Welcome to Gaia! ::

Dante had been surprised earlier when Jeremy had called a staff meeting, though he suspect it was more to cover his own arse considering the rumours. The part that he wasn't overly keen on was suddenly becoming the centre of attention. Such situations always made him squirm.

Yet nothing compared to how he felt right now, his heart was racing so fast that he was sure it would some escape through his broken ribs. His eyes followed Jeremy's line of sight to see the mail man in question; though he had to admit the part that surprised him most of all was that Phil was gay... or at the very least bi. He hadn't got that vibe from him. Pushing that aside he faced Jeremy again, despite the fact that he was sure a blush now covered his cheeks.

He fisted one of his hands, doing his best to muster any courage he may have remaining. "This is obviously easier for you." He said softly, more to himself that Jeremy; and in that moment Dante found himself torn about how honest he needed to be.... the other night had been his first one night stand, generally he only slept with someone he was in a relationship with... anything else had always felt wrong to him. At least before his life turned upside down before him. "I'm not like you. I don't make a habit of simply using people." He wanted to shy away but refused to give Jeremy the satisfaction of seeing him break eye contact again. "....but I will try and forget it ever happened." He turned then, not asking permission to leave this time as he made his way to the office door... somehow the topic seemed far too personal to reside within the normal realms of employee and boss.

Dante's grip tightened on the handle as he listened to the guy. He had been insinuating that he too had been just as much to blame... Dante knew that. He turned, his eyes narrowed but focused. "I agree completely with you. I never said I didn't use you... because to be frank, I did. What I said is I don't make a habit of it." His words were calm, but given how emotional Jeremy seemed to be getting over his words it made Dante wonder what was going on in the guys head. He sighed, going to move his free hand to the back of his neck before feeling the pain and dropping it again. He was probably thinking way too much into this again, wasn't he?

He turned to the door, though he didn't open it just yet. "I already said I would forget it happened... shouldn't be too hard I suppose." Surely by forgetting that night as best he could, he would also be putting away all of the strange conversations that followed. As far as Dante was concerned Jeremy could interpret that however he liked, even if it meant that the guy believed that Dante thought he poor. But could he really forget that night? He may feign nonchalance about it but the truth was that this whole situation cut him deep. What was he supposed to do now?

"Look...." He started, his tone much quieter than before as he turned to face Jeremy again. Taking one last opportunity to look at the face that enchanted him for a night. "....I need this job. I am pretty sure Phil, eh, Mr. Gracie, has already told you what he found out about my last job... and I would really rather that kind of situation didn't happen again." Ok, so the situation was already different since Dante had actually slept with this guy and Jeremy wasn't asking for a repeat performance.... but still, the underlying point was still valid, right? "So... it would be best if you tried to forget too." Dante didn't want to look at the guy and see the carnal knowledge in his eyes. Especially should word get around that he had a new boyfriend or something in the future... Dante would rather not have someone he didn't trust revealing that kind of thing.... even if it was only with knowing looks.

This time when he turned back to the door his hand started to move the handle as he spoke his parting words; "Good evening Mr. Wilkinson. I'm going home now."

With that Dante finally opened the door and walked to his cubicle. The place seemed pretty much deserted now.... only a few still lingered. Yet he didn't care as he roughly packed his things, slipped his coat on, and went to leave.

----------------------------

The tube was delayed, the platform filled with so many people that an announcement was telling everyone that two trains would basically be arriving at once, and that they were sorry for any inconvenience caused. Great! Just what he needed. To be stuck in a place full of strangers, his black eye clearly in sight, and due to how young he looked he could tell that several were looking at him as if he was a gangster or something. Pleeassse.... as if. People just had too over active imaginations these days, but he supposed with all the attacks and incidents lately that was be expected. He made his way to the back of the tunnel, leaning on the wall while he waited for the second train to arrive. He didn't want to push and squeeze past anyone today.... he just wanted a little time to be normal... was that really too much to ask?

Dante had been so in his own little world of thought that he hadn't noticed Jeremy only a few feet away messing with the vending machine. He was too busy with one hand inside his coat, stroking his broken ribs in an effort to ebb some of the throbbing pain... how had he managed to overexert himself in an office job? He wasn't sure but the things were throbbing so much he was sure they had a life of their own.

The platform only seemed to be filling up more and more, and a sudden wave of claustrophobia washed over him..... he heard a question, not sure who it was directed at he looked around for the source. Jeremy?! Yes, this was just bound to happen, right.... just like everything else these past few days, it seemed that Dante really was a Jeremy magnet. He hesitated, not really sure how to reply despite the question being simply. He noticed that Jeremy didn't hold eye contact, in fact he just stared right ahead. Copying, he told himself, I can do this... he is obviously trying not to be an arse about things.

