[Room 372]

[mr_gaeta]

[After this.]

"Okay," says Gaeta -- out of breath, as always, from the climb up the stairs -- as he shoulders open the door. The bird immediately weaves around him and darts in, plocking happily at its return to its new nest.

Once it became obvious that Gaeta would be a permanent resident, Bar kindly supplied a few additions and expansions to his room: a kitchenette, a couch and TV, a small bookshelf, a wooden partition to separate his bed from everything else. It looks more like a studio apartment now than the hotel atmosphere of most Milliways rooms.

Stepping aside as best he's able, he holds the door so Louis can come in.

Comments

[faithful_lt]

A tiny, rueful smile flickers for a second.


"Let's stick with the latter for now."

[mr_gaeta]

Even though he can't see Louis' smile, Gaeta unconsciously mirrors it: humorless, there and gone.

"I don't want you to go," he says after a moment. "I've always -- " He wipes the pad of his thumb over his eyes again. "It's always been easier when you're here. And I frakked up, and I don't know how to stop frakking up, but I just -- "

Finally, he looks up.

"I don't want you to leave me."

[faithful_lt]

He starts to say something, then stops; starts again, then stops a second time, without managing a single word.

Finally, he sighs, and moves to sit beside Felix on the bed - although not without a wary look at the bird, who's eyeing him from its position on Felix's other side.

"I don't want to leave you," Hoshi says, finally. "I want us to find a way through this - all of this, the whole frakking mess."

"That's thing one."

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta's full attention stays on Louis as he returns to the bed. This time, he doesn't look away.

Thing one implies he has more to say; silently, he nods, and waits for Louis to go on.

[faithful_lt]

"Thing two..."

He takes a deep breath, and faces Felix straight on.

"I can't always be here. I have to go back to Galactica, every day, to stand my duty. I'm not going to abandon my post."

[mr_gaeta]

"No, I know," he's quick to say, even if the words have thickened slightly from tears. "I know. I wouldn't ask you to do that."

Gaeta never abandoned his post, either.

[faithful_lt]

He nods.

"Okay."

Silence hangs over them like a curtain for several seconds.

"Although this time differential really fraks that up more than... well."

[mr_gaeta]

One corner of his mouth twists. "Yeah."

A small sigh.

"Maybe that's something to deal with once things are...I don't know. More settled."

[faithful_lt]

"Yeah. Or maybe it'll have sorted itself out somehow by then. Who knows."

[mr_gaeta]

"Maybe," he mumbles, without much heart.

And until then, well. Who the frak knows about that, either.

[faithful_lt]

He stays quiet for some time.



"I don't have to leave until morning," he says, finally. "Unless that bird of yours is going to peck my eyes out while we sleep."

[mr_gaeta]

The hope that dawns across Gaeta's face makes him look far younger. It balances out the lines that have collected, makes it easier to ignore the gray streaking his temples.

It makes him look like he's actually twenty-eight again.

"I'll make sure it doesn't," he says.

[faithful_lt]

Hoshi smiles.

"Okay."

[mr_gaeta]

He chances a smile of his own in return.

Then, in a further chance, reaches for one of Louis' hands.

[faithful_lt]

He doesn't pull away.

Hoshi lets Felix take his hand, then, after a moment, twines his fingers with the other man's.

[mr_gaeta]

Very gently, Gaeta squeezes his hand.




"Sure I can't make you some actual food?"

[faithful_lt]

"I'm sure. I'm not hungry."

A beat.

"Thanks, though."

[mr_gaeta]

"You're welcome."

On his other side, the bird eyes Louis, eyes their clasped hands, and lets out a huff of breath that might roughly translate as fine, I did my best, go run off with this boy, see if I care.

"Do you just, um." His tiny smile gains a helpless edge. "Want to go back to bed, or -- ?"

After going through the motions of waking up, Gaeta's not sure what to do next.

[faithful_lt]

His smile appears again, turning rueful and wry.

"I could probably sleep for a week, to be honest."

[mr_gaeta]

He laughs a little, sympathetic and relieved and still a little watery. "Okay. Here, um -- "

Gaeta lets go of his hand, scooting back along the bed to give him room.

[faithful_lt]

Hoshi gives the bird one more wary glance, then crawls up onto the bed and stretches out on Felix's other side.

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta hesitates, very much like he did when Louis first walked in.

"Do you want the whole bed to yourself?" Soft.

[faithful_lt]

He blinks drowsily up at Felix, then shakes his head, very slightly.

"It's too big. I'd get lost," he quips.

[mr_gaeta]

His laugh's a touch louder this time, though it cracks midway through. "I can help with that," he says.

Taking a moment to rearrange his legs, he lays down to curl up next to Louis. At the foot of the bed, the bird gives itself a full-body shake, ending with a few vigorous flaps of its wings, before flopping on the quilt with another huff.

It supposes you can stay, Louis. This time. But no funny business.