Fragile

The smell of spice brought Gabriel tumbling over his heels, as he inhaled upon walking through the kitchen door. It smelled so rich, so herbal. The scent of cinnamon and berry was entangled, wrapping around his body in a flurry. He loved kitchens. They always seemed to be where he felt the most alive. He looked around the room, "Cozy." Marie turned a bit and smiled. Then she proceeded to open the refridgerator.
"Thank you. It's where I am most of the time, so I try to make it feel nice."
"I can see that. So, where are those treats?"
"I had a thought...why don't I make a fresh pie? Oh, don't give me that look, young man. It won't take long. I just think you'd perfer a freshly baked pie, instead of some cold cookies, yes?"
"I guess...Is there anything I can do? I mean...that is why I'm here, right?"
"I'll find something, just you wait." She chuckled lightly, pulling out a carton of eggs and a gable top of milk. She then moved to the counter, placing the items down.



Gabe rolled his eyes a bit and went back to looking around the room. There were mostly paintings of fruit on the walls. But one painting by the door stood out. "Is that Julian? And Faye?" He lifted his voice, not taking his eyes away.
"Yes. That picture was taken when the two of them were just young ones."
"Huh...cute."



"Julian's always had glasses?"
"Yes. That picture was taken actually a month after he got them. Poor thing. No one else had any vision problems. His brothers all teased him for weeks." Marie sighed sadly, a departure from the happy motherly sigh Gabe had heard before. He turned and looked at her. She slowly broke the eggs into a large bowl, placing the discarded shells aside. "Julian isn't like his brothers. You can tell that just by how he looks. He and Faye are the only blondes in our family. The last blonde was...my great-great-great grandmother, I do believe. The boys thought he looked strange...like a girl, with his long blonde hair. The rest of the boys wore their hair short. But Julian...He was afraid of getting it cut," Marie laughed. "Poor dear. He was so afraid that it wouldn't grow back. I had to hold his hand when we finally dragged him to the barbershop."



"I think he'd look weird with short hair."
"And he did, let me tell you. He didn't look like my little boy anymore. I am glad he grew it out again, though his father was quite displeased. 'Long hair is reserved for whores and queers!' He'd say."
"But you and Faye have long hair, Mrs. Beau..."
"Exactly." Gabe gulped and looked back at the picture. That was a line he didn't mean to cross.



He waited a moment before saying anything else. When he felt ready, Marie beat him to it. "Gabriel, dear...that is by far the most interesting outfit I've seen."
"It isn't too much, is it?" The woman turned and giggled, stirring the bater in the bowl in a gentle rhythm. She shook her head. "You sure? Ant gave me so much crap for it. Er...I mean..."
"No need to change how you speak in front of me, dear. I happen to think you look lovely. I admire your dedication...to wear such stockings, you must work hard to make your legs smooth."
"Oh yeah. It's killer." The two smiled at each other, both understanding the plight of hairy legs.



Gabe waited in the kitchen, despite Marie telling him he was free to return to the group. He wanted to talk more and wait for the pie and thus, they did. Marie shared embarressing stories about all three of her children, making Gabe promise himself to use them as blackmail at a later time. Wrapping up one tale about an incident involving Antoine and a coat rack, the timer on the stove sang out. "Ah, the pie is ready."
"It already smells delicious," Gabe grinned as he dangled his legs off the counter. Marie put on her oven mits and opened the door, carefully pulling out the pie. The warmth filled the room and Gabe felt himself melt a bit. "Mmm! It really does smell good! I bet it'll taste as good." Gabe then leaned out, making a reach for the steaming pie.
"Now now, control yourself. It must cool." Marie swatted his hands, causing him to whimper and nurse it. "It won't take too long. I'm sure you can wait."
"Fine..." Gabe grumbled as he slid off the counter and was about to walk out into the living room when Marie grabbed his arm. "Hm?"
"Hold one a minute...there is one more thing I wanted to tell you."



Then, placing her hand on his head, she gave Gabriel a firm look. His lips quivered with worry as his eyes pleaded. "What did I do?"
"No...no..." She said, patting his head faintly, "It's not that you did something. It's that I want you TO do something."
"Oh...what?"
"I want you to continue to keep an eye on my boy. Antoine has Dafne...Fayette has Kariudo...Julian has you. Please do take care of him, yes? That's all I ask. I have a good feeling about you two. The last two men he's had...they've broken his heart. Please do not break his heart."
"Uh..."



"Mama, why do you insist on threatening every one of my guests?"
"Julian! I'm not threatening him. Am I, Gabriel, dear?"
"Not at all. And uh...don't you worry, Mrs. Beau. I'll be sure to be gentle with it."
"Good. The pie is still cooling...Julian, why don't you show Gabriel the garden?"
"Mama, I-"
"Garden? I wanna see! Is it through this door?"
"Yes."
"Sweet! C'mon, Jules!" Gabriel happily grabbed Julian by the belt and pulled his pelvis along, outside.



Julian wasn't sure how Gabe knew there was a bench in the garden, but the painted boy led him to it and forced him to sit. Gabe sat beside him and curled up next to him, Julian giving him an odd look. "I do apologize if my mother threatened to castrate you and cook your genitals in a souffle."
"She's done that before?"
"She told that to one of Faye's boyfriends."
"And?"
"He got away with his package, but did leave behind a finger."
"Creepy."
"Mmhm...I was worried, you know."
"Worried?"
"My mom's never...met someone like you before. But it went well?"
"I dare say your mom loves me. But can you blame her? Everyone loves me."



"That they do. That they do."



"How do you think Aleera's doing without us?"
"I'm sure she's fine. She's probably just sleeping in, as usual."
"She's been sleeping alot lately, hasn't she?"



"That's what happens when you spend all night drinking, Gabe."