Chapter Text
Love was weird. Sometimes it came out of nowhere, hitting its unsuspecting victim with the force of a rocador. Sometimes it came in the form of platonic love, love that made you appreciate those around you, those who felt like home. Other times, it came in the form of romantic attraction, and that was the type of love that was the most troublesome.
It’s not like Gabe was a stranger to love. He’d had his fair share of both types, and even other kinds. He never considered himself as one to suppress his feelings, and was normally open with them.
Then why, why, was this time so different?
Heck, this wasn’t even the first time he’d had a crush on one of his best friends. Rookie recruit eighteen year old Gabe had had quite the crush on Princess Elena. Over time, his romantic feelings for her faded and he realized they would be much better off as friends, but that wasn’t the point. The point was, why was Naomi any different? Sure, his feelings for her had blossomed over time, after being friends with her for years, but it couldn’t be that different, right?
Apparently, his heart disagreed. This new type of love—it was distracting. Almost annoyingly. Gabe would, more often than not, catch himself fantasizing about Naomi, even in the middle of things like dinner or paperwork.
Which was what he was doing now.
Gabe twirled his pen beneath his fingers, staring dejectedly at the pile of paperwork that sat before him on his office desk. He was trying to be productive, but of course his heart decided it was the perfect time to start yearning over someone who wasn’t even there. He glanced over at the dresser that hugged the wall.
Sitting daintily atop the furnished wood was a small, unopened package. Inside it lay a Navidad gift. For Naomi.
He had been Navidad shopping for gifts for his parents and friends, when they caught his eye. A pair of beautiful turquoise earrings, a stark difference against the dark brown stand that displayed them. They sort of reminded him of her. As if she was here with him, looking at him with those brilliant eyes, instead of far away on the other side of the EverRealm. Either that, or he was going crazy. He mulled over the idea of buying them for her. Would she even like them? Naomi wasn’t really the type to wear excessive jewelry on a daily basis. But then again, she did occasionally wear earrings whenever she dressed up fancy…
In the end, Gabe had caved and bought them. They simply reminded him of her too much.
Of course, it was way past Navidad now. Gabe just couldn’t bring himself to mail it to her. He convinced himself to wait until she returned from her expedition so he could hand it to her in person. Granted, that was if she returned and if she even wanted to see him.
It was kind of ironic. Last year, they had been in a similar situation. Gabe’s hunt for Victor and Carla Delgado had caused him to miss many occasions, Navidad included. Naomi had actually waited until his return to give him his Navidad present. Although it wasn’t Navidad when he received it, the affectionate act had still given him flushed cheeks and a delightfully surprised smile. And now, this year, here they were again, only this time the roles were switched. It would have been funny if Gabe didn’t miss her so much. Why was it so hard for them to spend one Navidad together?
There was a knock on the door, and Elena’s playful voice sounded from the other side. “Gabe?”
“I’m sort of busy right now, Elena,” Gabe called back.
It was partly true. He did have a lot of paperwork to get done; he just wasn’t doing it. And he didn’t really feel like socializing at the moment.
The door opened anyway and Elena poked her head through, grinning. “We have a lead on Ash and Esteban.”
Gabe immediately set his pen down, guilt coursing through him. Ash and Esteban are still out there, and I’m in here feeling sorry for myself. I need to be prepared at all times. I can’t keep thinking of—ugh, I’m doing it again! I can’t risk getting distracted. Avalor needs all the help it can get. Especially with—certain people gone.
“What’s going on with them?” he finally asked.
“They’re gathering allies,” Elena said, a smile still plastered all over her face. It didn’t make any sense. Why would the news of their enemies—including her traitor cousin—growing stronger make her happy? Elena, sometimes you confuse me.
Gabe stood from his seat, taking his scabbard from its stand. “Ok. Where do we start?”
“I’ve already got Mateo waiting at the terrace with the jaquins.” She swung the door wide open.
“Great.” He fought back another pang of guilt. He should be the one planning. Was he really losing his touch? Elena found out before you did, he reminded himself. It’s only natural that she already has a plan.
“And also Naomi’s here.”
“WHAT?!”
Elena folded her arms and gave him a smug, knowing look, and Gabe realized that she had purposefully added that in at the last minute to maximize his reaction.
Despite himself, Gabe felt his heart begin to race. Half-panicking, he asked, “Is she really here?”
Elena nodded. “Who do you think tipped us off?”
Gabe felt himself get lost in his own thoughts again. Is that the only reason she’s here? To warn us about Ash and Esteban? How long is she staying? Does she want to see me? Is she going to leave again?
