Talk to Me | Sabriel AU

Broken

Gabriel was already awake before the sun had begun to even rise in the sky, his body cold and shivering and his back feeling as stiff as it could be. It was then that he walked towards the school, holding his arms close to him as water dripped from his hair and off his nose, the rain having just stopped not long ago. He let out a sneeze, and swore as he realized he was starting to get sick, and picked up the pace.

The school loomed over him as he entered under the walkway that led from the bus, casting his eyes about, keeping an eye out for Caroline as he reached the double doors of the building. It must have been his luck, as he found Caroline mopping the lobby just on the inside of the doors. He gave it a knock, and the sad look that crossed her face said it all.

"Bad night?" She said as soon as the door opened, looking up and down at his drenched clothes with regretful eyes. "There's clothes in the closet. Get changed and I'll wash those for you."

Gabriel nodded his head, only giving her a strained smile before brushing past her and into the lobby of the building, dragging in wet tracks behind him. He felt bad about it, but he knew Caroline would clean up after him and opened the door to the closet, finding the clothes underneath the pile of rags in the corner of the second shelf.

From there, he crossed the hallway into the bathroom, standing and looking at the mirrors hanging there. He didn't bother going into a stall, as no one was at the school except for Caroline and began peeling off his wet clothes, letting them fall to the ground with a soft squelch.

His eyes found his scars in the mirror before he could even stop himself, tracing over each and everyone that lined his stomach and chest from his father's abuses and even the ones that were incredibly faded on his shoulders, arms, and thighs. With a soft intake of breath he turned slightly to the side, staring at the soaking wet bandages that were plastered over his back, and carefully began to remove them.

The wounds weren't as bad as he originally had thought. Most were mainly minor cuts, barely able to pass for a cat scratch, and only a few were about half the thickness of his pinky. He just threw the bandages away and pulled on his shirt, ignoring the way it clung and pulled at his skin and continued to get dressed.

Deeming himself ready after combing his fingers through his still wet hair and stuffing his clothes in the janitor's closet in a tiny space hidden behind two boxes. He headed to the cafeteria to relax before people started showing up, laying his head on the table and feeling time slowly pass before students finally started appearing one by one, filtering in for breakfast before school started.

Gabriel didn't move until he saw Sam walk in, the boy's head down and his hand clutching his backpack strap like it was his lifeline. Yet, Gabriel could only smile as he saw the boy, just glad to have him in his sights as he stood and hurried over to Sam, wrapping his arms around him and catching him by surprise.

"Hi, Sam." Gabriel said, forcing his body to stop shivering as he felt the warm comfort of Sam press through his clothes. His heart picked up, emotion washing over him that he didn't understand as he pulled away, looking at the sad smile that Sam had put on his face for Gabriel.

"Come on." Gabriel said, taking his hand and leading him over to the table he had been sitting at. He sat Sam down before taking a seat beside him and wrapping his arms around his shoulder, pulling the taller boy close and resting his head on his shoulder.

"You should been at my house yesterday." Gabriel said, a light tone in his voice as he closed his eyes, focusing only on his thoughts and the warmth that Sam gave to him. "My dad was trying to make my mom cookies while she was gone grocery shopping. I walk into the kitchen and what do I see? Everything's covered in flour."

Gabriel stopped for a moment, the small smile on his face faltering for just a moment as he finally continued. "Mom scolded him when he got home, but then they got into a flour throwing fight and got me in the crossfire. I still had flour in my hair this morning even though I showered last night." Gabriel complained before falling quiet. It wasn't that long ago when a memory like that would have been true.

Three years doesn't seem like such a long time ago at least. He thought, relaxing and not even noticing that Sam was shifting in under his cheek until he felt a tap on his arm. He opened his eyes, focusing on a piece of paper that laid in front of Sam.

My brother and I used to do that all the time. Was written in slightly scrappy, but readable, handwriting. Gabriel looked over at Sam, staring at that sad smile that seemed to hold all the stories his words couldn't tell.

"What happened?" Gabriel asked, his voice soft, almost like he didn't want to patronize Sam too much. Sam bit his lip, chewing on it for a moment before pulling the paper close, setting the pen in his hand on the paper and beginning to write.

He only got two letter down before he stopped, his hands shaking as tears slid down his cheeks, his eyes darkening further and leaving Gabriel breathless. Gabriel slid his hand over, resting it on top of Sam's and easing the shaking.

"It's okay." Gabriel whispered, leaving his hand there for a moment longer before letting go. Sam glanced over to him with those sad eyes before scratching a final letter onto the paper before setting the pen down.

War. Was all that was written, but that's all Gabriel needed to know. He wrapped his arms around Sam in comfort, feeling the boy's arms returning the gesture. Gabriel didn't know how long they hugged, but it didn't matter to him. Both of them were broken. Both of them needed one another, and that was okay.