Vela
Title: Vela
Characters/Pairing: Maya/Gabriel
Rating: PG
Word count: 1,540
Disclaimer: Do not own.
Summery: A blackout leads her to Grays & Sons
Note: For Cana! Just a oneshot.
A widespread power-cut has struck the city and the once well lit sidewalk she steps on is now dark and dangerous. She sits on a window ledge and takes her high heels off, changing them for the sandals she has in her bag. Tread more even she carries on walking fast until she gets to the edge of the street. She had told her brother to pick her up here but with the blackout she doesn't know how long it would take him. The street is empty, the shops and apartment dark and quiet. She sits, hands around her knees and lets her gaze travel up and around.
Here and there she catches the flash of a torch through a net curtain or the glow of candles being lit against a bare windowpane. All was silent but for the occasional car hoking and the laughter of children. It was a strange mix of exhilarating and peaceful. Maya looks down the street with a smile, squinting in the dark and sees that one side of the street is bright and flickering, illuminated by candle light and she stands up and goes forward slowly until she remembers who works on this street.
Gray and Sons was not a place she had been to regularly, just to get her watch fixed once. But Gabriel attends her church and he had been kind enough recently to agree to look at an old clock she had brought with her from the Dominican Republic. Estimating wasn't his profession but he would do it for her, saying so with a shy smile, one she thought was adorable. He was an odd man though, not like anyone she had meet before. Not of his age anyway.
Maya comes to a standstill in front of the large display window and stares with wonder. Candles sitting in teacups were dotted on the floor, lined along counters and slotted on shelves. Hundreds of them, all nestled by clocks and watches and their glass surfaces reflect the light, shining and flickering everywhere. It was breathtaking. Biting her lip she pushes against the door but finds it locked and she knocks, calling out his name.
"Gabriel? Gabriel?" A minute stretches and she strains to hear, just now picking up the faint sound of 60's music playing in the background. It's turned down suddenly and a dark shape comes forward before being illuminated by the candles. He stops when he sees her, eyes wide. Maya waves at him in greeting, smiling.
"Maya?"
"Hi Gabriel...is it ok if I come in?" She taps the glass and he comes forward, shaking his head.
"Sorry, of course you can." The door opens with a tinkle from the bell above and she's over the threshold. He closes the door behind her as Maya stands and looks around, the glow from the candles bathing her face with warmth. He stays behind her, watching silently.
"It's beautiful Gabriel, so beautiful..." She turns to him, her face shinning with contentment and he continues to stare. Then a smile flickers, a shy one and he looks down as he passes her, stretching out his arm for her to follow him in further.
"Thanks. The power went out as I was working...and I had all these candles just in case. I think I got a little carried away..." He smiles abashedly again and Maya gasps, shaking her head.
"No Gabriel, it's wonderful! These are moments that you feel God's presence, a sense of peace. Makes me wish that everything could be lit like this, it makes - makes everything holy." She says reverently and with great longing but then laughs, turning her face away from his suddenly penetrating eyes. The cross at her throat glistens in the light, burning a bold gold against her tanned skin. Maya waves a hand in the air, rolling er eyes. "Don't listen to me, I get carried away sometimes." Gabriel smiles politely and tells her to wait as he gets them some chairs, disappearing behind a curtain. She stares with interest but stays where she is, leaning against a counter and yawning loudly into her hand. "Ah, pardon, so tired..."
"What are you doing here anyway?" He calls and then comes through the curtain, lowering he chairs and then closing the curtain sharply behind. Maya takes a seat with a thanks and he does the same.
"I was waiting for my brother, he was going to pick me up at the end of the block." She shrugs and looks around the walls again, sighing with tired eyes. "But I don't think he'll get here anytime soon."
"Yeah, I think the roads will be crazy. That's what happened the last time there was a power cut...I'm staying here for the night." He says softly, burning lights flickering over the lenses of his glasses so Maya can't see his eyes. She smiles, cocking her head teasingly.
"Gonna sleep on the floor? We both might have to, unless you have a tent?" He shakes his head, grinning and she draws her chair closer and he looks down. Maya didn't want to make him uncomfortable, he was still shy around her. She takes a small white coffee cup with a candle in it, looking inside to see that it's pillowed by melting white wax. She dips the cup and a dribble of wax falls onto the back of her hand. He watches as if hypnotised. "Did you do this when you were small for a dare? I loved it." She presses against the wax with satisfaction, leaving fingerprints, and he takes the cup from her with a smirk.
"Small? I still do it." He tips and the hottest part spills onto his palm and Maya winces.
"You beat me already." She whines and take his hand in hers and presses the tip of her finger into the warm wax, not too deep. Once dry she peels it off, tongue between her teeth happily. "Beautiful! I can read your fortune now." She turns it this way and that in inspection and Gabriel laughs.
