Welcome to Gaia! ::

Abel felt his whole face burn when she kissed him on the cheek. He stood there for a minute and watched as she walked away. He had been kissed on the cheek a lot of time, but all by old ladies or his mom and aunts. He looked down at his feet and laughed a bit at her comment.

"But I want to..." he said slowly and looked back up, his cheeks turning back to their normal temperatures. "I can't stand a dirty place. It's always been a habit of mine. At my old place, I'd clean every day. Sometimes it just kept my mind off other things, it helped a lot. Instead of smoking, I cleaned." He laughed at how pathetic that sounded before going into the kitchen.

He watched Alice collect things and looked around, there were so many things that were foreign. A box with buttons, some put with a blade inside of it, nearly everything was so futuristic it blew his mind, but he kept quiet, not wanting to sound too much more like a freak than he already was. "What kind of food do you have?" He asked as he moved out of the way for her to pass by him. "I've read so many cook books these past years that I feel like I'm some library or something. I can't remember everything of course, but I memorized some of the stuff I thought sounded the best."

Again he sighed at how emasculate that sounded, more and more he remembered why none of the kids liked him when he still was 'alive'. His eyes moved back to her with a smile. "I can ride horses." He tried to save his dignity by mentioning some sort of masculine trait...though even that sounded less masculine than he wanted. "I went to school too." With another sigh he rubbed at his hair and went into quiet mode.

Everything he said made himself sound weaker and weaker. "When does Talen get back anyways? Where does he work? You know, I used to work...only off and on jobs though, whenever I found work. My mom spent all the money on her horses. Kind of a waste...but I can understand." He shrugged and looked over to a loaf of bread. He picked it up and studied it. "They sliced it and wrapped it up so neatly. And it's so white! This is bread isn't it?"

((And he can lift weights, and shoot guns, and play chess, and smoke cigars, and and...he's such a sissy boy. Haha.

I've got something in mind...but I kinda want to wait until the next day or something...D: Maybe I'll make it happen soon like.))

((Of course he is. All the guys look up to him. When he walks down the street people stop to wonder if any guy could be so manly and amazing. haha.))

Abel wasn't sure what to say to Alice's comments about offending her or Talen's lack of cleanliness. But when she was obviously joking around he gave her a crooked smile. The whole time he had been here, he realized, was spent smiling, laughing, and talking, and it made him amazingly comfortable. Sure, in heaven there was all of that and more, but being here with people who still had problems and still had life to live through, it made it so much different. It felt more perfect to laugh with Alice and Talen than it did with Hans or anyone else back "home".

He studied the ingredients given to him and his eyes lit up. "I know what I can make!" He said excitedly and put the ingredients down on the counter top. "I read in a cook book once how to make these things called omelets. Supposedly everyone in America loves them." His delight seemed to radiate off him as he took one of the pans Alice had gotten out and looked at the stove. He figured it was where the flames came out of, so he carefully placed it on one of the spots.

"Horses! My mom had a few, and she taught me how to ride them when I was just a kid. I had a tall black one named Xavier. He was the best horse." He began as he examined the dials on the stove. He pushed it once, nothing happened, twisted it slightly and it didn't budge. Finally he pushed and twisted and flames shot forth. Abel yelled out and stumbled backwards, grabbing the edge of the counter to balance himself. "Goodness me. It's like the flames of hell decided to attack me or something!" He let his heart settle down before easing back over to the stove and letting the flames die down just a bit.

"A pet shop? Sounds fun!" He skillfully cracked open a few eggs into a bowl and started to add some of the vegetables, cheese, and milk into the mix. "I hope they'll turn out okay. I've never made them before, just read them. I could have cooked them, but Hans never let me near any fire. He said I wasn't ready yet...so he cooked for me instead." He mused, sounding like an old grandpa telling childhood stories around the dinner table. "But I did cook all the time for my mom, so it's not like I've never used fire or anything, just not the way back where I just came from. It's different there. More manual...REALLY manual." He beat the eggs and turned around to look at Alice.

