(no subject)
Reason
by Harikari
AN: Meant to post this around Halloween, but it didn't happen. Comments are much appreciated, feel free to point out any glaring errors. Hope you enjoy.
-----
Part Nine
"So what are you supposed to be?" asked Gabriel. He was lounging on Mohinder's bed, leaning into the large and squashy set of pillows at the head of it. His ankles were crossed in a comfortable looking way and his dark eyes kept finding Mohinder's costume clad form before quickly darting away. "Some sort of prima ballerina or something?"
Mohinder finished adjusting his belt and turned. He was frowning. "Danseur noble," muttered the high school Sophomore vaguely before settling his gaze back on the somewhat smeared mirror above his small, wooden bureau.
"God bless you."
"It's the male form of a prima ballerina, Gabriel. And no. That's not what I'm supposed to be." He adjusted the faux leather strap holding the quiver of plastic, feathered arrows at his back. "You know what I'm supposed to be. I'm-"
"I know, I know," cut in Gabriel. "Robin Hood." He snorted and sat up, swung his long legs over the side of the bed.
The slightly older teenager sighed and turned again to face his friend. "Look, I know it's a stupid costume but Elle told us...ordered us to dress up in real costumes and this was the only thing I could find in my size on such short notice that didn't cost a fortune."
He crossed the room and shoved lightly at the taller teenager's shoulder. "This though...you cheated. Elle is going to kill you, Gabriel. I might kill you. This isn't a real costume. This is black jeans, a Ramones t-shirt and a black duster that's way too big for you."
Gabriel stood up, forcing Mohinder to back up a few steps. "I'm a...vampire."
Mohinder crossed his arms and glared. "Where are your fangs?"
Gabriel shrugged and stuffed his hands into the duster's overlarge pockets. "A serial killer, then. Yeah. That. I like that."
Mohinder clenched his teeth and shoved at Gabriel's shoulder again. The other teenager simply smirked and let him; hardly even swayed in place at the force of it.
The Sophomore glanced down at himself. He looked ridiculous, had known he would look ridiculous when he'd picked up the costume at the store that afternoon but had assumed his best friend would be in a similar get up. He had assumed they would both look like idiots for the night.
For Elle's sake.
"She's your girlfriend. Your the one that supposed to be making all the effort. Not me."
Gabriel fiddled with his glasses; took them off, then cleaned the lenses with a corner of his t-shirt before putting them back on. "She's not my girlfriend. And you look fine in tights, don't worry about it." He patted at the slimmer teenager's arm as if to comfort him and moved to the door. "Are you ready?"
Mohinder stared at his friend. "What do you mean she isn't your girlfriend? I know she thinks she's your girlfriend. And you both have been hanging out since the eighth grade -- going to movies and to eat and doing homework together."
The taller teenager barked out a laugh. "So what? You're with us most of the time. And we used to do all of that stuff together before the blond bombshell came along. That doesn't make us a couple." He laughed again and then stopped short, turned and aimed laser-intense eyes at Mohinder. "Does it?"
"Shut up." The teenager squirmed.
Usually, he was fine with his best friend's habit of dark and intense and unreadable looks. With his twisted sort of humor and his forceful but steady tone of voice. He was used to it, liked it even because it was a part of who Gabriel was and Gabriel was his closest friend. But just now he was dressed in an idiotic costume, dreading the long and doubtless humiliating and very not fun night ahead and wishing he could just change into jeans or sweats and make his way to the couch for a scary movie marathon. "That isn't funny."
The tall teenager shrugged again and pursed his lips in a frown. "Whatever. Are you ready?"
Mohinder took a deep breath. "It's just..." He trailed off and cleared his throat before starting again. "I know she cares a lot about you, Gabriel. She's our friend and it isn't right to lead her on. I wasn't going to say anything because she started using the word boyfriend a few weeks ago and I know you've heard her say it and you never told her anything so I thought you two were finally..."
Another pause. Then, "How can you do that to her? She's our friend."
Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "You're my friend, Mohinder. You are."
