InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Sanity is but a state of mind."

Gabriel Holden (angeloffire) wrote in dalton_rpg,
@ 2012-02-28 18:19:00

Entry tags:

! thread, @ character: benjamin dubois, @ character: gabriel holden, status: incomplete

In which Gabriel goes running
Who: Gabriel and Benji
What: Gabriel is upset by Scotty's return and has gone out running. He has yet to stop.
Where: Dalton outdoor track
When: Tuesday early evening, after class but before dinner.
Rating: SFW

The sun was shining, it was a balmy 52°, and Gabriel was taking advantage of the weather by running on the outdoor track. He had shed his coat (and iPod) by the stands and was on his god-only-knows-how-manyth lap, his t-shirt damp with sweat. He had actually tied his hair back (it was getting long, he probably should get it cut), but a few stray wisps were sticking to his cheeks. His gaze was focused on the red rubber track in front of him. Gabriel was determined to run until he could get one thought out of his head.

Scottie came back. Scottie came back. Scottie came back…

Gabriel's legs were aching, and his lungs were begging him to stop, but he just pushed through the pain and kept running, crossing the line for another lap.

Scottie came back. Scottie came back. Scottie came back…

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benjamin_isaiah
2012-02-29 02:23 am UTC (link)

Benji certainly didn't mind when Tak got to blasting his music, but he simply wasn't in the mood for it that day. As such, he'd left their room in favour of finding somewhere a little quieter. He'd considered the library but, as he was actually caught up in all of his classes, and ahead in a few others, the junior found himself heading for the locker-room instead. After changing into a pair of his basketball shorts and a loose-fitting t-shirt, he grabbed a bottle of water and his iPod, set the volume to a lower level, and started up his running playlist as he made his way outside to the track.

He noticed immediately that someone else was using the track, but Benji paid it no mind - that was why there were multiple lanes, after all - and deposited his water bottle on the bottom plank of the bleachers. It took him another moment to determine who his company was, but, again, he gave the fact that it was Gabe little thought - he'd seen the other boy around from time to time, and he'd actually wondered on more than one occasion why the blond had never joined the track and field team. Shaking off the thought, Benji moved onto the track and started jogging, getting himself warmed up before he would break into a full-on run.

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	angeloffire 2012-02-29 02:26 am UTC (link)
	It actually took Gabriel a lap to even realize he had company, so lost in his own thoughts was he, and another lap before he had recognized the other boy as Benji Dubois. He managed to give Benji a little nod of acknowledgment, unable to spare the breath for a spoken greeting as he kept up his relentless run. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

benjamin_isaiah
2012-02-29 02:43 am UTC (link)

Offering a smile and a nod of his own, Benji continued and finished his warm up, and then started in on his actual run. The pair ran in relative silence for a while, but Benji couldn't help noticing in the end how exhausted the other boy looked - how long had he been there before Benji arrived? He understood all too well the desire to want to run, and just keep running forever, but the brunet also knew that, logically, it was bad for you and increased one's risk of injury.

While he and Gabe were hardly what anyone would call close, Benji considered the boy a friend (where the other may simply call him an acquaintance) and he didn't particularly want to see Gabriel run himself into the ground. He'd say something if the other junior kept going for much longer without at least stopping to rest.

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angeloffire
2012-02-29 02:46 am UTC (link)

Gabriel had stopped wishing he'd brought a water bottle out with him about eight laps ago, and stopped thinking about how much he was going to ache tomorrow six laps ago. He was determined to run and run and run until he had run Scottie right out of his mind.

Thankfully, Benji's presence on the track was giving him something new to think about, slowly crowding out Scottie's reappearance at Dalton. It wasn't overwhelming it completely, though, and Gabriel set his jaw, forcing himself to pick up the pace a little more. Think of Benji, not Scottie...

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benjamin_isaiah
2012-02-29 03:01 am UTC (link)

Another seven and a half laps went by before the nagging worry in the back of Benji's mind took over in full force and the boy slowed to a jog when he came back around to meet Gabriel on the track. Thankfully, the other boy had slowed down again and Benji managed to catch him before he resume pushing himself to speed up. Taking out his ear buds, he turned around to look at the blond, being careful not to trip as he continued to jog backwards.

