"Ohhhh my." Miki groaned, wrapping her arm around Gabriel's waist to better hold him up. "He's heavier than he looks."
"Can I float your wings?" Silver asked, walking beside them and holding his other arm. "They're getting so dirty and scratched up."
“No.” He groans. “I’m fine.” He rubs his hand on his chest and sighs. “Don’t- Dont make me go inside. I’ll just wash off in the pond. I don’t want Ben and Vi to see.”
"Gabe!" Silver gasped in exasperation. "We need to get you properly cleaned up and put medicine on you! That's a freakin' bullet hole in your shoulder! And in your wing! Violet healed your rib when you broke it on the counter. We definitely need her to clean you up now."
“No!” He lowly and firmly snaps, taking his arm from her and stumbling forward. “I’m okay. Don’t worry them over me. I’m serious.” He runs a hand roughly through his hair and grits his teeth. “See? Fine.”
Silver's mouth fell open and her steps froze as she stared at him. Miki inwardly rolled her eyes.
The drAMA with these two. How do they even like each other sometimes, she thought.
"Gabriel," Silver choked, her eyes filling with tears. "You are NOT fine! You are really badly hurt and I need Violet's help to take care of you!" With a glare she raced toward the house, now visible as they reached the edge of the forest.
"Oh my land." Miki muttered to herself as she continued to help Gabe limb across the grass.
Silver burst into the house and yelled, "VIOLET, GABRIEL GOT SHOT AND HE'S DYING AND HE WON'T LET ME HELP."
Gabriel flinches, then stays still. His vision becomes a blur and he stares at the ground.
Why did I snap?
Shes getting Ben, isn’t she?
He swallows and wobbles a little, starting to feel dizzy again.
From upstairs, Ben and Violet can hear the front door burst open and barely make out a few of her words.
Ben sighs.
“Thirty minutes. Could I just ask for thirty minutes.”
Violet presses a kiss on his cheek then turns to have him zip her dress back up.
“Apparently not. From the sounds of it, she found Gabe.”
He hugs her from behind and rests his chin on her head for a second before letting go. “Alright. I’ll be down in a minute.”
Miki eased Gabriel down into the first pool chair they reached and stood beside him with her hands on his hips, surveying both his physical state and obvious mental turmoil.
"She loves you, you know." she finally said. "That's why she gets so upset over you getting hurt and not letting her help. She loves you by taking care of you. When you get mad at her for trying to help it makes her feel like you don't love her back."
Silver bolted up the stairs when neither Ben nor Vi were to be found on the first floor. "VIOLET!!!" she yelled again. "GABRIEL IS BLEEDING AND HE GOT SHOT AND HE DOESN'T WANT US TO HELP HIM BUT HE'S DYING."
“I know she’s upset but so am I!” He snaps, obviously very tired and irritated. He sits (idk if you meant eased like sat him down so) and puts his head in his hands, breathing heavily and swaying a bit.
I don’t hate her! I don’t not want her help! I just-
His eyes become hot and big, warm tears spill from them.
Violet opens the door just enough to get out, trying her hair back, “yes yes, show me to him! I’m coming Love, not to worry.”
Miki sighed. "Okay. Just stay here. Don't move or disappear or anything." she trotted into the house and yelled, "SILVER HE'S CRYING COME FIX HIM."
Silver turned around so fast she slipped and splatted on the floor. So Violet she said, "He's outside! Miki was bringing him back!" Scrambling to her feet, she launched herself over the railing and landed on the kitchen island, leaping toward the door. "Where is he???" she asked Miki.
Gabriel shivers, gasping just a little, and turns himself invisible.
Damn it, what’s wrong with me?
He pinches his eyes closed and sighs.
Violet slips Ben’s jacket on to go outside, jogging after the girls. “Careful outside girls! The ground is all wet and slick.”
Miki circled the pool and pointed to the chair she had left him in. "He's here. I told him not to disappear, but he's Gabe so. Yeah."
Silver raced over to the chair and knelt down in front of it, reaching out until she felt Gabriel's shoulders. Carefully she touched him until she figured out where his wings were, and then pointed to Violet. "He's sitting right here. His wings are out that way." then she turned back to Gabriel and put her hands over his, leaning her forehead to rest against his. "I'm sorry." she whispered, her own tears returning once she felt his pain and confusion again. "I'm sorry, I know you didn't want Violet involved but you're hurt really bad and we can't fix you without her."
Gabriel huffs, placing his hands on Silvers, and staying still until Violet has reached the and squatted down beside him.
“Gabriel, Love. Let me help.”
He gently pushes silver off and places his palms on the ground, turning visible again.
Violet bites her lip looking him over.
Shoulder first. Then bac- oh goodness! No, wings second.
She places a hand on his shoulder. “Just breathe. You’ll be alright.”
Silver bit her lip, trying not to cry more when he pushed her away. Miki crouched beside her and patted her shoulder. "Let Violet heal him first and then you two can figure out whatever you've got going on."
