\-=_=moo=_=-/
Gil rubs Oz's back, trying to comfort him, and possible calm him down.
But it doesn't seem like he's going to relax any time soon. Though he stopped screaming, he's still trembling like he's in a freezing pool of water.
He has moved his arms from groping Gil's shirt to groping Gil in his entirety, now hugging him tightly. It scares Gil that Oz has so much strength left to be able to squeeze him as much as he is doing now, but eventually Oz's muscles falter and he has to quit tensing them for a few seconds, before pulling Gil back into a tight embrace with no escape.
"G-Gil?!
"Yes?"
"A-I, I," he keeps stuttering. It seems like his body doesn't even want to allow him to speak.
"I, I."
"Oz, breathe."
Oz tries to do as Gil says. He draws in a large breath and slowly blows it out of his nose. Gil feels the air flow over his shirt. Oz's arms release the tension they held on Gil's waist, allowing him to breathe freely now as well. Though calmer than before, Oz is still shaking like a madman and crying a river. Gil pushes Oz away a few inches so that he can look at his face. Oz looks up at Gil as well, still crying. He starts to hiccup.
Gil simply looks at him, smiling.
Oz really wants to punch him.
Why is he smiling?
When obviously Oz is very sad.
It pisses him off.
Gil puts his hand over Oz's ear and scratches the back of it.
What the hell is wrong with this idiot?
"I'm not a -hic- dog, idiot."
Oz stops shaking, frustration taking over.
"So you don't think it feels nice?"
Gil continues scratching.
Oz's anger vanishes into a mist of embarrassment.
"I-I -hic- I never said that." he pouted.
Gil chuckles.
Oz has always been sensitive around the ears. Gil knows that.
"-Hic-"
"You want some water?"
Gil shifts away from Oz but is pulled to a stop. Oz is clinging to his shirt.
Gil turns around and sees Oz looking at him, frightened for some unknown reason. Even he doesn't fully understand why. What he does understand is that he doesn't want Gil to leave. Why exactly that is, he doesn't know.
"Don't go."
Gil listens to the boy, but he can't let him keep the hiccups like that, so he presses a button to call for someone to bring them water in Gil's stead.
Oz has already toned down to a soft sniffling when the assistant comes in with some water. She looks at Oz for a few seconds, curious to the reason he's crying, but she knows she shouldn't ask and she shouldn't stare, that would make the patient uncomfortable. So she sets her gaze on Gil when bringing in the water and leaves right away after a simple "here you go"
Gil pours a glass of water and hands it to Oz, who tugs it all down in a single move.
"-Hic-
"Drink slowly Oz, and hold your breath after a few sips."
Gil pours him another cup of water.
Now Oz does as Gil recommended.
The hiccups stop.
"Gil?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you bother with me so much?"
Gil is surprised by that question.
"Well that's simple: because I love you."
Oz blushes, "w-what?"
"Because I love you."
Oz is lost in words.
"B-but, but w-why would you l-love someo-one like me?"
"What's that supposed to mean, Oz? You're an amazing child, there's nothing wrong with you."
"Eh-uuuh… you're lying!" Oz tries to deny it. There is so much wrong him him.
"I can't think of a single thing that's bad about you."
He's wrong, the list can go on for ages.
He has no soul.
He has no use to this world.
He's a disgusting piece of filth.
He made Echo cry.
He wet Gil's shirt.
He kept waking Gil up with his nightmares.
He cut his poor body to pieces.
And he can keep counting.
"You're wrong," Oz looks down, "I've only been a bother to you. I'm useless."
"If you really bothered me as much as you claim you're doing, I wouldn't be so happy to see you every day, and do things together with you every day. You are wrong, Oz, How can it be that someone who makes me so happy, is useless?"
Oz looks up from his lap. "W-what? You don't need me.."
"If I didn't have you with me, I think I'd really be a loner, and I would get depressed because of that, but with you there with me, that would never happen."
Oz blushes. "W-what are you talking about!? I've been rubbing it in on you all the time, how did that make you happy!?"
"Because I know you meant it well."
