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Gabe put his hands in his pockets, grinning in return. Seeing Alex smile made him smile.
Do you really want to trust insanity? (Private with Icefire, it's pretty fooking mature, matey)
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Alex looked around again, curious as to their surroundings and the park.
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The park was… scraggly, almost. Just a few trees and patches of grass with paths through them. It wasn't very well maintained, either. Still, children were playing in it, and a few groups of two to four men were roaming around. A couple children ran close to Alex and Gabe, laughing as they chased each other.
Alex stepped back from the children, unintentionally stepping into Gabe. He wasn't really aware of it until he felt his back hit Gabe's chest, and he blushed, looking up at Gabe.
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Gabe smiled encouragingly to Alex when he backed up into him, putting one hand lightly on his shoulder.
Alex bit his lip, still blushing. He stepped away after a moment, brushing back a loose lock of hair.
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Gabe left his hand on Alex's shoulder, but when he stepped away Gabe dropped his hand. He didn't seem to notice the blush- or if he did, he didn't bring it up.
"Doing okay?"
Alex nodded, looking around the park. "Yeah." he said softly. "Thank you."
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Gabe smiled.
"You're welcome," He said, looking around as well for a moment before looking at Alex.
"I like coming here. The air just seems… less dirty here."
Alex gave a tiny, hesitant little smile again, and nodded, looking around the park.
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Gabe felt so good to see Alex smiling so much, even though they were small and hesitant. They were better than nothing.
Alex fidgeted with the sleeves of his shirt, taking a deep breath.
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Gabe glanced at Alex again, grinning. He started walking again.
"There's a part of the park I think you might enjoy," he said.
Alex glanced up, then followed Gabe quietly. "Okay." He said softly.
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Gabe led Alex through the park, and eventually, they came to a little garden area. It was all quite pretty and calming, and only one or two people were there.
Alex's face flickered into a tiny little smile when he saw it. "Oh. It's pretty." He said softly.
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Gabe smiled fondly as he looked out over the garden. He stood by Alex's side.
"Yeah…"
Alex stepped into the garden, looking around. He didn't see any ghosts, just traces of their presence.
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Gabe walked in with Alex, keeping his pace slow as he looked at each of the flowers.
"My mom and I loved this place," he said with a fond smile.
Alex nodded a little bit, looking down at the flowers and taking a deep breath.
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Gabe looked up for a moment, gaze resting lightly on Alex for a moment. He looked like he was doing better out here, which was nice.
"We'd help the park staff take care of the flowers," he continued.
Alex glanced over at Gabe, listening quietly. He nodded again.
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Gabe gave Alex a small smile when he looked over. He wasn't really sure why he was telling Alex about this- he rarely talked about his mother, especially now.
"Then we'd have a picnic, right over there," he said, pointing out the spot.
Alex looked at the spot, then at Gabe again, listening quietly.
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Gabe smiled at the memory. It was bittersweet, him being here without her now.
"She would have liked you," he said softly.
"I doubt it." Alex replied softly.
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Gabe shook his head a little.
"She would have definitely liked you." Like me, Gabe thought to himself.
But not the same way, a tiny voice in the back of his head added. He ignored that part of him.
Alex shrugged. Not a crazy sodomite, she wouldn't. He swallowed.
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Gabe lightly placed his hand on Alex's shoulder.
"I know it's hard to believe, but not everyone judges others on things they can't control." He smiled lightly, but he meant his words. Not everyone would hate Alex just because he was a sodomite, or crazy.
Alex looked up at Gabe again, biting his lip. "I…"