"...what exactly is that thing?" He stared at the giant hole in the counter, plates and dishes all inside. "Do those CLEAN YOUR DISHES?!" His eyes widened. "Oh if I had that back then I'd have had so much less trouble! I broke so many plates back then! Watery hands with glass aren't good! Especially MY watery hands with glass! Shards everywhere, and I always cut myself trying to pick it up!"

((Back in the day, I remember when we had to live in a tin can in the sewer, ate gravel for breakfast, and worked 30 hours a day, and we were grateful!

You darn youngin's with your techNOLOGY.

Lawlz.))

"A...laundromat?" Abel stared at Alice for a moment before smiling and turning around. He put some oil into the heating pan and then put some of the chopped meat into it. The meat sizzled and started to brown as he pushed it around. "Sounds like a space ship or something. The laundromat." After the meat was fully cooked he dumped the egg and other ingredients on top of it.

After five minutes or so, the omelets were completely done. He quickly got the pan off the stove, this time not nearly burning the house down and slid them onto plates Alice had gotten out. "I guess it will be like breakfast for dinner." He mused as he examined some oranges, apples, and bananas. With the utmost skill he sliced them up and arranged them on the plates so that it looked like a work of art.

Putting them on the table, he put covers on top, knowing eggs cooled fast, and looked back to Alice. "What do you and Talen usually have to drink?" He leaned against the counter. Already he felt at home here, as if this were his own place, and he were with family again. His soft demeanor was wearing away into a more laid-back and calm tone. Wiggling his toes he looked to the window, noticing the sun going down. The sky was beautiful.

((Lol s**t rolling. My friend in anatomy said his papers looked like s**t and I said "only if you poop paper...than yah." ;D

That's the end of my story. Hope you enjoyed it.))

Abel laughed as Alice looked at the plates and shook his head. "It's no problem, really, I enjoyed myself. And I guess this is to start paying off my debt for those clothes you got me. Consider me your butler." He smiled jokingly to her and glanced up when Talen came into the doorway.

Abel's eyes lit up and he raised a hand. He stared at the cash that Talen dropped on the counter and he leaned towards it. It was definitely American tender. "Wow...but you know, that's unhealthy..." He began when Talen mentioned working overtime. Abel's eyes studied Talen as he grabbed the plate and moved out of the kitchen.

When Alice looked over to him, Abel smiled back a bit unsteadily. He could feel a strange atmosphere from Talen and Abel didn't really like it much. He rubbed his arm slightly and took his own plate of food. "You should eat! I'm gonna go talk to Talen. Maybe I can help him on his homework." He grinned as he took a fork from where Talen grabbed his and wandered off after the other boy. "I'll be back in a few minutes, you can tell me what you thought of my food."

Once Abel caught up with Talen he stood in the doorway and put some apple into his mouth, watching his new friend carefully. The apples tasted wonderful...strangely more wonderful than they were in Heaven. "How was work? I heard you worked with animals. I love animals myself." He said after swallowing. "Can't you just join your sister and I to eat? I mean...I think she'd like that..." He paused and glanced down at the food. "I was kind of looking forward to eating with a family again."

((Awwww...you can't say no to that! ))

((Haha it's quite alright. I completely understand! School comes first!))

Abel smiled at Talen the best he could. There was that strange uneasiness about the atmosphere that made Abel want to yell something to wake someone up. Like someone was sleeping for too long and they needed to wake up or they'd miss an important event. It made him somewhat sick, a feeling he hadn't felt in so long.

When Talen stumbled over his words, Abel tilted his head and was about to say something before he stood up and started to walk away. "Thank you." He said quietly, mostly to himself, as he followed Talen downstairs. He carefully sat down at the table and grinned at Alice when they sat down. He noticed her eyes were glistening and his heart dropped slightly at the look of pained smiles. He wanted to say she didn't have to fake anything...but it didn't seem like the right time. There were some things that were better left said when no one else was listening.

