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“I'm sorry, Nathan.”
Arren's voice was far away, distorted and weak. All Nathan could focus on was Gabriel. Gabriel, with his dead eyes that would never sparkle again. Gabriel, who's Gift they'd brought back together. Gabriel, who's sister had died horribly. Gabriel, who had been begging Nathan to leave so they could enjoy their lives.
He deserved a chance , Nathan thought, he deserved a chance to live.
Trembling, Nathan reached out his hands, framing Gabriel's face, holding his head steady. He's still warm .
Nathan's every move felt slow, heavy. He brought his head down, resting his forehead against Gabriel's. I couldn't do anything with my Gifts, but didn't Ledger say that Gifts weren't the whole thing?
He looked into Gabriel's eyes and thought live.
******
Nathan was swimming. He was deep down, the light barely reaching him down there, and he was looking for something. He dove deeper, pushing himself with all that he had, ignoring the burning in his lungs, until he saw it.
Gabriel's hand, reaching up from the darkness, limp and moving with the current.
Nathan rushed towards it, holding on with both hands, and started kicking, slowly pushing them upwards.
Under the water, Gabriel's hand was cold.
That doesn't matter, he thought, all I need is to bring him up.
But it was easier said than done, he realised. Gabriel was heavy, weighing him down like a rock, and the surface seemed further and further away.
His lungs were killing him.
We're going to live , he told himself, we're going to live and we'll climb every mountain in Europe. I'll show him Wales, and we'll build a small house by a river.
Gabriel felt lighter, each of Nathan's kicks moving them further up.
He'll read to me every day, Nathan thought desperately, trying to think what their future would look like, he'll read to me and I'll draw him whatever he wants. He'll write poems and I'll paint flowers and birds for us to hang around our house.
Gabriel's hands were warmer. Nathan could almost see the surface. His lungs burned with the need for oxygen, but he knew they'd make it.
We'll make it, and I'll kiss Gabriel. We'll get married, out in the woods, and we will be the happiest couple in the world, because we'll have each other.
Gabriel's hand moved. Nathan squeezed back, heart beating in his chest, and felt his hopes soar as Gabriel started kicking too, using his free arm to bring himself further up.
They looked into each others eyes, and a moment later their heads broke the surface.
*****
Nathan breathed in, and felt Gabriel do the same. The light in his eyes was back, brighter than ever. He kissed Gabriel, mad with joy, and only pulled back when Arren pushed him, digging back in to remove the bullet.
This time, he found it. He removed the last bullet, and set to work on healing Gabriel. Nathan reached for Gabriel's hand, and found it reaching back.
They looked into each others eyes, and smiled.
*****
A lot of things happened, after. Nathan, begging Arren to lie about what happened. Gabriel, recovering slowly. The Alliance, building up a new government. Annalise, apologising to Nathan and asking him to stay in touch, for his son's sake if nothing else.
Once Gabriel was well enough, they left London, heading out into the world. They had no clear plans, and at first they didn't stay in one place for too long, so writing back and forth with people was a sporadic affair. But, after a while, they found a nice river, somewhere in Wales, and built a house together, though most of the time they didn't use it except to store things. Instead, they ran wild through the woods, and rolled around on the grass, and swam in the river. Nathan painted everything they saw, and Gabriel read to him, resting underneath a tree.