"Well...yeah. Of course. But so is she. She's our friend, too. And she likes you. Like more than a friend likes you. If you don't like her back that way and you don't think you're ever going to you owe it to her to tell her. She needs to know."
As if uncomfortable, Gabriel shifted. "I told her."
Mohinder froze. "You told her? What? What do you mean? What did you tell her?" His heart was suddenly beating hard in his chest.
Gabriel was...different. He rarely worried about hurting other people's feelings. It was almost like he lacked a filter. More often than not he would say exactly what he felt with no worry whatsoever about the individual on the receiving end and their possible reaction to his words.
"Don't freak out, Mohinder. She was fine with it. I told her a week ago and she still asked us to go trick-or-treating with her so..." He trailed off and pulled open the door. "Are you ready now? I swear, you're such a girl sometimes."
"Shut up." Mohinder grabbed the stupid looking green hat that went with his costume and shoved his smirking friend out of the doorway. They both shouted a quick goodbye to his mother and hurried out the door in case she decided to emerge from the kitchen and lecture them on safety and curfew and razor blade laced candy.
Fine with it?
When they reached the sidewalk Gabriel urged him toward the closest bus stop and speculated on Elle's costume choice.
Fine with it.
They didn't have to wait long. The bus pulled up just as the Freshman was muttering something about Vanilla Ice (Mohinder knew the girl was pretty obsessed with the rapper and, if she had in fact dressed up as the guy, was kind of interested to see how she would go about trying to look like him).
Mohinder followed his friend onto the bus -- they took a seat at the back.
She did still want to hang out with us tonight, he thought as the bus started moving. Maybe he was easy on her.
Gabriel threw a casual arm over his shoulders and nodded at a man sitting a few seats in front of them. "Look at that gore. That blood looks real."
Mohinder rolled his eyes and squirmed out from under his taller friend's arm. "And?"
"I...like it. It's awesome."
Mohinder turned to look out the window. He watched as cars and buildings and people rushed by.
Maybe she really is fine with it.
by Harikari
AN: Meant to post this around Halloween, but it didn't happen. Comments are much appreciated, feel free to point out any glaring errors. Hope you enjoy.
-----
Part Nine
"So what are you supposed to be?" asked Gabriel. He was lounging on Mohinder's bed, leaning into the large and squashy set of pillows at the head of it. His ankles were crossed in a comfortable looking way and his dark eyes kept finding Mohinder's costume clad form before quickly darting away. "Some sort of prima ballerina or something?"
Mohinder finished adjusting his belt and turned. He was frowning. "Danseur noble," muttered the high school Sophomore vaguely before settling his gaze back on the somewhat smeared mirror above his small, wooden bureau.
"God bless you."
"It's the male form of a prima ballerina, Gabriel. And no. That's not what I'm supposed to be." He adjusted the faux leather strap holding the quiver of plastic, feathered arrows at his back. "You know what I'm supposed to be. I'm-"
"I know, I know," cut in Gabriel. "Robin Hood." He snorted and sat up, swung his long legs over the side of the bed.
The slightly older teenager sighed and turned again to face his friend. "Look, I know it's a stupid costume but Elle told us...ordered us to dress up in real costumes and this was the only thing I could find in my size on such short notice that didn't cost a fortune."
He crossed the room and shoved lightly at the taller teenager's shoulder. "This though...you cheated. Elle is going to kill you, Gabriel. I might kill you. This isn't a real costume. This is black jeans, a Ramones t-shirt and a black duster that's way too big for you."
Gabriel stood up, forcing Mohinder to back up a few steps. "I'm a...vampire."
Mohinder crossed his arms and glared. "Where are your fangs?"
Gabriel shrugged and stuffed his hands into the duster's overlarge pockets. "A serial killer, then. Yeah. That. I like that."
Mohinder clenched his teeth and shoved at Gabriel's shoulder again. The other teenager simply smirked and let him; hardly even swayed in place at the force of it.
