Run Away With Me
Disclaimer: It is still not mine. Writing these is getting tedious.
AN: So, I hear I may have made some people very happy with the last chapter. This chapter is less exciting in that way, but I promise they are adorable and Gav is the coolest kid. Also, you get to meet Zelda…
Isabelle: Well, in my opinion Gabe had to kiss her. Relationships are new for him, and for him to start it means that he won't do something he's not ready for. Also, you know, it's a big leap for him into this new world, and the kiss is just a symbol for the start of that. They both have to learn what being in a real relationship is like, which is what the next few chapters will deal with. Just wait until the Amies find out =P… (And dang girl, I wish I could actually write epic length replies to you in private…)
Chapter eleven: In which Lips meets his biggest fan
So, Gavin called to let them know that Zelda was going to be joining them at the zoo – that kind of killed the buzz that she had going on. Really, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed with Gabriel again, and occasionally come out to hang out with her favorite sibling. She had no real desire to go out in public, and especially not with Zelda there.
They are now waiting at the entrance of the zoo, holding their tickets in hand and hoping that Zelda has changed her mind about coming with Gavin. She is finally happy with things, and now Zelda has come to ruin it all – a view that she has tried to change ever since childhood, but her sister has always made that very difficult. Zelda never really changes, and that continues to worry her, because Zelda is her mother's daughter.
Gavin has only inherited a sense of adventure and skill at sizing people up, but Zelda has inherited a lack of a moral compass, because she seemingly has no problems with using people for their money and other benefits. She is going to end up in trouble.
Right now, she is mostly concerned about her jumping on her Gabe.
"I apologize beforehand for whatever Zelda will do," she tells him, linking their arms.
"We can make it up to each other later," he wiggles his eyebrows exaggeratedly.
She has to laugh at that, because while he is phrasing it as a joke, the option is still actually there for the both of them. After this day – one that is undoubtedly going to be tiring and occasionally annoying – they can crawl into their shared bed and make each other feel better. With this, she does indeed mean kissing, and hopefully more.
"Did you just do the innuendo," she teases gently. "I am so impressed."
Her being impressed is just an excuse for her to plant a lingering kiss on his lips – and then turn away to leave him wanting more. Only, he is not falling for that, and he pulls her right back to him with a smile on his face. They kiss again.
"You're adorable," he tells her when he lets go.
That just so happens to be the moment that she notices her sister.
"Ugh, here she comes," she pouts and Gabe puts an arm around her.
Zelda is dressed immaculately, and of course in a way too chic fashion for her to be comfortable during a day at the zoo. She might break an ankle in those stiletto heels, and she is secretly hoping that the pancake layer of make-up on her sister's face gets badly smudged during the day. Also, is she really wearing a miniskirt?
Is her sister honestly trying to seduce Gabe before she has even met him?
"Hi Eppie and Gabe," Gavin rushes at them to give them a big hug.
"Hello Gavin," her now boyfriend is hesitantly included in the family hug.
So, somehow Gavin already knows that Gabriel is a part of their family. Then again, he has treated him like an honorary brother since the minute he met him – joking with him and growing several metaphorical inches because of the mature treatment that he is finally receiving from some people. Those people being both her and Gabe, because they had both seen that this boy was incredibly mature and smart for his age.
He deserved more credit than he was getting, because apparently Gavin's foster parents cannot see through his mischief and notice the intelligence underneath.
"Gabriel, meet Zelda," Gavin does not delay the inevitable. "She's our other sister."
Zelda is already eyeing him up and down, noticing that while he is dressed casually, he cuts a nice figure, and his clothes tell tales of his money. Her sister has already chosen him as her next target, and she can see it in her eyes.
She cannot take Gabe away from her. She will not allow it.
"It is very nice to meet you," Gabriel holds out a hand for Zelda to shake.
"Well hello handsome," her sister is purring, shaking Gabe's hand carefully.
