A/N: a couple of CW relating to Gabe and Henry's relationship at the bottom...

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Gabriel turned the vacuum off. He was sure he'd heard something...but no. He moved around the large couch that took almost the whole space in the small first floor apartment, into the tiny kitchen area. Henry would be home soon, and he'd expect dinner to at least be started, but Gabriel had been distracted making the bathroom tiles sparkle and was late getting it prepared.

There was a knocking and Gabriel jumped. That must have been what he'd heard before and he paused for a moment to calm the erratic beating in his chest. He wasn't meant to answer the door, though whoever it was would definitely have heard the vacuum, and they knocked yet again.

"Are you in, Gabriel?" He heard the call through the flimsy door and it sounded like Mr. Brubaker, which would be strange. He'd never come to the apartment before. But then no-one had; Henry wasn't exactly welcoming of people in their secret home.

Gabriel didn't know what to do. If Mr. Brubaker came in – realized just how tiny the apartment was and that there was certainly no room for two bedrooms – he'd quickly become suspicious.

"Gabriel, I have important news!"

But... he didn't seem inclined to go anywhere, so, really, the only sensible thing to do was open the door and find out what he wanted.

Gabriel compromised with himself, approaching quietly as he heard Brubaker shuffling on the other side, placing the safety chain on as silently as possible, before opening it just a crack.

"Mr. Brubaker? Can I help you? Sorry, I was using the vacuum."

"That's alright, Gabriel. Perhaps I could come-,"

"Sorry, Sir, um, I shouldn't let anyone in while Henry isn't here, he says New York isn't safe."

"Oh...okay." Surprise flashed over Brubaker's face, followed by something that looked a little like offense. "Well, it's good news. I spoke to the representative from the London Philharmonic, and they want you to audition. I mean, several of the smaller orchestras asked for you as well, but Henry has been rather insistent that you'd only accept one of the larger ones..."

"Uh, yes."

"Well, that's wonderful news, isn't it?"

"Mr. Brubaker!" Henry appeared behind the Director, a scowl in place as he glanced to the cracked door. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"I was just telling Gabriel that London wanted him to audition." Mr. Brubaker stared back at Gabriel for a moment, as if he expected Henry's appearance to grant him access to the apartment, but Gabriel didn't do anything, and Henry stood to one side, making no move to enter.

"Well, that's to be expected," Henry said, arrogant on Gabriel's behalf. "You can email me the details."

"Well...y-yes," Brubaker sputtered, "I thought it would be nice to notify him in person. It's a big deal..."

"Well, you've done that. I know he's very happy."

Henry held his hand out in a clear dismissal, and Mr. Brubaker shook it, slightly dazedly, wondering off to the front with a puzzled glance back over his shoulder; Henry waiting until he'd passed through to the outside before moving to the apartment door, which Gabriel opened for him. He stood just inside the doorway as Henry came through, wondering whether he'd receive congratulations, but he walked right past, placing the bag he'd been carrying on the kitchen counter.

"Dinner isn't ready?"

"Oh, no, sorry. I was starting it, but then Mr. Brubaker came..."

"Yes. Well, I'm going to take a shower while you get it ready. Did you at least get chance to clean the bathroom?"

"Oh, yes. And I vacuumed."

Henry didn't say anything, disappearing into the bedroom, and Gabriel hurried to put the groceries away and make dinner. Luckily, it was chicken breasts, so he could have everything ready in twenty minutes if he hurried.

They ate quietly, low classical music playing in the background. It wasn't until they'd finished, plates to one side for Gabriel to clear away, that Henry looked at him properly.

"Gabriel."

Gabriel met his eyes, uncertain which direction this was going. It was always a toss-up with Henry. And the man didn't say anything for a long moment, until Gabriel was having to tense every muscle to stop himself from wriggling.

"I'm sorry I didn't finish my chores," he blurted, when the quiet void finally became more than he could cope with. Henry lifted one finger, demanding silence, and Gabriel sank down into his seat, his head bowed.

"I'm very pleased, Gabriel. All of our hard work finally means something."

Gabriel allowed himself to peek up, relaxing when he saw the warm, pleased smile on Henry's face.

"Thank you."

"You are good for me, Gabriel. You work hard."

Gabriel allowed himself a responding smile.

"Thank y-,"

"But...you've been letting things slide."

"I haven't! I promise. I practice every day. I haven't stopped."

