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 Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:43 pm
His brain seemed to be on autopilot.
Otto's dating Eva. Otto's dating Eva. Eva said yes to Otto. Eva's with Otto.
Eva's with Otto and not with me.
It was somewhat of a broken record, he thought sardonically as he made his way down the long hallway of the Deus dorm building, half jogging, half running away from the infirmary, away from the blatant reality that had just been shoved into his face.
<< Gale. >>
He slowed down a little, coming to a stop and breathing heavily. Inside of his head, Jinhai was silent, the dragon coiled up in his thoughts, mutely reassuring, cautiously waiting to see what he would do.
And Gale knew what that was.
It took him a few more moments of running to find her room, and when he did, he knocked immediately, swiping his hair out of his eyes, waiting breathlessly for her to open the door.
It's not true. It can't be true.
<< ...Gale - >>
It's not.
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:52 pm
The sudden visitor had been unexpected, but not unwelcome. When Eva curiously opened the door to find Gale there, her puzzled expression quickly changed to one of delight as she took in the blond boy standing at her doorstep. "Hi Gale! It's good to see you!"
And from her usual, characteristic grin, it was clear that she had no idea what was going on in her friend's mind right now. She even reached out to hug him, only to pause and stare at his expression a little curiously, as if finally sensing that he had not simply come here to exchange pleasantries. Slowly, the girl's grin faded, a tiny frown taking its place as she set a hand on his shoulder and tilted her head.
"Is...something wrong?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:10 pm
He almost wanted to just forget the whole thing and hug her back, even as Eva's arms faltered before they actually went around him. But Otto's words were still fresh in his mind, still reverberating, and there was no backing down now.
"Hey, Eva, um." Gale closed his eyes briefly, inhaling a breath, and then opened them again, pressing his lips together. "Can I talk to you about something? Please?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:24 pm
This was the second time someone had shown up at her door to talk to her about something serious, but something about Gale's countenance made her heart squeeze in worry. "Yes, of course. You know that I'm always willing to listen if there's something troubling you." Lips pulling up in a small smile, she reached out to set an arm around his shoulder, leading him into the room. This didn't look like something he wanted to talk about when there were others milling about in the hallway.
She made certain to close the door behind her before turning to face the boy, her brows creasing in concern as she tried to meet his eyes. "Now what is all of this about? Are you alright? Did something happen?"
Eva sincerely hoped that she was overreacting for no reason, but...
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:51 pm
He stiffened, just a little, under her arm, but stepped inside the room anyway, the fingers of his right hand clenching and unclenching subconsciously. Jinhai made a soft sound in his head, halfway between a murmur of reassurance and a note of worry. Gale turned around, his eyes lifting to meet Eva's, and for that split second he almost left.
But then he remembered the smirk on Otto's face and his expression tightened.
"No," he said. "No, I'm not all right. I...was just in the infirmary..."
There was a beat of silence. Gale lifted his chin.
"...with Otto."
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 10:13 pm
At first, she didn't get her, her expression becoming surprised when he stated that he had been in the infirmary with Otto. Had he been hurt too? She took a quick step back to look him up and down, scanning the boy for any potential new injuries but finding none. At least, no, it didn't seem like he had taken on any new injuries since the last time she had seen him/
And then she realized that the emphasis had not been on the fact that he went to the infirmary, but the fact that he had been there--and obviously talked to--Otto. Could this be about...?
She wasn't sure how to feel, but she was aware of a slight ache in her chest. She reached out towards him, hesitated, and then gently took one of his hands in both of hers. "I'm...guessing that Otto told you, then." She murmured quietly, gaze momentarily flickering away. What else was she supposed to say? Accepting Otto's confession was definitely not something that she regretted, but she had also been a little worried about how others would take it. And Gale was...
Eva simply gave his hand a light squeeze and waited, her heart drumming rapidly in her chest as she tried to anticipate his response.
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 10:42 pm
Gale stood there, waiting for her to put the pieces together and hating the fact that he was even here in the first place. But his desire to know the truth, to hear it from Eva herself far outweighed simply letting it go, as he had tried to do for so long.
He couldn't quite hide the flinch that flashed across his face as she took his hand, her expression torn, and Gale felt his cheeks flush a deep red, his chest feeling abnormally tight.
"He told me," he said slowly, making no move to grasp Eva's hand back, but not quite pulling away just yet. "He told me that you were dating, that you were his...girlfriend, but I told him he was lying, I told him that it couldn't be true because you wouldn't - he wouldn't - "
He sounded pathetic. Gale gritted his teeth together in frustration, trying to sort out his thoughts.
"Just...tell me," he said. "Are you dating Otto now?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 11:36 pm
Seeing him like this made her chest hurt. Ordinary, if Eva saw Gale like this, she would have demanded to know who was bothering him so that she could fix it--even if this meant going after someone she really shouldn't--just so that she could make him feel better and see him smile again. However, it was different now. She wasn't sure how to react, knowing that she was that cause for that frustrated, pained look on his face this time.
He already knew the answer--she could see that he did--but it was clear that he wanted to hear it from her. It should have been easy, just four little words--"Yes, I'm dating Otto"--but when she opened her mouth to utter them, they caught in her throat, her heart drumming with fear. Just how drastically would her friendship with Gale change after this, if at all? Would she be losing someone who she cared about and who had cared about her? She pressed her lips into a thin line, and almost considered remaining silent if not for Chara quietly butting in and telling her that Gale deserved an answer.