Apparently, the panicked expression on his face wasn’t subtle, for Elena’s eyes softened with sympathy. “She’s up at the terrace.”
“Oh no,” Gabe whispered. He would have to go up there. And see her again. And talk to her again. Why did that make him happy?! This is exactly what we don’t want, Gabe scolded himself. Naomi being here only makes things worse. He recoiled at that thought. What’s wrong with me? Of course I’m happy that she’s back!
He unconsciously smoothed invisible wrinkles in his uniform and glanced quickly at the mirror.
Elena sighed heavily. “Honestly, Gabe. It doesn’t matter how you look right now, we gotta go!”
“Ok, ok!” Gabe said as she began to physically drag him out of his office.
They arrived at the terrace doors much sooner than Gabe would’ve liked. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a dash of blonde hair on the other side of the glass doors and he blanched, whipping around and pulling Elena back with the force.
“I can’t. I can’t do it.”
“Why not?” Elena massaged her shoulder, puzzled.
“She probably doesn’t even want to see me,” Gabe said hurriedly. “She left without saying anything, remember?”
“Gabe, I’ve told you a million times.” Elena rolled her eyes. “It was a spur of the moment thing. She would never hate you.”
When he didn’t respond, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Hey, take it from the emotion expert, ok? Naomi doesn’t hate you. Listen, I don’t need a light-up emotion dress to tell you’re feeling a lot of things right now. If you were wearing this dress, it would probably be going from yellow to purple to orange to blue to”—she shot him a teasing look—“pink.”
“Shut up,” Gabe felt his face burn with embarrassment. He decided not to mention how Elena was known for holding back her emotions too, which usually had disastrous results. She didn’t follow her own advice like that.
“The point is,” Elena continued, “You should go out there. You miss her. She misses you. It’s quite simple, really. Don’t you want to see her before she leaves again?”
“So she’s leaving again.”
Elena nodded sadly at him. “She only wanted to do this mission with us.”
I have to see her before she leaves. He took a deep breath. “Ok. Let’s go.”
He let Elena lead him to the doors and push them open. He looked up and saw Skylar, Migs, Luna, and Mateo all grin at him, and—
There she was, smiling sheepishly at him.
The very sight of her set his heart in a frenzy, and he was certain Elena could hear how loud it was pounding from beside him.
She hadn’t changed too much. She still wore her signature vest look. Her hair had gotten a little longer, falling a little farther past her chin. Her freckles seemed a little darker. Her blue eyes met his, and he felt as if he were staring into the sparkling seas that she had travelled on her journey around the EverRealm. He hoped with all his might that he wasn’t imagining the joy in them.
He had failed. One look at her, and his heart had turned to mush. All those weeks of trying to convince himself to move on had gone out the window. He had told himself countless times that she wasn’t interested, that a relationship with her (the very thought sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach) would surely result in him becoming distracted and useless.
What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to tell her how he felt? The question felt stupid as soon as he thought of it. She left without saying goodbye. She didn’t write to you. It’s clear you’re not as important to her as the others.
Naomi spoke up first. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he managed to force the word out, waving awkwardly at her.
“It’s been a while,” she ventured, stepping a little closer in his direction.
“Yeah. It has.” He glanced at Elena, who gave him a thumbs up. “I’m glad you’re back. For now at least.”
Naomi rubbed her arm. “Me too.”
Gabe cursed himself. Why were his social skills failing him so badly? “Where are we going exactly?” He tried to change the subject.
“Vallestrella,” Elena said impatiently. “Luna spotted them there.” She hesitated, looking expectantly between Gabe and Naomi. “But we aren’t in that much of a hurry, right?”
Gabe searched for the jaquin closest to him and reached for Skylar, who looked at him bewilderedly. Usually Elena rode Skylar, given their close bond and many similarities to each other. “Yes we are. We should go. We don’t know what Ash and Esteban are up to."
He couldn’t tell who looked more disappointed: Naomi or Elena. Naomi shook her head and changed her expression so quickly that he thought he must’ve imagined it. Elena, on the other hand, sighed loudly, giving Gabe a visibly frustrated look.
“He’s right,” Naomi said. “We should get going.”
Without another word she mounted Migs. Elena shot Gabe another exasperated glare before getting on Luna, who took off, waiting for them in the air.
Gabe was about to ask Skylar to do the same when he felt someone grab his wrist, and he whirled around. “Mateo?”
Mateo glanced quickly in Naomi’s direction before continuing in a low voice. “Dude. What was that?”
“I-I don’t know! I sorta panicked!” Gabe whisper-yelled back.
“Couldn’t you tell that she wanted to hug you?”
“She did?” Gabe stared at Mateo in shock. “No, she couldn’t have. If she wanted one she would have just went for it.”
