Face To Face

He had not initially lied to Kiku. Heracles had meant to stay inside. It was just after he started thinking about it that he changed his mind. And changed his clothes into the ones which were apparently as invisible as he was.

Heracles could not tell, they looked visible. So did he. But Kiku could not see him, so there was something going on. Kiku would never make up something like this. All Heracles could assume was that this was something not completely out of the water of what Kiku did for a living. He had no idea, he had never asked. As Kiku continued to work with those objects, however, Heracles believed Kiku knew what he was doing. Which meant things like this really happened in life.

It also meant Kiku could fix him, which was a relief. Heracles just did not want to think of how long it would last. How much longer did he have to wait here? Gupta had called him, Gupta needed him. Something was wrong there and that was more important than his own problems.

Gupta.

Not that he could explain to him what was going on. Heracles did not even know what was going on, how could he explain to Gupta without freaking him out first?

So he was going to check on Gupta, return to Kiku's house, then call Gupta (again) and say that he was still being detained, but was going to try and come as soon as possible. Calling Gupta on the phone was not the same as seeing him in person. Make certain he was all right.

The pianist who had been staying at the inn for the past two and a half years bumped into him, but Heracles rushed off before Roderich could think anything other than he had tripped.

The doors and windows were open. Right off the bat Heracles knew something had to be really wrong. Gupta kept a clean enough place as it was without having to completely scrub out the entire house. He was not like Kiku.

Heracles slipped walked inside to see if he could find Gupta.

He found him upstairs, searching for something in the bathroom cupboard. Heracles watched him for a moment, trying to make something of the Egyptian's movements.

His friend was tired, very tired. And rather jumpy. Heracles could not fathom why this would be. Oh, why was he invisible? Why now? Why could it not have been at any other time, when Gupta did not–

Gupta looked into the mirror and nearly screamed, backing into the wall. Heracles stepped aside before Gupta stepped on his foot and tried to see what had frightened him. There was the mirror. They were both reflected in it, but there was nothing else.

Wait a moment...

"Hera... Heracl... He..." Gupta muttered, eyes as wide as they could be, shifting back and forth from the mirror to Heracles, then just at the mirror.

Can he see me in the mirror?

"Gupta?"

Gupta scooted further back along the wall, jaw now clenched tightly shut as he nearly fell back into the bathtub. Heracles reached out and grabbed him before he hurt himself.

He froze. Heracles tried to think.

"I'm here, Gupta. This is... difficult to explain."

Now that Gupta had his feet steady beneath him once more, Heracles loosened his grip on him. Gupta's eyes shifted back to the mirror. Slowly, he reached out, placing his hands against Heracles' chest.

"Why can't I see you?" he asked.

"I don't know," Heracles admitted, "but I'm here."

The last time Heracles had ever seen Gupta cry was when their mothers had died. They had said Nefe was dead first. Heracles had been trying to comfort him when finally they came around to mention his own mother was dead as well. Everything changed then. Most people would say that like it was obvious, but so much more changed than even Heracles had thought would. Gupta had left him, went far away. They had come to accept that they were not brothers like they had always thought they were.

But he was crying now, hands gripping the front of his shirt, head bowed. Heracles carefully wrapped him up in his arms, resting his chin on top of Gupta's head.

"What's wrong?"

Gupta shook his head, pressing his face into his chest. Heracles did not say any more, allowing Gupta to let it all out.

"How long?"

"...a few days," Heracles responded, turning his head so he could see his own reflection. He was there. So he was not completely gone according to everyone else. He would have to tell Kiku. That would help them turn him right again, would it not?

Pulling back, Gupta was looking at his mouth, missing his eyes by so little. Once more he rose up his hands and reached forward. Heracles closed his eyes as Gupta's fingertips ran ever so lightly down his forehead, over his eyelids, around his nose and cheeks, over his lips...

He was not aware when he had forgotten to breathe, but only when Gupta' withdrew his hands did he realize that he was slightly dizzy.

Would it be really bad to admit his feelings? 'I love you' to 'I am in love with you'. It felt like it would be really easy if he said it now, no matter what his worries had been. Maybe because Gupta could not see his face...

"I–"

Gupta's eyes widened just as Heracles heard a loud shriek and the sound of wood hitting the tile floor. He turned around to see Natalia, staring from him to his reflection. Correction: from Gupta to their reflections. If she could not see him...

Uh oh.

Neither of them said anything. Heracles did not know whether he or Gupta were going to say something before Natalia ran, but they had not and that was that.

Heracles looked back at Gupta, but Gupta was still staring right through him. He could not see Heracles' expression, so would not know Heracles' question. So he had to ask it verbally.

"What will she tell people?" he asked.

Gupta stared back at the mirror, then at him. He shook his head, shrugging at the same time.

Kiku was not going to be happy. Heracles was really worried. Now what?

Gupta grabbed his hand and led him out of the bathroom. One thing at a time. First he had to figure out what to say to Gupta. How to explain becoming invisible.

There was no explanation.

Notes:

Poor Nat. Her sanity is not really helped by anything that goes on in Hearth.