"You look exhausted," he commented, biting his lip for a moment before asking, "When was the last time you breaked?"

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angeloffire
2012-02-29 03:05 am UTC (link)

Just the act of lifting his eyes from the track and focusing on Benji instead of the ground in front of him made Gabriel stumble a little, his rhythm thrown off as one foot scuffed the ground. He gave a shake of his head, unable to answer with words right now: he hadn't taken a break since he started. How long ago now was that? Too long. Gabriel wasn't in the zone anymore, and he had to slow down, his body's demands finally refusing to be ignored. He was panting heavily now, struggling to recover.

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benjamin_isaiah
2012-02-29 03:11 am UTC (link)

Benji winced, an apology flying from his lips immediately when his classmate stumbled, but he felt relieved that it had at least gotten Gabe to slow down in a way that indicated his preparation to stop. It was hardly unusual to be panting after such a run, but the clear struggle Gabriel was having as he tried to regulate his breathing reassured Benji that he'd done the right thing in trying to stop his fellow junior.

Slowing to a stop just after Gabriel, Benji caught his breath and walked back over to where the blond had stopped. "Sorry," he repeated, knowing his cheeks would have darkened if he wasn't already red from running, "I didn't mean to trip you up."

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	angeloffire 2012-02-29 03:18 am UTC (link)
	Finally, finally, Gabriel came to a stop, bending forward, his hands braced against his thighs. He had his eyes squeezed shut as he concentrated just on breathing right now. Eventually, Gabriel was able to lift his head and a hand, weakly waving off Benji's apology. "It's... all right." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

benjamin_isaiah
2012-02-29 03:37 am UTC (link)

Staying quiet as Gabe worked on catching his breath, Benji ran a hand through his hair, scrunching his nose a little at the sweat that had begun to dampen it from both the running and warbler's practice not long before. With a small smile, he nodded in acknowledgment of Gabriel's words, adding a soft 'okay.'

"But, seriously..." He continued, eying the other boy with concern, "You look like you've just run a marathon. Or two."

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angeloffire
2012-02-29 11:45 am UTC (link)

How long was a marathon? Twenty... six miles? And four laps made a mile, so that would be... over a hundred laps? Gabriel gave another shake of his head. "Not quite..." He was pretty sure it wasn't quite a marathon.

On the other hand, his legs felt like jelly and only the strength of his will was keeping him from sagging to the ground completely. He was swaying a little, though, trying to stay on his feet. The slight breeze wasn't helping. Not only did it work to unbalance him, but it also reminded Gabriel that he really wasn't wearing appropriate clothes for 52°, especially not when he had sweated so much. He shivered as the wind plastered his damp shirt against his chest, looking around dazedly for his coat. He had brought his coat, right?

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benjamin_isaiah
2012-03-01 06:24 pm UTC (link)

Benji remained skeptical, even as Gabe protested. Maybe he hadn't run a hundred miles, but he certainly looked like he'd run himself beyond the brink. As if confirming that, the blond began to sway, and then took on such a dazed look as he glanced around; Benji didn't even think about it before stepping forward, and reaching out to steady Gabriel.

"Dude, I think you need to sit down," he muttered, his expression undeniably one of concern,"C'mon."

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	angeloffire 2012-03-01 11:11 pm UTC (link)
	"I'm... what?" Gabriel tried to insist he was fine but got lost halfway through the sentence. He looked blearily at Benji again as his knees argued in favor of giving in to gravity. "Down... down is good..." He was starting to get cold. His shirt was wet. Why was his shirt wet? Oh right, sweat. Rhymed with wet. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	benjamin_isaiah 2012-03-22 04:09 pm UTC (link)
	The concern in Benji's eyes only grew as Gabriel swayed and lost his train of thought. Shifting, he moved to hold the other boy up more effectively and nodded. "Yeah," he agree softly, starting to lead him towards the bleachers with another gentle prompt of 'c'mon'. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	angeloffire 2012-03-26 12:29 am UTC (link)
	Gabriel not only allowed Benji to lead him without a fuss, but he was actually leaning against the other boy by the time they reached the bleachers. He sagged gratefully to a bench, almost immediately crumpling forward, his head hanging in the vicinity of his knees. "I... thank you..." (Reply to this) (Parent)