And of course, she was right. Meeting his eyes, she gave his hand another small squeeze before nodding her head. "Yes. It's just happened recently but we're...dating now."
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 6:59 am
He did already know the answer, but that didn't make hearing it any less hard. Gale inhaled sharply, feeling as though the words were a slap in the face, his cheeks reddening, Jinhai making a cautionary noise in his head.
But then the anger leaked out of him, replaced by a strange hollowness. Gale sighed, shaking his head.
"You know," he said. "All this time I thought...I thought the reason you said no to me was because of the age thing. Because I was too young for you, and you couldn't see me that way because it would have been awkward for you."
A slightly sardonic smile touched the corners of his lips, Gale pulling his hand free of Eva's.
"But considering Otto's less than a year older than me, I can see now that wasn''t the case."
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 7:59 am
She waited tensely for his reaction, her shoulders stiffening as she watched his face redden. Was he...angry? She felt warmth flood into her own cheeks as she stood there nervously, trying to gauge his reaction expression. When he spoke, she simply pressing her lips together into a tight line and gave a tiny shake of her head, her hands still slightly raised even as Gale's slipped away.
"It wasn't the age," She answered softly, struggling but determined not to turn her gaze onto the floor or the distant wall, "There was never anything wrong with you, Gale--you're sweet and responsible and I do love you. I just...I can't explain why it is that my feelings for you are different." And honestly, she didn't know. Her view of the blond boy was completely positive--and she genuinely believed that he would be a wonderful companion to someone--and yet she was unable to think of him romantically.
Slowly, she finally lowered her hands, her lips curved into a frown as she dropped her gaze. Would it be okay to ask...? It began to weigh down on her, and she felt her hands grow clammy as she struggled to find the right words.
Finally, in a faint voice, "I'm still here for you, Gale and I'll always continue to be here for you until the day I die. That will never change."
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 8:27 am
He wanted to ask her Out of all the people on the island, why Otto? but the words wouldn't come. After all, the heart was not exactly something you could control. Liking someone, loving someone, it wasn't as though Eva could help liking Otto any more than Gale could like Eva.
I will always protect you.
"I thought," said Gale quietly. "that maybe because you were one of the few people who didn't treat me like a little kid that you would someday, maybe, think of me differently. That you would turn around and realize that I'm not just some..."
He trailed off, unable to think of a proper word, and sighed, reaching up to rub at the side of his head with his good hand. Jinhai remained silent.
Gale lifted his head, looking up at Eva's pale face. "I still love you," he said softly. "I think, maybe, I probably always will, even if you'll never feel the same about me. But I just...I need some...time to adjust to this."
It's not your fault I can't stop this, or that you found someone else.
It's not your fault that I'm still too young to let this go so easily.
I can't blame you because I know how it feels, but I still can't make this any easier.
All the words he wanted to say were at the tip of his tongue, refusing to come out. He shook his head just a little, as though trying to clear it, and moved past Eva towards the door again, wanting to get out before she saw through his calm facade, before everything collapsed around him.
With his good hand on the handle, Gale paused, though he didn't turn around.
"Eva," he said quietly, trying to keep his voice steady. "Don't...don't come by the house for a bit, all right? I just...I need some time."
Something none of us have a lot of anymore.Kaiyumi HI WANT SOME FEELS FOR BREAKFAST ps ilu <333
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 9:49 am
Eva remained silent, uncertain as to what she should say. Would she have come to see him in a different light if more time had passed? It was hard to say, and it wasn't as if they could go back in time. She was dating Otto now, and she genuinely liked and was happy with him--there was no room or time to dwell on the "what could have been". She wasn't sure where the future would lead them all, but there was definitely no changing the past and present.
Her affection for Gale had always been a strange one--not romantic, but not exactly like a love for a sibling either. It was this strange middle, a platonic love that one would feel for a very dear friend. The very thought of anything happening to their friendship scared her, but she understood. She understood that he was confused and hurt, and she understood why he asked her not to drop by and visit for a bit, as much as it pained her to hear.
"Okay," She answered softly, staring at his back. "What I said back then, in the desert...it still stands, okay? I'm still going to watch you back and make sure that you stay safe. No matter what happens, I promise I'll protect you."
There was a short pause, and then her lips curved upwards into a weak smile, even if she knew that he couldn't see it. "Take care of yourself, Gale. When you're ready to talk, you know where to find me."
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 12:13 pm
Standing here, he momentarily weighed the consequences of staying versus leaving. Staying meant that he would push past the bitterness and the frustration in exchange for Eva's happiness. But leaving would mean that he would have time to recover, have time to get himself situated with the whole thing, even if it meant hurting her.
It was a lose lose situation, either way. Gale closed his eyes briefly, exhaling slowly.
"I know," he said quietly, and turned slightly, lifting his gaze to meet hers, his cheeks still flushed red, a small, sad smile on his face. "I know, Eva. And I will always protect you."
And then before she would see everything collapse, he opened the door and moved quickly out, down the hall, and out of the building, back to the town, not stopping until he reached the safety of his own home.
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