"Should be any moment. They said two should arrive at once, fault on the track or something." Dante wasn't completely sure of the details, and he didn't have time to contemplate them either before Jeremy did something that shocked the hell out of him... offered him food. Part of him was actually glad that this was nearly normal behaviour except for his reaction....

He wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue slightly in disgust. "Ugh... thanks but no thanks." His eyes widened as he realised that his words sounded more like an insult rather than a simple rejection of food, so he quickly added; "I can't stand the stuff." He wasn't sure what it was but he had never taken a liking to it, even when he had been forced to join the scouts and go on camps as a kid.

The crowd shifted. Someone pushed into him, causing Dante to stumble a little into Jeremy. Catching himself after only a brief contact, and only wincing a little from his ribs, he did his best to return the distance between them. "Sorry about that." He said, offering an apologetic smile before looking into the crowd again.

So many people... most wearing suits he noted, but there were several mother and children pairing added to the mix.

Dante watched as Jeremy cleaned up the dropped trail mix, the way he had reacted made Dante think of a little kid who just drop their ice cream... it was almost... normal. What was with this guy? And why did Dante find that incredibly cute? Not allowing himself to linger on such thoughts, even as he contemplated replacing the bag.... maybe tomorrow since Dante didn't feel like trying to work his way through this crowd right now; he did he best to think about something else. Where was this darn train?

Dante looked away as the question came, it was innocent enough, but Dante was well aware that when he had answered questions earlier he had made no mention of it... though mostly because he had answered the questions exactly... everyone, including Jeremy and Phil, had only been interested in his black eye... and considering how visible it was he wasn't surprised. "Broken ribs.... nothing to worry about." He said quietly, dropping his hand to his side as if he had just been caught doing something naughty. He had done his best to rebind them this morning after his shower, though he suspected his was far less supportive than that of the professionals at the hospital.

As if he was saved by the bell... or in this case tube... the first of the trains arrived. People pushed forward to get on, which was fine with Dante since he had no intention of joining them. Instead he made a sigh of relief; "Oh thank goodness for that." He looked around at the remaining crowd as the train left the station. There were still a lot of people but he suspected they would just about get on... though he would probably have to stand the whole way home. Right now that didn't matter, he simply wanted to get home... he had been here for over an hour already. An hour he could have spent doing something else had he known about the delay.

Dante smiled a little nervously, doing his best to dismiss the point... there was no helping standing, plus he didn't like others feeling sorry for him, especially Jeremy. They would be fine, he was sure of that, and sitting around doing nothing just felt wrong. He would rather keep himself busy. At least that way he would be less likely to think about things too much... if he did he would probably break down in tears again.

All of that was just a distant memory though as he heard the next train approach, he had been about to move forward when Jeremy spoke.

"Don't freak out, alright?" Well did that just make him freak out all the more. What the hell was the guy talking about? About to protest... but it didn't take long to discover what Jeremy's plan was, and the sudden jolting made Dante hiss in agony in the guys ear, his arms moving around his neck so that he could squeeze his own forearms through the pain. Each movement jolted him, making it more painful.... crap, he felt like he was going to faint. He didn't notice much, his eyes screwed closed, his legs getting hit by other travellers but it all seemed so far away.... at least until he was dropped into a chair. Hissing again he brought one of his legs up and rested his head upon his knee. Despite being thankful for the seat Dante couldn't help but think that the little trip on Jeremy's back had done more harm than good.... especially since it meant that he had got a chance to feel some of the guys muscles again..... great! How would he ever manage to forget at this rate?

He was so distracted he didn't really hear the others comment about him really not standing too much.... he did however hear the final question about his ribs.

"Not really..." He huffed, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment before lowering his leg and looking over at Jeremy. "Thanks though... I, eh, appreciate the sentiment." All the while he gripped his ribs under his coat. He really wanted to go home and lie down.

The train started to move, the world whizzing past the window in a blur of colour. When you saw the world like this you could almost see the similarities between reality and some of the more abstract works of arts. Things got mixed up, that was just natural... still looking out of the window he found he wanted to say something to break the silence, part of him wanted to apologise for being so much trouble for the guy... surely any other 'newbie' would have been far less hassle in a life time than Dante had been in two days. So he stayed on a relatively 'safe' topic. "How long have you worked for the company?" In all honesty he wasn't really that interested, things like that were trivial and made little difference from the day to day workings of things... but still, it was better than talking about the weather.

