Chapter GABRIEL #2
The omega turns to me, his face wet with tears.
"Oh, yes," he says. "That man is an angel. Even though the research program we were hoping to get my son into was already full, Blue created an extra spot just for him and covered the cost himself. Tino is getting a shot. There’s a real chance they can save him."
Young Tino wipes his face, still crying, and I feel my own throat tighten.
"I wish you the best," I say with a warm smile, even if they probably can’t see it clearly under my mask. The omega walks away with his son, and despite the other patients waiting, I open the door and slip into the office.
Blue is sitting behind his large semicircular desk, the kind that makes it difficult to approach him directly. When he sees me, he raises his brows slightly, clearly surprised that I’m here between patients.
But I walk around the desk anyway.
He follows me with his eyes, his brows still raised.
I drop to one knee in front of him and reach for his hand. After a brief hesitation, he lets me take it.
I lean down and press a kiss to it, then bring it to my cheek.
"People don’t appreciate you," I whisper, my voice unsteady. "They don’t know anything about you. That omega told me what you did. You’re incredible, you know that?"
When I lift my eyes, I meet Blue’s gaze. He looks slightly flustered.
"I’m sorry," I whisper, looking straight at him, my throat tight. "I’m sorry I became one of those idiots. That I took part in the attack on your company. Forgive me, Blue. I was in the wrong."
There’s a moment of silence. His eyes drift away briefly, something melancholic passing through them, before he speaks.
"The fact that it’s you saying this means a great deal to me, Gabriel." His tone is serious. "If I can convince even my enemy, then maybe one day others will change their minds too."
"I’m not your enemy. I don’t think I ever was.
I was just uninformed. And I hope people will see who you really are, but even if they don’t, what matters is the truth.
You know how hard it is for people to change their views.
It’s easier to start hating someone than to stop hating them.
Still, at least you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that one extra person switched to your side. "
I smile faintly, a little sad, and Blue nods slowly.
"It’s possible that your opinion matters to me more than theirs."
Wow.
Silence falls again. I swallow, meeting his gaze. Those words hit with power. I lift his hand once more and press another kiss to it, then another, and another, each one slightly shifted, turning it into something closer to a lingering, intimate caress. He doesn’t pull away.
Reluctantly, I raise my head and whisper,
"I’ll go back outside. There are more patients waiting, hoping you can help them."
Blue nods. "I’ll see what I can do for them too."
Then I leave.
Over the next stretch of time, several more patients come out smiling, and I find myself reflecting on how wrongly he’s been judged by people.
Eventually, Blue comes out too, Simon joining him, and they start discussing something work-related. As Blue passes me, I catch his gaze on me, brief but… full of something new.
If anything, it seems almost shy, which doesn’t make sense. And yet, something about him feels more cautious around me, almost unsettled. I find myself wondering why.
We head over to one of the departments where Blue has a short meeting with the IT department director, Flanegin.
I stand nearby while they talk. The man is a heavyset beta with thick glasses and an overly enthusiastic way of speaking.
At one point, I notice him leaning slightly forward, and I instinctively activate my vision, seeing that he’s about to reach out, probably to place a hand lightly on Blue’s forearm to emphasize a point.
Without thinking, I step closer and slide my hand between them.
"No touching," I say calmly, but firmly.
I’m always a little shocked at how I change around Blue when others are near. Like something takes over, like I really am his protector, and it gives me a kind of confidence I don’t usually have.
It’s ridiculous. Flanegin clearly has no bad intentions, and yet for some reason, I don’t want him touching my omega.
My omega?
What the hell…
"Ah, of course, of course," Flanegin mutters quickly, pulling his hand back.
I catch another brief glance from Blue, something like surprise in it, but also something else, maybe… content.
I never forget he hates being touched by strangers, all those germs everywhere… it’s interesting that he makes an exception for me.
For the first time, based on that fact alone, it occurs to me that maybe the shift is real.
That I have found some kind of opening into Blue’s heart.