"You've been spending a lot of time with those new friends of yours."

Gabriel hid his face before he pouted. It wasn't true. Sure, he'd made a few new friends this year. Ellis, and River, and a few of their friends who he'd now call his own too. But he was mainly friends with them because they were as good as him, and practiced as hard as he did. He mainly saw them for practice sessions. Maybe the very occasional coffee in between classes. It had been a mistake to get excited about it though; to tell Henry. All Henry saw was time taken away from practice, even if that wasn't the case.

"It's okay, Gabriel, I know you're my good boy. I know you'll do the right thing."

Gabriel held the tiny fire of rebellion deep in his chest. He wasn't going to stop spending time with his friends. He'd just have to be more careful about it. He wanted Henry to think he was good, obviously. Gabriel had always been well-behaved for him in the past, and he had no desire to make Henry think any less of him. But...he wanted friends, too.

He used to have friends. He could remember a time when his shyness hadn't been so pronounced. Sure, after Henry had discovered his talent when he was a child and nurtured it until it grew into something dedicated and impressive, music had become his focus. But he'd always had school, and Gramma encouraging what she called 'normal, boyish pursuits'. She talked like that, sometimes, in a way that made it clear she had no real idea what to do, bringing up an orphaned child.

Gabriel couldn't remember his parents. Didn't miss them. They'd died in some kind of tragic accident when he'd been little more than a toddler, and it was the one thing Gramma didn't talk about. She hadn't been close to her daughter – Gabriel's mom, Elise – when she'd died, but she'd stepped up to take in her grandson anyway. Gramma did talk about her, just not about her death. But she told him what his mom had been like herself, as a child.

Gramma had always been honest; admitting her information was limited, because Elise had been basically brought up by nannies while Gramma and her husband did a lot of business travel and glamorous, child-free, parties.

Gramma had been rich, once, but not by the time she'd taken Gabriel in. It had been his grandfather who'd been wealthy, with a good job, but he had left her for a 'newer model', she said, and then he'd died and left everything to his new wife, and left Gramma with nothing. But it never felt like nothing, to Gabriel. She always said taking him in had given her a new lease of life. She might not really have known what she was doing, but she tried, and she showered Gabriel with love. She even learned how to bake, badly, just so they could do it together.

So, she'd stayed strong, when Henry had come on the scene, making demands about the effort Gabriel put into his music – the time he devoted to it. She insisted he still spent time doing normal, childish things. Riding his bike with friends on the quiet suburban street they called home, visiting the zoo and the aquarium in the long summer vacations, joining the art club at school.

Henry had been clever though, Gabriel knew that, now. He'd encouraged him in just the right way to make Gabriel crave his approval – more and more as the years went by. Henry had spotted that Gramma didn't respond in that way; she was quick to give him love, but she never realized – it wasn't her way – that he needed to be told he was doing the right thing, that he was pleasing her with his actions. It was Henry's way. And he fed the need in Gabriel – filling a gap Gramma had never realized he had.

The relationship between them becoming more than one between tutor and student had developed slowly. So slowly that Gabriel hadn't even noticed it happening. Had still been innocent when Henry had taken to stroking his back when he sat beside him when he played. Still innocent when Henry had started cupping his face when he'd successfully completed a new piece and told him he was 'such a good boy'. Still innocent when Henry had slipped to his knees the first time and told Gabriel he deserved a reward for all the hard work he'd put in.

Even then, when it had finally advanced to something that even Gabriel had realized wasn't normal, he hadn't understood just how different it was. Henry had been careful to make sure he knew it wasn't something they could reveal. That people wouldn't understand what they had. It wasn't something he could tell Gramma, or any of his friends. But Gabriel didn't care. He just bathed in the happiness he got from pleasing Henry, and the excitement he felt from having something special, and grown up, and what everyone seemed to desire.

And when Gramma had died, not entirely unexpectedly as she'd been battling cancer for over a year, Henry had already set everything in motion to ensure he could take Gabriel in. And Gabriel had simply been relieved that they'd been successful in keeping their relationship secret, because he knew he'd have been lost into the system if Henry hadn't saved him. And Henry told him that Gabriel was truly his good, perfect boy now.

A/N: Content warning - there are strong indications in this chapter that Gabe and Henry's relationship started while Gabe was underage, and that Gabe was fairly intensely groomed into it.

If you have thoughts/concerns on that, I would be happy to hear them, and please take care of yourself.