"Don't, Zelda," she has to warn her. "Just stop before you embarrass yourself."
While she was chastising her sister, the other girl had already moved closer to Gabriel, trying to link her arm with his – not that he was letting that happen. He is politely trying to extract himself from her sister, and moving closer to her in a show of whom he was with and whom he would rather avoid. He is still standing with her. That gives her hope.
"Gavin said that he was not yours," a pout from Zelda makes her roll her eyes.
"Maybe I wasn't yesterday, but I am now," he says that so proudly.
It seems as if he is proud to be hers, which is not something that has ever happened to her before. Most guys always tried to not mention her last name, avoiding the slightest possibility of being formally associated with her and her family. It seems that once again, Gabe is the first. It is starting to become a bit of a trend in her new life.
"I don't think we own each other, but okay," she shrugs. "Yeah, he's mine."
There is this old nineties – or early two thousands – song that tells of two woman battling over one boy. This is not turning out like that, because Zelda has absolutely no claim to Gabriel, and she is actually officially dating him. They have not yet made it Facebook official – something that they both find ridiculous – because it will be more fun to see people's reactions in real life. The Amies won't know what hit them.
"I knew it," Gavin is grinning widely, obviously happy at this change.
"I didn't lie to you yesterday, Gavin," she needs to explain. "I wouldn't lie to you."
The fact that Gavin's response to this relationship is so positive makes her feel a lot better about it. If her brother thinks that Gabe is good enough for her, they agree yet again. Actually, she personally thinks that Gabe is way out of her league, but Gavin will probably be more biased in her direction. It is good that he is happy.
"I know," he is smiling at her. "Can we go see the polar bears first?"
"Sure," she tells him as she grabs Gabe's hand tightly.
He is right there with her, still trying to get away from Zelda. Their hands are a perfect fit, something that should freak her out, but really doesn't. They are acting like the couples that she used to resent when she had no one to count on. She knows that she will always be able to count on Gabe – he is almost too loyal for his own good.
"I'll race you," she teases Gabe, untangling herself from him.
"The winner gets what exactly," he asks in return, his pupils dilated.
She has taught him well – only she didn't really have to teach him anything. She wants him just as badly as he wants her, but they made this promise to Gavin and she does not break her promises to her little brother. Still, this does not mean that they can't get something out of this trip. They are still the same people who played truth or strip on the car ride over to Columbus, and a bet or race would be great here as well.
"We'll figure out the sexual favors later," she winks at him.
"Not in front of your siblings now, please," Gabe is not happy she used those terms at this moment. "I wouldn't want to scar Gavin for life. He looks like he might hurl."
Indeed, her little brother does look a bit green around the gills. No wonder, because he is still at that age when girls have cooties and they can barely be friends. Well, Gav can probably be friends with a girl, but he sure as hell is not touching one.
"Sorry Gav," she is the one blushing this time around.
"You're happy," her little brother shrugs. "That's nice."
Her happiness is so obvious to everyone that even if she does not tell people that she has a boyfriend now, they will know immediately just by the excited look on her face. As long as she does not become this disgusting person who cannot talk about anything but her perfect relationship, she should be fine. Sure, she really likes doing this couple-y stuff with Gabe, but she is much too attached to her independence to be around him constantly, begging for his attention. She is better than that.
"Right now you're happy," Zelda is skeptical. "You are always happy at first."
What the hell is that supposed to mean? She has never been in a relationship before, so there is no always in this situation. Zelda is seriously trying to attempt to make her doubt this, or to make Gabriel doubt her. She is not having any of that.
"In what universe have I been in a relationship before," she questions harshly.
"Oh, this one is a relationship," Zelda is dismissive and mocking.
Yes, she has had a few flings, but those did not last long and they were pretty much completely based on sex and money. She gave out sex, the guy gave out money, and they were both happy. She is good in bed, apparently, and not too unfortunate looking. Well, that was almost a direct quote from one of the more awkward guys.