I don’t know how solid that conclusion is, but I’m starting to suspect that maybe he’s grown to like me a little too.
The thought alone is enough to please me.
I fix my gaze on his small, pale face and those large sapphire eyes, which flick briefly in my direction before returning to the beta he’s speaking with.
A moment later, Simon approaches them with some news related to Beta Activation, and soon the beta leaves.
I listen to Simon with half an ear at first, but after a moment I start paying closer attention.
Apparently, something unpleasant happened in one of the Beta Activation facilities, and Blue looks very dissatisfied.
He turns to me and says, "Tomorrow, I have to make a stop at the detention center, speak with someone. I’d like you there with me, since that person may be… unhappy. To put it lightly."
"Of course, Blue. I’ll protect you," I assure him solemnly. He nods, and together we head for the exit. In the limousine, I notice that Blue is deep in thought, a vertical crease between his brows as he stares out the window.
"Is everything okay?" I ask quietly, even though Simon is with us and I’d rather not draw him into the conversation.
"Yes. I just have a certain dilemma related to this man. And I remember what I promised your brother."
I freeze, not understanding. "Marlow? What do you mean?"
"It would take a while to explain… The point is, this man has certain specific abilities that are not reproducible in a laboratory. At least not for now. He committed an offense, and the judge may sentence him to a long term, but there is an option for me to… let’s say help him avoid that.
I have connections here and there, however…
should I? I haven’t made a decision yet. "
I hesitate. "I can’t help you, I don’t know the case, but I trust you’ll make the best decision."
◆◆◆
That evening, Blue is still replying to emails on his laptop and making calls.
Even during dinner, his tablet keeps chiming with incoming messages.
I really want to talk to him, to have more interaction, but his work keeps getting in the way.
Finally, Blue sets the tablet aside and lifts his eyes.
For a moment, he looks at me as I finish my meal.
"Tomorrow morning, after I’m done at the detention center, we can head to the marina, to your cousin’s yacht."
I brighten immediately. "Great! I’ll pack what I need, the standard set for a one-night stay away from home," I say with a smile.
Blue studies me for a moment, lightly biting his lip. Then he stands and heads toward his room, saying over his shoulder, "Good night, Gabriel."
"Wait," I call after him, even though I’m not entirely sure what I want from him.
He stops, but I can see a subtle tension in him, almost like fear of what I might say.
"I just wanted to thank you. For agreeing."
Blue looks at me, then nods, quickly turns away, and leaves. Is he really afraid of that conversation between us, the one where something more might be said?
I go back to my room, take a shower, and glance at the armchair beside my bed. Yesterday, Blue sat there watching me while I slept. I probably didn’t look very attractive, passed out in a deep sleep. I hope I wasn’t drooling. Then my gaze drifts to my hacking setup.
Temptation arises…
On a strange impulse, I power it up again, connecting to Blue’s glasses. This time I know exactly what I’m doing and what sequence is required. It goes much faster now. There’s a flicker on the screen, a blur, and then… what appears there makes my blood pressure spike instantly.
I realize that Blue is lying on his bed, looking at the large display on his wall. Because his glasses have panoramic micro-cameras, I can see the whole room, as well as part of his body, and then it hits me… I’ve caught him in a very intimate moment.
Blue is naked, propped up on a pillow. That alone makes my fingers immediately move toward the disconnect button. I’m not some kind of pervert who spies on people. But something stops me halfway through the motion.
On the screen, Blue has a series of camera recordings playing, switching between them slowly. Different snippets, all with one thing in common.
They all show… me.
Yeah.
Apparently, Blue routed footage from his glasses, from my entire stay here, onto the large screen.
Now it’s playing in a strange mix. I see a short clip from the day he found me swimming naked in the pool.
The frame zooms in, centering on my crotch.
Of course, after getting out of cool water, there’s nothing particularly impressive there, but I’ve always been a shower, not a grower, so even despite the cold, I still look more than decent.