Alex shook his head quickly. "N-no, I…" He shivered. "I can't." He whispered.
Do you really want to trust insanity? (Private with Icefire, it's pretty fooking mature, matey)
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Gabe fell silent, brushing the hair out of Alex's face one more time before pulling his hand away.
"Okay then. You don't have to." He smiled softly.
Alex shuddered. "Okay." He whispered, shaking. His breath caught in his chest for just a moment.
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Gabe watched Alex silently, wondering if he had pushed too far.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, afraid he had upset Alex.
Alex shook his head, pressing his hands to his face. "It's not your fault." He whispered.
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Gabe's hands reached down again, softly pressed against Alex's wrists.
Alex jumped at the contact, and he glanced up at Gabe with wide, frightened green eyes, shaking a little bit.
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Gabe jumped when Alex did, pulling his hands away.
"What did I do wrong?" He asked, wanting to avoid this in the future.
"I…wrists…please don't…." Alex whispered, shaking. His sleeves had slipped down again to show the scars from restraints.
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"Okay," Gabe said softly. "I won't touch your wrists again. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. That's my fault."
Alex shrugged a little bit. "I-it's okay…" he whispered, still shaking slightly. "I-I just…"
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"It's not okay," Gabe said, hands resting in his lap. "I did something that was detrimental to you, and that's not right."
Alex shrugged again. "Not the worst thing you could have done…" he replied softly.
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"Just because it isn't the worst doesn't mean it's still not right." Gabe sighed, looking concerned.
Alex bit his lip a little bit, rubbing at his eyes. He shrugged slightly.
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Gabe watched Alex, then pulled away a little.
Alex took a shaky breath, shoulders tucked close to his body.
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"Do you… Need me to leave?" Gabe asked quietly.
Alex shrugged a little bit, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes.
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"Okay," Gabe said. This time, he actually did get up, slipping out of the bed. He left the room for a moment, meaning to grab his book and come back in. Of course, it would seem like he had left for a while since he hadn't said anything.
Alex glanced up when Gabe left, biting his lip. He snuggled back down into the bed tiredly, his hands still covering his face.
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Gabe had screwed up, he realized that much. He usually never made mistakes like that. He came back silently, sitting down in the chair in the far corner with a soft creak as he opened his book. He glanced up at Alex for a moment, then away.
Alex stayed curled into his ball, not looking up when Gabe came back in. He rubbed at his face tiredly, his journal still sitting on the mantle.
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Gabe looked up again, very concerned for Alex.
"Alex," he said gently to get his attention.
Alex looked up, raising his eyebrows a little, but didn't speak. He bit his lip.
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"Are you do doing okay?" Gabe looked genuinely concerned, leaning forward a bit. For once, he didn't know exactly what he needed to say.
Alex shrugged a little bit. "I-I guess." He replied softly, biting his lip a little bit.
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Gabe let out a little breath. He realized he shouldn't have expected any other answer; Alex wasn't really one to… assert himself. Gabe wanted to help with that, but it'd take a really long time, if ever.
"Okay then," he said, not really sure if it was the truth.
Alex was still pressed deep in the blankets, the fabric gathered around his body.
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Gabe sat on the chair, silent. After a moment, he stood, pulling the chair over to the bed. He sat down again, staying within arm's reach of Alex.