Jeremy's apology had surprised the hell out of him, especially coupled with the expression on his face... it was... adorable. That had been the reason he had turned to the window, after shaking his head and offering a small smile of course... a silent effort to convey that it was ok. If only the guy wasn't so attractive... then maybe Dante would be able to come to his senses already.

He turned from the window as he waited for a reply, watching the mixed hesitation cross over Jeremy's face... well that was a new one! The guy was usually so... forceful, for lack of a better word. He always seemed to know what he wanted and acted on it... at least that was the impression Dante had got over the past few days. He offered a slight smile, the pain ebbing slightly now that he was no longer moving. "Wow, you know it to the week. Impressive." He teased, not sure if the fact that he did was a good or bad thing? Dante wasn't quite so sure, especially as Jeremy continued to explain, it seemed he wasn't overly fond of the job... which seemed odd considering how good he was. Maybe it was just too much hard work? The guy did look exhausted after all. Dante was about to tell him to sleep and that he would wake him at his stop so he didn't miss his own when Jeremy said the last thing he could have ever expected.

"Phil didn't tell me anything, you know. About your old job that is."

He turned away again, not able to look him in the eyes as he contemplated what to do. He was seriously considering taking the 'out' offered when he decided it wasn't worth it... at least this way the guy would learnt it from him and not someone else whenever the subject arose again or something.

Turning back towards Jeremy, though his gaze fell more on the guys shoulder than his face. "Well... it's not the exact situation that I want to avoid.... but rather all the mess that followed." He wasn't sure if he was blushing or not, but he did his best to just power through and get it all off his chest. "My old boss took a liking to me.... would have me stay late and come up with excuses to be together, I didn't think anything of it at the time.... but well, one day he tried to hit on me." It hadn't been the guy himself that Dante had rejected, but the situation... Dante wasn't one to cheat, and at the time he had been in a committed relationship... one he had believed would stand the test of time. It was funny how wrong you could be. "I was dating someone at the time." He said, trying not to to add any real empathise on the situation, "So I turned him down.... but after that.... well, he made my life a living hell. Spreading rumours about how I would spread my legs for anything with a c**k, and would do anything just to get off...." He felt uncomfortable and self conscious all of a sudden, and couldn't help but look around to see if anyone was listening. As far as he could tell no one was paying him any particular attention... as always, the world just carried on despite your personal issues.

He decided to miss out the part about how the boss had taken things further than that, showing up at his house in an effort to corrupt his ex's trust in him, he would call and leave no message, send perverted text messages at night.... in the end things had exploded, and no matter what Dante did to try and explain his ex simply didn't believe that he had been faithful.

Yet now... all of that seemed like a distant memory. "I resigned in the end, unable to take the whispers and looks any more....." He turned away again and back towards the window. Well, there you have it... now the guy knew about pretty much all the worst parts of Dante's life.

"Well if I knew it to the day, you might think I'm crazy."

Dante found himself chuckling a little at that, only stopping because the sudden jolting caused his chest to hurt again. It felt strange laughing at a time like this... but there it was. A slice of normality.

The awkward silence that spread between them made Dante uncomfortable, he wasn't sure how to interpret Jeremy's expressions, or the way he no longer looked at him.... maybe he should have kept his mouth shut after all? At least until he spoke. "What a d**k." Dante blinked, slightly confused until a smile spread across his face. It was only a small one, not quite reaching his eyes due to the subject matter.... but not getting an obvious sign of pity actually helped ease him. He shrugged, unable to say anything.

"Thanks for telling me. I was getting unbearably curious."

The confusion only continued, why was Jeremy even thinking about his issues? Oh right... because Dante had sprouted some crap in their argument in and effort to be left alone. He supposed Phil was right after all... Jeremy was a nice guy. Yet, even as he thought about it, it didn't really help the situation... it may actually make Dante soften towards him; and by Jeremy's own words he knew all too well that the guy wasn't interested in anything beyond a casual fling. They were different in that respect. He opened his mouth about to say something when he noticed Jeremy's eyes close with sleep... he was fighting it.

Once again Jeremy caught him off guard, he had been about to tell him to sleep when he spoke once more... his words sounded almost distant though, as if spoken from a different place to his conscious self. "I'm sorry that happened, you deserve better." Unable to say anything now he just blushed and looked away. Not noticing when Jeremy finally gave in to the sleep he needed until the guy's head was rest on his shoulder.