The Sophomore glanced down at himself. He looked ridiculous, had known he would look ridiculous when he'd picked up the costume at the store that afternoon but had assumed his best friend would be in a similar get up. He had assumed they would both look like idiots for the night.
For Elle's sake.
"She's your girlfriend. Your the one that supposed to be making all the effort. Not me."
Gabriel fiddled with his glasses; took them off, then cleaned the lenses with a corner of his t-shirt before putting them back on. "She's not my girlfriend. And you look fine in tights, don't worry about it." He patted at the slimmer teenager's arm as if to comfort him and moved to the door. "Are you ready?"
Mohinder stared at his friend. "What do you mean she isn't your girlfriend? I know she thinks she's your girlfriend. And you both have been hanging out since the eighth grade -- going to movies and to eat and doing homework together."
The taller teenager barked out a laugh. "So what? You're with us most of the time. And we used to do all of that stuff together before the blond bombshell came along. That doesn't make us a couple." He laughed again and then stopped short, turned and aimed laser-intense eyes at Mohinder. "Does it?"
"Shut up." The teenager squirmed.
Usually, he was fine with his best friend's habit of dark and intense and unreadable looks. With his twisted sort of humor and his forceful but steady tone of voice. He was used to it, liked it even because it was a part of who Gabriel was and Gabriel was his closest friend. But just now he was dressed in an idiotic costume, dreading the long and doubtless humiliating and very not fun night ahead and wishing he could just change into jeans or sweats and make his way to the couch for a scary movie marathon. "That isn't funny."
The tall teenager shrugged again and pursed his lips in a frown. "Whatever. Are you ready?"
Mohinder took a deep breath. "It's just..." He trailed off and cleared his throat before starting again. "I know she cares a lot about you, Gabriel. She's our friend and it isn't right to lead her on. I wasn't going to say anything because she started using the word boyfriend a few weeks ago and I know you've heard her say it and you never told her anything so I thought you two were finally..."
Another pause. Then, "How can you do that to her? She's our friend."
Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "You're my friend, Mohinder. You are."
"Well...yeah. Of course. But so is she. She's our friend, too. And she likes you. Like more than a friend likes you. If you don't like her back that way and you don't think you're ever going to you owe it to her to tell her. She needs to know."
As if uncomfortable, Gabriel shifted. "I told her."
Mohinder froze. "You told her? What? What do you mean? What did you tell her?" His heart was suddenly beating hard in his chest.
Gabriel was...different. He rarely worried about hurting other people's feelings. It was almost like he lacked a filter. More often than not he would say exactly what he felt with no worry whatsoever about the individual on the receiving end and their possible reaction to his words.
"Don't freak out, Mohinder. She was fine with it. I told her a week ago and she still asked us to go trick-or-treating with her so..." He trailed off and pulled open the door. "Are you ready now? I swear, you're such a girl sometimes."
"Shut up." Mohinder grabbed the stupid looking green hat that went with his costume and shoved his smirking friend out of the doorway. They both shouted a quick goodbye to his mother and hurried out the door in case she decided to emerge from the kitchen and lecture them on safety and curfew and razor blade laced candy.
Fine with it?
When they reached the sidewalk Gabriel urged him toward the closest bus stop and speculated on Elle's costume choice.
Fine with it.
They didn't have to wait long. The bus pulled up just as the Freshman was muttering something about Vanilla Ice (Mohinder knew the girl was pretty obsessed with the rapper and, if she had in fact dressed up as the guy, was kind of interested to see how she would go about trying to look like him).
Mohinder followed his friend onto the bus -- they took a seat at the back.
She did still want to hang out with us tonight, he thought as the bus started moving. Maybe he was easy on her.
Gabriel threw a casual arm over his shoulders and nodded at a man sitting a few seats in front of them. "Look at that gore. That blood looks real."
Mohinder rolled his eyes and squirmed out from under his taller friend's arm. "And?"
"I...like it. It's awesome."
Mohinder turned to look out the window. He watched as cars and buildings and people rushed by.
Maybe she really is fine with it.