Silver sighed and buried her face in her hands. I have no idea what's going on between us. I don't even know if I really know who Gabriel is.
Violet sets her hand over the wound and he grits his teeth, sharply inhaling.
She closes her eyes and concentrates, healing the wound just enough so that it was smaller and scabbed over, saving some energy for his other wounds. She sighs and looks over his wings.
Here we go.
Ryder and Kissa’s feet hit the wet ground and they jog onto the porch where they stretch out their wings and shake them.
Ryder laughs and ruffles her hair, and she giggles, her face flushing.
“geez, had I known it was gonna rain I may have squished in that awful carriage.” He claims.
Silver lifted her head and watched as Violet healed Gabriel, flinching every time he did. Miki wrapped her arm around Silver's neck and hugged her to her side.
Ryder and Kissa wander into the house. Cage comes up from the basement and waves. “Was it you two yelling? I was grabbing some stuff from the freezer downstairs and I heard you.”
Ryder shakes his head. “Nah, man. We just got back.”
Cage walks back into the kitchen. “Huh. Probably Sil then. I bet they’re still outside.”
Ryder smiles and looks to the backdoor, his smile gone in an instance.
Gabriel.
He narrows his eyes and races out the backdoor, Kissa close behind.
Miki jumped as the backdoor slammed open and glanced over to see Ryder and Kissa bolting over. "Ooooooh boy." she muttered. "As if this couldn't get any better. HE'S NOT DEAD." she yelled to Ryder. "Violet is fixing him."
Ryder gasps anyways. “GEEZ BOY. I’ve been back for what??? And hour! You okay? Who did this??” He kneels down by Gabe, taking his wet, red face in his hands and looking him over. “Gabriel what the actual hay?”
Gabriel’s eyes flutter closed, and he lets Ryder hold his face in his warm hands. “I’m okay.” He manages to mumble.
Ryder raises his eyebrows. “Huh. Really? Suuure.”
"He's not!" Silver cries. "He got shot and I think he fell out of the sky and he tried to convince me to just stay in the forest with him and not bring him home to Violet to fix him."
Miki closed her eyes and shook her head. "I honestly don't understand you two."
Ryder looks to Sil then back to Gabriel. “You haven’t changed. Bet you had a coughing, no breath spell too, huh?”
Gabriel weakly nods and Ryder huffs.
“Dude, how do you survive?” He scoots forward, setting Gabriel’s head in his lap. “Does her healing hurt?” He asks, staring at Violet, mesmerized.
Gabriel flinches, then relaxes, “mmm.” He moans.
After a second violet sighs, standing and looking him over.
“Alright. I’ll wrap his chest inside. Everything else is good.”
Ryder nods and pulls Gabriel up. “Let’s get you bandaged then you can rest.”
Silver scrambled to her feet to follow Ryder and help Violet prep the bandages inside. Miki sat by the edge of the pool and watched them all go inside.
"This is why I'm single." she said out loud, to no one. "Because of that."
Ryder brings Gabriel in and eases him down onto a stool, standing beside him so he can lean against him.
Violet returns from the bathroom with bandages.
“Alright, Love. I’m wrapping you up and then you’re going straight to bed. When you get up I’d like a thorough explanation.”
He nods weakly and she starts to wrap him.
Cage stares from the stove, his water starting to bubble over and his mouth agape.
Whaaaaaat.
Silver stood on Gabriel's other side, trying not to get in Violet's way, and bit her fingernails as she watched.
Miki finally got up and came inside, strolling over to Cage. "Hey. Kid. You got something on the stove." she said, poking his shoulder.
Cage gasps and turns back to his food. “Ah, yes! Sorry. What happened out there? I said bring home a rat, not a half dead Gabriel.” He whispers.
Ryder ruffles Gabriel’s hair after Violets finished and has retreated to the bathroom to wash her hands.
“Want me to help you up the stairs?”
Gabriel shakes his head and wobbly stands.
“No.” He mumbles, swaying as he takes himself to the library.
Miki watched as Silver continued biting her nails, her gaze following Gabriel as he limped away. With a loud groan Miki walked over to her and whispered, "Go follow him, you idiot." and gave her sister a shove after him. To Cage she said, "Yeah, we went out looking for a rat and then Silver's Gabriel Radar went off and she ran away into the woods and I was like 'oh boy now I'm stuck in the woods alone' so I walked around yelling her and then she grabbed my arm like a CREEPY FREAKING SCARY PERSON with her powers and dragged me through the woods and I thought there were evil people gonna get me but nuuuuu it was just Silver and then I saw them and they were sitting on the ground and Gabriel was bleeding in like nine places but he was trying to be all snuggly and Silver was like 'heeeeelp he's so cute but he's dying' and then I helped her bring him home."
Silver followed Gabriel into the library, but hesitated in the doorway, watching as he curled up in his favorite spot.