"What is there to mean well in calling you a loner!?"
"I don't know. What I do know is, that for some reason, I get really happy when you call me that."
Gil smiles at him.
"What a weird guy you are.."
"You are too, getting yourself into such trouble for absolutely no reason. What would I have done if you had died?" his eyes become wet. He hugs Oz.
Oz is a bit flustered.
He hugs him back.
"I-I'm sorry…" he says apologetically.
Oz isn't sure what to make of everything Gil said, but genuinely feels ashamed that he worried him so much.
But now what is he supposed to do?
He doesn't want to make Gil worry any more than he has already, but what is he supposed to do now that he has no purpose? Now that his father is in prison, his body has no use, but after all Gil said, he can't get rid of it.
"Don't be.. I just want you to be happy, Oz."
He wants him to be happy? How is he supposed to do that?
"How do I.. 'be happy'?"
"Well, what makes you feel happy?"
"I don't know."
"What makes you feel all giddy inside? What makes your heart feel warm and light?"
"Uhhh… pancakes?"
Gil laughed. "Then I want you to eat pancakes every week."
"Only once a week?" Oz pouted.
"If you get diabetes and die of a heart attack I will be anything but happy, so yes, only once a week."
"I thought you said I should be happy."
"I'm sure pancakes are not the only thing that make you happy. Think, what else makes you happy?"
"Watching TV with you."
"Now we're getting somewhere. What shows do you like to watch?"
"Family guy.. Total drama… Spongebob.. Anything on Discovery Channel." Oz looks Gil in the eyes. Gil still smiles, but fell silent. Oz is waiting for a response.
Gil sighed. "Fine, I'll unblock it, but then I'll unblock National Geographic too."
"Sure."
"But what else? Doesn't being around Echo make you happy?"
"I guess.."
"You guess?"
"It's different with her. I feel a weight on my stomach, an annoying feeling, but still warm."
Gil is now grinning from ear to ear and chuckling lighty. "Aaah, so you have a crush on her.."
Oz bobs his head to the side questioningly, "a crush? What is that? It doesn't sound fun."
"It means you're in love with her."
Oz starts to blush a deep red and panic. He waves his arms in front of him frantically. "W-wait! T-that's not it! It's not! I swear!"
"Sure." Gil teases sarcastically.
"Really! It's different!"
"Does your heart start pounding when she's near?"
"Yes, b-but-"
"And you start to feel nervous?"
"I'm not in- in love with her!"
"And you to just tease her?"
"N-No! Quit it!"
"You don't need to hide it. It's only natural."
Oz stopped flailing his arms around.
"W-what?"
"It's normal for a boy your age to fall in love, while I have to admit 12 years old is a bit early, a changing mind and body is not something to be worried about."
"What are you talking about? What's changing?"
"Well. Ya know you were naked when I managed to get into the bathroom, and it's not hard to miss."
Oz's face was still red from the loving thing, if it could darken any more it probably would've done so now, because the amount of awkward embarrassment Gil just threw at him really do a great job to get his heart pounding like crazy.
"Y-ou PERVERT!" Oz pushes Gil back a few inches. Gil keeps smiling.
Not being able to get his frustration across really gets on Oz's nerves, so he decides to punch him next, but ir isn't very effective, since he's exhausted. Gil is still smiling.
"PERVERTED LONER! You'll never get a girlfriend like that!"
Oz can't wipe the smirk off his face. He keeps punching him.
He's sure his embarassment makes Gil smile even more. So he stops hitting him, turns his head away, and locks his arms infront of him, hoping a silent treatment will have a better effect.
Oz hears Gil laugh for a few more seconds before it dies down.
Yes… it's working!
"Oz?"
He stays silent.
"Oooz."
Still no reply.
"Did I take it too far? If so, I'm sorry. Can you turn back around?"
Oz gives no intention of moving, not even an inch.
"Oz! C'mon! I said I'm sorry! What else do you want?"
It wasn't his intention at first, but now that the opportunity arose he isn't going to let it go.
"Pancakes." he demands, "I want pancakes."
\-=_=moo=_=-/