Floof (Danny, Gabe)
Gabe had been spinning around in his desk chair, trying to see just how long he could twirl before he felt sick. There wasn't much else to do in Priory when he wasn't in therapy, and at least it wasn't something destructive. When someone entered his room, however, he looked up and his vision swam. "Uuuuggghhh. Hi, Danny."
"Nice greeting," Danny laughed, undeterred. The other boy crossed the room and climbed right up onto his bed where he stretched out and made himself comfortable.
"The whole room is spinning, hnnnrrgg," Gabe responded, but eventually he was able to look down at Danny and the image of him was more or less still. "What's up?" It wasn't exactly normal for someone with Danny's issues to just climb into someone else's bed like they'd been doing it their entire lives.
"Tired," Danny murmured, curling up into a ball. "Tired and lonely. Rachel left and I don't wanna be alone. Can I stay here for awhile?"
Gabe's lips inched upwards in a smile, his eyes fond. Danny was just the sweetest boy and Gabe was more that relieved that it seemed he was going to stay that way. Not that he would have blamed him for a second if he'd gone cynical and bitter like Gabriel himself had. For someone who had been the victim of sexual abuse as a child and then again when he was older, Danny still had an air of innocence about him. Gabe found it reassuring. "Of course you can, Danny. You okay?"
"Mmm. Just fine, mum," Danny replied, already sounding like he was drifting off to sleep. Gabe chuckled at the slight dig at his over-protective nature. He couldn't help it though, Danny brought it out of him. He'd only known the other boy for a few weeks and Gabe was pretty sure he'd jump in the line of fire for the kid. He was just so good. Goodness like that had to be preserved.
"Did you eat dinner?"
"You're worse'n my friends," Danny chuckled, burrowing into the pillow. "Go back to your spinning. I just want to be here, you don't have to entertain me."
"I think I'll puke if I do that," Gabe said, relocating to his small couch. "I'll read instead. Go to sleep, Danny."
"You don't care?" he asked sleepily. "'m stealin' your bed."
"I'm not tired anyway," Gabe replied honestly. And if Danny was still sleeping when he got tired, he could sleep on the floor. He'd had worse. This way if Danny had nightmares, Gabe could be there for him.
They fell into companionable silence, Gabe reading until Danny's breathing became even. Every so often he'd glance at the other boy to make sure he was sleeping peacefully. It did frighten him a little, how very much he cared about Danny's well-being. He couldn't help but think of his little sister and how much he wished he could be protecting her too.
This was what he could do though. And it was better than nothing.