"Nothing good will come of that, I'm sure." He bemoans and she clucks her tongue cheekily, eyes hot with mirth and points to his wax palm print.
"You will have a long life! The line is strong! Look, I know about this stuff..." She takes his hand in hers and runs her fingertips down his palm and he stiffens, breathing in sharply but Maya pretends she doesn't notice. "Your heart line, hmm well that could be longer but you're only young..."
"I'm twenty eight." He says with a smile but there's a hard edge to his voice and his cheeks burn. Maya holds his hand tenderly for a moment and then lets go.
"Don't worry, my heart line isn't very long either." A strange silence falls, wanting to be filled again. Maya wants him to talk and she lifts her brows at him but he just clears his throat. Finally she sighs, looking around again, "it must be so nice to work here, have time to yourself. I'd love that."
"Eh, not really. I think you would find it boring."
"You do? Why?"
"Because, well, because it's so banal. It's not exciting or a popular profession. I never really wanted to work here but it was the easiest way to support myself. And it's the only thing I'm good at. To someone like you? My life is just...boring." He finishes and there's so much loathing in his voice that Maya feels goose bumps rising over her body. She frowns at him.
"Someone like me?"
He turns to her apologetically, speaking hastily. "I meant someone who's lived. You - you look like someone that's had a life." He sounds wistful but Maya's mouth downturns. She brings her feet up, pressing her bare legs together.
"Some life, look what it did to my feet." She slips her feet out of her sandals and stretches and curls her toes in display. The skin was scared from old blisters, a mark from a time in her past he knew nothing about.
"What happened?"
"Bad shoes." She says simply, her voice curt and she looks away to stare into a display case. Gabriel remains silent and stretches his arm out to turn the sound up on his cassette player to fill the sudden awkwardness. But he craves to know more, thirsts for it. Maya smiles as the lulling romantic song plays and her gaze becomes soft and far away.
"I remember this one, I love to dance to it...pero tu no bailaras ..." She whispers and regards him with interest and there's nothing platonic about it. Gabriel doesn't cast his gaze away like she expects but stares and stares and stares with longing. Feeling shy and a little shocked Maya closes her eyes and lays her head down on her crossed arms with a dreamy smile in place. He waits, shaking and does not make a sound until her humming trails off and her breathing deepens. Only once he's sure she's deeply asleep does Gabriel make his move and rises up, clicks off the music and with silent feet blows out all the candles until the smell of beeswax is replaced with sulphur in the dark.
***************
* But you will not dance.
Characters/Pairing: Maya/Gabriel
Rating: PG
Word count: 1,540
Disclaimer: Do not own.
Summery: A blackout leads her to Grays & Sons
Note: For Cana! Just a oneshot.
A widespread power-cut has struck the city and the once well lit sidewalk she steps on is now dark and dangerous. She sits on a window ledge and takes her high heels off, changing them for the sandals she has in her bag. Tread more even she carries on walking fast until she gets to the edge of the street. She had told her brother to pick her up here but with the blackout she doesn't know how long it would take him. The street is empty, the shops and apartment dark and quiet. She sits, hands around her knees and lets her gaze travel up and around.
Here and there she catches the flash of a torch through a net curtain or the glow of candles being lit against a bare windowpane. All was silent but for the occasional car hoking and the laughter of children. It was a strange mix of exhilarating and peaceful. Maya looks down the street with a smile, squinting in the dark and sees that one side of the street is bright and flickering, illuminated by candle light and she stands up and goes forward slowly until she remembers who works on this street.
Gray and Sons was not a place she had been to regularly, just to get her watch fixed once. But Gabriel attends her church and he had been kind enough recently to agree to look at an old clock she had brought with her from the Dominican Republic. Estimating wasn't his profession but he would do it for her, saying so with a shy smile, one she thought was adorable. He was an odd man though, not like anyone she had meet before. Not of his age anyway.
Maya comes to a standstill in front of the large display window and stares with wonder. Candles sitting in teacups were dotted on the floor, lined along counters and slotted on shelves. Hundreds of them, all nestled by clocks and watches and their glass surfaces reflect the light, shining and flickering everywhere. It was breathtaking. Biting her lip she pushes against the door but finds it locked and she knocks, calling out his name.
"Gabriel? Gabriel?" A minute stretches and she strains to hear, just now picking up the faint sound of 60's music playing in the background. It's turned down suddenly and a dark shape comes forward before being illuminated by the candles. He stops when he sees her, eyes wide. Maya waves at him in greeting, smiling.
"Maya?"
"Hi Gabriel...is it ok if I come in?" She taps the glass and he comes forward, shaking his head.
"Sorry, of course you can." The door opens with a tinkle from the bell above and she's over the threshold. He closes the door behind her as Maya stands and looks around, the glow from the candles bathing her face with warmth. He stays behind her, watching silently.