While they ate, Abel suddenly felt older. After a day here he already felt old. Never did he feel tired or weakened in Heaven, but here, he felt drained. It wasn't just his body, but his heart. Every now and then he'd see a few gestures or a glance in a certain way that told him something needed mending, something was broken, and he didn't know what. The fact he didn't know made him somewhat upset. To him, it felt like he should know it all and should be able to fix it up in a second.

Once Talen left, Abel watched Alice get up. "I can clean up. Don't worry. I was the one that made them dirty, right?" He smirked a bit before she looked at him and he paused, waiting for that unspoken word to come out. His face instantly looked more mature. A strange metamorphosis came over him that made him appear a couple years older and a million years wiser. "Of course." He replied knowingly, moving himself so he was facing her directly.

He pushed some curls from his forehead and studied Alice's face. "I'm here to listen. If all you need is just someone to listen to you, than I'm here." He smiled reassuringly, a silence filling the room, but it was a waiting silence, nothing awkward or unsettling about it.

((WOAH. I had a dream...that gave me a lot of good plot ideas...it was pretty insane. D: But also kinda scary at the same time...

Like it started with me being somewhere and there were like demons and stuff around and I was talking with someone and then like this angel all of a sudden appeared and it was like some major event cause everyone was talking about it and then he began talking to someone as I went over to some demon to talk...

Then all of a sudden I was in the angel's point of view and I was trying to hide this wrapped up thing, and didn't know what it was. I was at this party and someone kept trying to take it from me and I was running away, going through walls or some s**t and it kept happening and then finally I got to this place and shoved it into a box and for some reason the room burst into flames and two girls caught on fire. So I forced someone to help take one of them while I took the other.

And since they were almost dead I used my crazy awesome healing powers to heal them (which healed the building too...somehow...), most of the way. I remember they were still somewhat burnt. And then some lady saw me and was like "Oh thank you lord. Oh you're a gift from god." Or some weird stuff...

And then I woke up. xD

Hahaha. I had to type it up though...or else I'd forget it all. D: ))

Abel remained patient as she thought over her decision to say anything. "Nothing leaves this room unless you want it to." He said softly, like talking to a child. His blue eyes were calm, gentle, and understanding, like a placid lake. As Alice got herself together he let her hand drape over his and he put another hand on top, holding it in a soothing manner.

As Alice began to talk, he continued to watch her, nodding a bit when it was appropriate. Her words made his heart drop more. It was as he suspected...something was going on. Something that could hurt Talen and probably Alice as well. It was strange for him to worry so much over two people he just met, but he did. He didn't know why, but he felt it was his job to make them happy, he felt linked with them.

He lifted a hand when she looked to the side and gently took her chin in his fingers and turned her head to look at him, eyes worried. "Alice, you don't seem stupid at all. I understand why you're so worried about him. I never had any sisters or brothers, but there was one time in my life where I met someone that I loved...and I can kind of understand your worry. It's perfectly normal to worry about your family, especially someone so close to you.

"When I first came here I felt lost...I had no idea what I was doing here. But I think I do now...I feel like I'm here for you and Talen, like whatever it is I have to do, is for you two. I want to help you Alice, I need to help you. For a weird reason I feel so heart broken to see you distraught and torn up over whatever Talen has tangled himself into. So it's not just you. I promise I will try whatever to fix this. No matter what it takes, I WILL fix this."

His eyes sparked up and his tightened into a frown. Finally he let go of her chin and rubbed her hand a bit. "For now though, try not to think about it too much. It's obviously wearing you down. You should take some time to yourself. It's healthy to worry, but not all the time." Giving her a little smile his serious demeanor cracked and he got up, picking up his plate as he went to the sink. "I'll clean the dishes tomorrow, okay? You should go to bed. Let me worry about everything else for the next few days."