"Back off, Zelda," she warns yet again – trying not to believe her.
"He'll get sick of you," a taunt that she does not want to rise to. "They always do."
She is right about that – nobody has managed to stick with her for very long, in any kind of capacity. Her parents left her, her siblings were taken away, and all of the guys she slept with left her pretty soon after that. She wants Gabriel to be different, as he has been for everything else so far, but her experience tells her otherwise. She is too far in to escape the heartbreak that is undoubtedly coming for her.
"Who says that it won't be the other way around," Gabe makes it a genuine question.
"Me," she has to answer him immediately. "I say that."
It is so easy to fall in love with him – even though he is occasionally clueless about relationships, and he gets way too serious about things. There are some little things that might start to bug her about him, but those are not enough reason to leave him behind – not even if the sex is terrible, something that she seriously doubts, seeing as he is very intuitive. He can read her well, something that both terrifies and excites her. She is very curious how well that translates between the sheets, though.
"You are getting suspiciously romantic, Ponine," he teases her.
"Shut it, Lips," she plants a quick kiss on those lips and turns back to her siblings.
Really, she wants to spend this day at the zoo with her two favorite men, and she does not care what Zelda decides to do. She missed her, she really did, but when she actually spends time with her, she would rather just walk away.
"I missed you, sis," she turns to her sister. "I really did. Now you have two options: you can continue to harass my boyfriend or lover and I will continue to give you shit and eventually send you away. Option two: you can behave like the person you can still be and keep your paws off people who are taken. Then we can have a family outing."
It is surprising enough that she actually wants to spend time with her sister again, and figure out what kind of person she is underneath the bravado and superficiality.
"A family outing without Mom and Dad," Zelda seems to be serious about that.
"Of course," she rolls her eyes, because she cannot understand. "Besides the fact that they will be in jail for the foreseeable future, I would not want to talk to them ever again, for the rest of my natural born life. They ruined our lives, Zelda! They are not good people and they never will be! You have no idea how much damage they have caused in our lives. You don't know what I did, what I had to do! I'm glad you don't, really I am, because you shouldn't have to, but don't think I'll ever talk to them again."
She cannot breathe. There are too many bad memories flitting through her head, the images flickering and tangling in their haste to be remembered. Some memories have blended together in their awfulness, and the pain rushes back in waves. The acid that is trying to come back up has to be washed down with deep cleansing breaths.
Gabe is right there next to her, and he keeps holding on to her. He stays.
"Ponine," is everything that Gabe says, and it is enough.
"I don't want to talk about it," she tells him, even though he already knows.
"You don't have to," he replies, just to make sure that she knows that he knows.
This conversation must happen at some point, but she does not want it to happen at a busy zoo with her siblings right there. Gavin must never know. Just telling Gabriel about it will be difficult and painful enough, and she is not looking forward to that. But if he has decided to date her, to be her partner in life, he deserves to know the person whom he is dealing with and what damage she has and what triggers he really has to avoid.
"Go home Zelda," Gavin orders their sister around. "You've done enough damage."
Will Zelda actually listen to him? She doubts that the other girl ever listens to anything but the sound of her own voice, no matter how harsh that might sound.
"Whatever," Zelda does turn around and she walks away.
With Gabe's arms around her, it is much easier not to collapse, and to pull herself together enough to finish this day with her brother – one of the few opportunities that she will have to see him before he turns eighteen. She can totally do this.
"Let's go see some polar bears," she takes a deep breath.
Her two favorite men are by her side. She can do everything now. She's not alone.
AN: Yeah, so a bit different than the last one. The next one will address some of the things mentioned in this chapter, as our characters change cities again.
Shameless plug: I'm writing an E/E one-shot with the following summary:
Really, it is all R's fault. He was the one who left him in the sex shop with the girl in the naughty nurse outfit and no way to get home. Or: how Gabriel Enjolras met the love of his life.
It will be up soon, because the response I got on Tumblr for this idea has been amazing…