"It's beautiful Gabriel, so beautiful..." She turns to him, her face shinning with contentment and he continues to stare. Then a smile flickers, a shy one and he looks down as he passes her, stretching out his arm for her to follow him in further.
"Thanks. The power went out as I was working...and I had all these candles just in case. I think I got a little carried away..." He smiles abashedly again and Maya gasps, shaking her head.
"No Gabriel, it's wonderful! These are moments that you feel God's presence, a sense of peace. Makes me wish that everything could be lit like this, it makes - makes everything holy." She says reverently and with great longing but then laughs, turning her face away from his suddenly penetrating eyes. The cross at her throat glistens in the light, burning a bold gold against her tanned skin. Maya waves a hand in the air, rolling er eyes. "Don't listen to me, I get carried away sometimes." Gabriel smiles politely and tells her to wait as he gets them some chairs, disappearing behind a curtain. She stares with interest but stays where she is, leaning against a counter and yawning loudly into her hand. "Ah, pardon, so tired..."
"What are you doing here anyway?" He calls and then comes through the curtain, lowering he chairs and then closing the curtain sharply behind. Maya takes a seat with a thanks and he does the same.
"I was waiting for my brother, he was going to pick me up at the end of the block." She shrugs and looks around the walls again, sighing with tired eyes. "But I don't think he'll get here anytime soon."
"Yeah, I think the roads will be crazy. That's what happened the last time there was a power cut...I'm staying here for the night." He says softly, burning lights flickering over the lenses of his glasses so Maya can't see his eyes. She smiles, cocking her head teasingly.
"Gonna sleep on the floor? We both might have to, unless you have a tent?" He shakes his head, grinning and she draws her chair closer and he looks down. Maya didn't want to make him uncomfortable, he was still shy around her. She takes a small white coffee cup with a candle in it, looking inside to see that it's pillowed by melting white wax. She dips the cup and a dribble of wax falls onto the back of her hand. He watches as if hypnotised. "Did you do this when you were small for a dare? I loved it." She presses against the wax with satisfaction, leaving fingerprints, and he takes the cup from her with a smirk.
"Small? I still do it." He tips and the hottest part spills onto his palm and Maya winces.
"You beat me already." She whines and take his hand in hers and presses the tip of her finger into the warm wax, not too deep. Once dry she peels it off, tongue between her teeth happily. "Beautiful! I can read your fortune now." She turns it this way and that in inspection and Gabriel laughs.
"Nothing good will come of that, I'm sure." He bemoans and she clucks her tongue cheekily, eyes hot with mirth and points to his wax palm print.
"You will have a long life! The line is strong! Look, I know about this stuff..." She takes his hand in hers and runs her fingertips down his palm and he stiffens, breathing in sharply but Maya pretends she doesn't notice. "Your heart line, hmm well that could be longer but you're only young..."
"I'm twenty eight." He says with a smile but there's a hard edge to his voice and his cheeks burn. Maya holds his hand tenderly for a moment and then lets go.
"Don't worry, my heart line isn't very long either." A strange silence falls, wanting to be filled again. Maya wants him to talk and she lifts her brows at him but he just clears his throat. Finally she sighs, looking around again, "it must be so nice to work here, have time to yourself. I'd love that."
"Eh, not really. I think you would find it boring."
"You do? Why?"
"Because, well, because it's so banal. It's not exciting or a popular profession. I never really wanted to work here but it was the easiest way to support myself. And it's the only thing I'm good at. To someone like you? My life is just...boring." He finishes and there's so much loathing in his voice that Maya feels goose bumps rising over her body. She frowns at him.
"Someone like me?"
He turns to her apologetically, speaking hastily. "I meant someone who's lived. You - you look like someone that's had a life." He sounds wistful but Maya's mouth downturns. She brings her feet up, pressing her bare legs together.
"Some life, look what it did to my feet." She slips her feet out of her sandals and stretches and curls her toes in display. The skin was scared from old blisters, a mark from a time in her past he knew nothing about.
"What happened?"
"Bad shoes." She says simply, her voice curt and she looks away to stare into a display case. Gabriel remains silent and stretches his arm out to turn the sound up on his cassette player to fill the sudden awkwardness. But he craves to know more, thirsts for it. Maya smiles as the lulling romantic song plays and her gaze becomes soft and far away.
"I remember this one, I love to dance to it...pero tu no bailaras ..." She whispers and regards him with interest and there's nothing platonic about it. Gabriel doesn't cast his gaze away like she expects but stares and stares and stares with longing. Feeling shy and a little shocked Maya closes her eyes and lays her head down on her crossed arms with a dreamy smile in place. He waits, shaking and does not make a sound until her humming trails off and her breathing deepens. Only once he's sure she's deeply asleep does Gabriel make his move and rises up, clicks off the music and with silent feet blows out all the candles until the smell of beeswax is replaced with sulphur in the dark.
***************
* But you will not dance.