((It WAS crazy! I think it happened because I was thinking of a post as I drifted off into sleep. But yeah, hopefully it will give us some ideurs. Haha.))

Abel nodded to her as she got up and started to walk away. When she turned back around he glanced over to her and raised his brows. "Oh, of course! Honestly, just allowing me to stay in your home is all I could possibly ask for. But if I do think of anything, I'll let you know." His eyes lit up in amusement as she walked away. "Good night and sweet dreams." He called to her as she disappeared.

Once she was gone he moved to the sink and washed the dishes. After they were cleaned he put them into the dishwasher. After a few more minutes of wiping down the counters, pans, and table, he roamed around the house a bit. As he moved around he put things up and away if they were misplaced, or wiped dust from surfaces. Finally he came across the living room where the couch was. He figured he'd sleep there.

After taking off his socks, vest, and scarf, he sat down and pulled a blanket from the top of the couch and spread it out over him. Only a few minutes after he closed his eyes, he was knocked out for the night.

LALA SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP

The minute he felt the sun rising, he was up and active. The energy that ran through his veins felt so intense that he had to keep moving. He was quiet as possible as he cleaned the house, scrubbing the floors, dusting the cabinets, cleaning the windows, everything that he felt needed cleaning, was cleaned within the few hours of being awake. The house was immaculate. All the photos were perfectly angled, all the books were aligned, even alphabetized, and the rugs were centered exactly.

Even after a few hours of cleaning, he was still ready to do more. Something inside of him told him Talen and Alice would be up soon, and hence...he started to cook a huge breakfast. He had scrounged up some frozen sausage, eggs, strawberries, bagels, orange juice, milk, bacon, and toast. He moved around the kitchen with a smile as the sounds and smells of food drifted throughout the cleaned house. He wanted to sing, but kept himself from doing so, knowing it'd wake the others up.

If he had been a girl, it'd have looked like a diligent mother making everything ready for her kids. Except he wasn't female, and he wasn't their father, mother, or grandparent, or at least not that he knew of.

Even a bird sat on the window sill, watching him work. Every now and then he'd say something to it and it'd whistle to him as if in a conversation.

((HAHAHA. I wish I had him in my house...that'd be AMAZING. D: ))

((Haha poor Talen. He's gonna have to get used to it. xD ))

Abel lifted his head as he heard something thump upstairs, eyes lighting up as the noises turned into groaning and fumbling. He grinned to himself as he flipped some of the sausage over and turned to cutting up the fruit. Already he had set out some glasses of orange juice, milk, and water. He wasn't sure what their preference was.

The bird in the window whistled and Abel looked over to it, raising a hand. It fluttered away just as Abel heard Talen walking down the stairs, with him he carried a confused air that Abel could feel growing heavier as the other boy got closer and closer. "Good Morning!" Abel said cheerfully when he saw Talen emerge from the doorway. "I hope it's okay I allowed myself to your cleaning supplies...I found them stuffed away under your water holder and spout. Quite a mess down there too, cleaned it a bit. Your house must have gone uncleaned for weeks! You had some mold in your bathroom tiles. Rather disturbing, you can get sick, but don't worry, I cleaned it all up for you."

He started to assort all of the food he had ready on one plate. Making them perfectly separated and neatly apart from each other, like a grid. "I hope you like the stuff I found. Oh I do hope it was okay for me to be doing all of this. I didn't want to disturb anything...but I just sat there looking at all the mess and I just felt antsy! I HAD to do something! Otherwise I'd go bonkers." He exclaimed and placed a large plate of food in front of Talen.

"Oh yes...you see...I was starring at your photos...and they all were a bit crooked. It just made me uneasy. I tried to refrain from touching them, afraid they'd break...but it was just too much." He rubbed at his head and went back to work on Alice's breakfast.

"Do you go to school today?" He glanced over at Talen from his position over the stove, bacon and eggs sizzling in their pans.

((Someone's a bit of an early bird!))