Dante jumped slightly, turning automatically to see what had hit him.... but he froze the moment he saw Jeremy's features. In sleep they were so much softer, kinder.... and as he watched him, Dante couldn't help but wonder what the guy's story was. How had he turned out like this? Or had he simply always been that way? So many questions.... yet he knew he could never ask any of them in fear of getting too close.

He didn't disturb the other or try and kick them off, simply let the guy sleep.... though he had to admit he rather liked the slight added weight and warmth. It was rather nice watching him sleep.

The time flew by, and he knew that his stop was just a few moments away. Unable to do anything else he brought up his free arm and shook Jeremy slightly. "Wake up.... this is my stop." He smiled down at the guy, and before he even realised what he was saying he continued.... "Look, you look shattered. Why don't you come crash at mine? That way I won't worry that you fell asleep on the train and missed your stop... or worst." Realising that his 'offer' sounded far more promiscuous than he had intended he quickly added; "I have a sofa bed.... may not be the most comfortable thing in the world, but better than a ditch."

He looked a little nervous now, not sure if his offer was appropriate, he had meant it as a friendly gesture... maybe even a sign of peace.... but the way his heart was racing in his chest, he felt that his subconscious saw it as so much more.

Dante was slightly surprised that Jeremy had accepted his offer, but considering how out of it the guy seemed about everything.... it probably was for the best that he crashed at his. Normally he would have slept on the sofa bed, but given his broken ribs he decided that wasn't the best thing to do.... he would just have to make sure Jeremy was comfortable enough, though given how tired he seemed it was unlikely he would even notice.

Following suit he gathered his things and got off the train. Jeremy seemed to be swaying, and he supposed it was a good thing that Dante was smaller than him. Slipping Jeremy's arm around his neck he let the guy lean on him in his sleep-ridden state while he lead the way. "No problem." He said offering a smile and trying not to hurt his ribs, all the while he mind whispered... man... this guy is heavy. Thankfully Dante's apartment building was quite near the train station. It wasn't an overly fancy place but it was home. When they finally reached his door he only struggled for a moment with the key before getting the door open. "Come on then...." Leading Jeremy in he took him towards the single chair so he didn't get in the way while he set things up. "Let me just set it up...." he said, smiling down at Jeremy. The room was quite large since it combined the kitchen, living room and a small dining room in one space; off to the side was the door to his bedroom and ensuite bathroom. The only real downside about the apartment was that there was only an ensuite, which meant that any guests had to go into his room to use the toilet.

He wandered over to the dining room trying to ignore the kitchen and his stomach growling; dumping his briefcase on the table before slipping his coat and jacket off and placing them on the back of a dining table chair. Normally he would leave them in his room but he didn't want to leave Jeremy alone, it wouldn't have surprised him if the guy fell out of the chair or something, even if it did have a large base that was comfortable to sit in while reading. A moment later he moved back towards Jeremy and the soon to be a bed... he hated this thing. It took quite a lot of leaning and bending over, a bit of grunting, a few tugs here and a little kick there; but finally the thing came free and unfolded. He was exhausted, and part of him wanted to just stay lying here, his chest was hurting again.... but he pulled himself up, dragging the sheet he always kept tucked in the folding mattress over it. Turning to Jeremy a little hot and bothered he smiled and said; "It's all yours. I'll just go grab some pillows and the spare duvet."

With that he wandered to his room, pausing for a moment to lean against the wall and grab his chest. Ok, so it was more than possible he had overdone things today.... and the sofa bed was simply the icing on a very large cake. The only other option had been unthinkable... sharing his bed. Sure it was a king size, but considering what had happened so far that simply didn't seem like an option. Kicking himself into action he started by grabbing two of the pillows from his bed; he always kept about six of the things for some reason... Opening the cupboard he dragged the spare duvet down, giving it a quick sniff to make sure it smelt clean, before dragging them back to Jeremy....

Dante's home was very organised, though there were no longer as many photo's around the place -given that most of the ones he had had on display were of his ex.... it was still painful to look at them, even the one that he had accidently taken to work in his briefcase (which currently sat upside down on the kitchen counter since he had yet to pack it away). Still, it was homely enough. Strong bold colours helped to divide the spaces; he had hired a decorator for the job and in the end they had ordered a custom designed wall paper. It all remained the same as it always had, except his room.... the night his ex had dumped him he had been unable to sleep, so he did the only logical thing he could, he found a vent.... in his case it was redecorating his bedroom. Once it had been a very loved up place of red and black, now it was a simplistic gold and white. The daily reminder that he had changed... that he had to move on... and from that day onwards he tried his best to do just that.