“So would you,” Mateo pointed out. “She’s probably having the same problem you are.”
Gabe snorted. “Naomi? No way.” He wrenched his arm from Mateo’s grip. “It doesn’t matter anyway. There are bigger problems right now.”
Mateo only shook his head and sighed. “Whatever you say.” He went over and joined Naomi on Migs’s back, and Gabe felt jealousy flare inside of him.
Uh oh. That’s not good. Shaking his head, he gestured for Skylar to take off. He had to get his feelings under control if he wanted to be useful to today’s mission. It was his fault they were in this mess in the first place. He would not mess up again.
The sun shone brightly, hitting the flashy, vibrant floats and outfits and reflecting off of them, temporarily blinding him. The crowd cheered loudly, singing and dancing along to the upbeat music that emanated from all the floats. Warmth and laughter rang through the air, such a drastic difference from the tense trial that had taken place in the Grand Council room just before. It was Carnaval like Gabe had never celebrated before. He had to admit, he never would have thought of himself as one to celebrate this euphorically, but he supposed everyone needed a break, even himself.
There was a whirl of movement beside him, and he glanced sideways to see Naomi, looking as if she were having the time of her life. It was a whole new side of her that he had never seen before, and it made his heart beat just a little bit faster and his smile stretch from ear to ear. She noticed him looking at her and smiled at him, causing Gabe’s stomach to do backflips. There was just something simply captivating about her.
Maybe I should say something, he thought, his hand tingling from when he had held hers during their dance together. Maybe I should make a move—
“Captain Nuñez! Captain!” Higgins’s nasally voice cut through the moment like a knife.
Gabe tore his gaze away from Naomi’s. “What is it, Higgins?” he asked, barely keeping the frustration out of his voice.
Higgins fidgeted with his hands nervously, avoiding Gabe’s glare. He looked downright ashamed of himself. “U-Um…”
That was new, Gabe thought, his frown deepening. “Well?”
“Esteban escaped.”
“WHAT?!” Gabe’s surroundings began to blur together, the bright colors and loud music seeming muted yet also too much at the same time. Blood pounded in his ears.
He spotted Naomi’s stricken expression out of the corner of his eye, her face paler than usual. “What?!” she gasped, sounding as if she were far away.
“And Ash, and Victor, and Carla!”
With each name, Gabe felt his heart sink lower and lower. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. “How could they have escaped?!” he demanded. “You were supposed to be watching them!”
Higgins’s reply was extremely quiet, yet it resonated loudly in Gabe’s mind as if the private had screamed it in his ear. “I-I gave them the key.”
On their other side, Marlena paused in her dancing, looking at Naomi and Gabe perplexedly. “Why did you stop?” Her smile faded when neither responded. “Is everything ok?”
No. “Yes.” The word tumbled out of his mouth before he could even fully register what she said. “J-Just, stay here.”
He went over to the edge of the float, before a slight touch to his wrist pulled him out of his spiraling thoughts. Gabe glanced behind him to find Naomi, who was looking at him determinedly. “No,” he said. “You too.”
She searched his gaze intently. “This isn’t your fault, Gabe. Let me help.”
“Just stay here for now. Please.”
She stopped when she heard the sheer desperation in his voice and stepped back, concern written all over her face.
“It was an accident!” Higgins insisted as Gabe jumped off and landed onto the ground next to him.
“How exactly?” Gabe snapped, done trying to mask his anger.
“I think the key was hidden in the sunbird—”
“What are you even talking about?!” Gabe stared at him incredulously. “You know what—we’ll talk about this later. We need to tell Elena.”
Higgins gave a wordless nod, trailing behind him as Gabe sprinted through the crowd of jovial Carnaval dancers. They had no idea of the coming danger. He had to protect them.
Anger simmered in his veins. Higgins might be needing a demotion after this.
Naomi’s words echoed in his head. This isn’t your fault, Gabe.
Or was it? Gabe’s eyes widened with the realization. Higgins wasn’t to blame. Gabe was the one who had assigned him to watch the prisoners. He should’ve known that it was too much of a responsibility for him, that the four prisoners needed more surveillance. He could have gotten someone more qualified for the job. Maybe even himself. He should have taken this more seriously. Gabe, the Captain of the Royal Guard, had been dancing while Avalor’s three most wanted criminals and its biggest traitor were on the loose.
And this, he told himself, is why we don’t take breaks like this. He had let Carnaval go to his head. The prospect of working on a float with Naomi had gotten him sidetracked. And because of him, Avalor was in great danger, right after it had seemingly dealt with all of its problems. It was his fault.
Never again.