend. For now, though, his getting help is more important."

Mermaids were uncommon? That seemed surprising, considering how many dragons and other fantasy creatures seemed to be all over the island. Although Officer Genovese had a point. Mermaids generally wouldn't be coming onto land since they lived in the sea. So having someone turn into a mermaid would be quite the uncommon thing to have happen. Especially to a random criminal teenager who supposedly died at sea then came back to life like he was some kind of fish messiah.

"It makes sense Angelo doesn't want to talk about it. It was... very tense at the beach. Xavier had called me to tell me he was alive and gave me his location. I called Angelo and we both met him there. Angelo was livid, I just wanted answers. Xavier was in the middle of a panic attack and let a name slip out: 'Michael'." Gabe kept talking, only pausing to occasionally take a sip of coffee before continuing. "Apparently, Michael was a 'friend' who had enlisted Xavier to help with a prank. The prank obviously being the whole incident with the holy water. For some reason, he took the fall and never mentioned that Michael was a part of it."

"Where Michael actually exists or not is another story, but when Angelo heard about this... It went south quickly. Angelo let his temper flare; he yelled at Xavier and called him out on his behavior and how his actions led him to where he was now. He stormed off, I stayed with Xavier until the paramedics arrived, and then went off to find Angelo to figure out what his problem was."

Where we had a long conversation about ourselves and ended up kissing. Twice.

Gabe felt his cheeks turn pink at the memory, and he quickly took another sip of his coffee to try and ignore that thought for the moment.

"I have no idea. Honestly, I'm more worried about his mental state. In the course of a week, he's lost his friends, his reputation, almost lost his sister, and arguably now, his legs. As horrible as it sounds, I'm honestly surprised he hasn't attempted to harm himself. Or worse." Gabe sighed.

"Do I think he should tell the police? Absolutely. Halcyon wasn't kind to people like Xavier and I. Did things we're not proud of to survive. We get a fresh new start, and he's been suckered in by some sort of demon racist who might, in a worse case scenario, flared up a whole wave of backlash against the Halcyonite refugees. I told him to tell the officer everything when they arrived with the paramedics, but whether he did or not, I don't know."

Taking a long drink of his coffee and emptying his cup, he set it down by his feet. "I don't want to make excuses for him if he didn't, but he might have been in shock and hasn't said anything. And I am aware of the perjury charge. I don't know why he didn't mention this friend of his before now, or if that friend is real or not, but he needs to start attempting to shape up. He has people who are waiting for him."

How... delightfully optimistic.

Or unaware. Angelo thought his whole rap sheet was condensed down to petty theft? Oh, that was a hoot and a half. With a look of disinterest, as if reciting words off of a page, Gabe began to speak in a hushed tone. "Yes, I was a former villain. I wasn't a petty thief. My rap sheet would have contained crimes such as extortion, assault and battery, destruction of private property, breaking and entering, and probably a few others I can't think of at the moment. Halcyon was not kind to everyone, and knowing what I did to survive at the cost of my ethics is something I get to live with for the rest of my life."

Gabe let out another sigh, looking to the closed door to Dani's room. "I get a chance to start over, Officer Genovese. Xavier has a chance to start over. Despite this... horrendous mess of a setback. I'm just hoping it doesn't hurt Dani too much. She doesn't deserve the kind of nonsense Xavier and I went through."

Gabe just stared at Angelo for a long moment. So, apparently the alternate Angelo was a murderer with a high kill count. Who was now a cop. Amazing. Stupendous. What the actual fuck. Yet, having someone who knows what it's like to be a criminal, to do bad and now try to do good...

It was reassuring.

As the man sat next to him, Gabe really studied his facial features. He could see so much of the other Angelo: the blond hair, the soft blue eyes... it was uncanny. It made sense; the two were alternate universe versions of each other, but it was still weird to see up close. The long hair, though, was different. He tried to picture 'his' Angelo with longer hair, and it would be very attractive. But it probably wasn't his style.

"The island is good about rehabilitation? You have a functional justice system that isn't terrible and easily exploited?" Gabe said, sounding a little snappy. He flinched and let out another sigh. "Sorry. I'm still a bit stressed. But, really, if this island can help Xavier, help Dani... it'd really make things easier."