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"Wait, like, actually?" Gideon whispers, startling at what Caleb has just confess to him. He peers over his shoulder, searching for anyone who might be listening in, but Gideon doesn't catch any eyes on them. No one is paying attention to them in their tucked away corner in the back of the cafe as they waited for you to show up. 'I won't be long,' you texted Caleb, in which he texts back, 'I'll be waiting for you.'
"Yeah, like, actually," Caleb replies amusedly, grinning at Gideon. This all started when Gideon brought up that a friend of a friend had just gotten his first girlfriend and how she looked so much like him. He then made a mocking remark about how he hoped they weren't actually related, laughing at his own words as if they were a clever joke, but Caleb didn't laugh.
"What would be the problem if they are related?" The question was asked in a friendly tone, but the pointed stare Caleb levelled at Gideon was anything but. Gideon, shocked by the inquiry, fumbled for an answer.
"Well, because... You know, it's..." Gideon leaned across the table, getting in Caleb's personal space to speak the word only he wanted Caleb to hear, "Incest."
"So? I'm incestuous." Caleb said, loud and proud.
"Wow, that's... Wow," Gideon blinks a few times, still processing what his friend had told him only minutes ago, before his brow furrows in thought, contemplating on whether or not he should ask what he really wants to ask, but since Caleb isn't shutting down the conversation, Gideon thinks it's okay for him to go for it.
"How did you know you were... Into family?" The question is proposed shyly, he's not really sure what he is and isn't allowed to ask, but Gideon's attention is solely on Caleb as he patiently waits for him to respond. "Are you exclusively into family?" As far as he knows, Caleb is the very first incestuous person he has ever met. It's exciting.
"The same way everyone else discovered things about themselves, I suppose. I learned what incest was and I just knew that I was incestuous." Caleb titters as he reclines into his seat and his hands slowly creep up his chest until they overlap over his heart. "I was told that incest was when family members were intimate with each other, and being incestuous meant you had feelings for your family, and it was like a light had turned on inside me to reveal this about myself." Caleb smiles fondly and Gideon can't help smiling along with him. "And yes, I am exclusively incestuous."
"Oh, cool," Gideon nods eagerly, "so, are you with anyone in your family?"
Caleb knew the question would be posed eventually, but it still startles him. "Well, I mean..." The call isn't even directed at you, but Caleb has been thinking about you this entire time, like he always is, and it paints his cheeks rosy. "Not really... No." He hasn't told you how he feels about you, not yet, but he swears one day he will.
Gideon knows that the only family Caleb has is you and your grandmother, so it isn't difficult for him to pinpoint who's making Caleb blush so intensely, but Gideon doesn't say anything, he just continues to smile. "Are you happy?"
"More than words could say," Caleb answer promptly, with a voice so unwavering and full of joy that Gideon has no choice, but to believe him. As if the universe wants to add to Caleb's happiness, the bell above the cafe's entrance chimes when you step inside, alerting everyone of your presence, but only Caleb's eyes light up when he sees you. As you approach the table, greeting them both as you do then apologizing for the wait, Caleb stands up and you two are pulled into each others embrace, Caleb's gravity Evol not being needed at all. You don't offer Gideon a hug, you aren't that close to him, but you do share a warm smile with him.
Like a content third wheel, Gideon spends the majority of the meet up enjoying his delicious drinks, the indistinguishable sounds of the other cafe-goers and staff, the soothing music drifting in from the speakers, and the way Caleb couldn't take his eyes off of you, beaming the entire time you are excitedly talking about your day.