There was something horridly fascinating about how romance movies and novels seemed to get this one part right.

An otherwise ordinary day, sun shining high in the sky and birdsong accompanying the occasional rumble of a car down the streets behind the house. The smell of freshly cut grass and a clean driveway, Malik's voice muffled and distant accompanied by another. Deep timbre and smooth, like a lullaby, inflecting every so often as the two of them laughed. Lost in their own little world that Khalid almost felt honored to bear witness to.

Malik's friend, Gabriel, was eye-catching to say the least. Everything around him dulled and the world seemed a little brighter. 

His messy dark brown hair pulled back into a tiny ponytail, barely brushing against the nape of his neck, warm brown eyes and sun-kissed sepia-colored skin practically glowing in the sunlight. The curve of his lips as he laughed at something Malik said made Khalid's breath hitch, his own lips twitching at the corners as he fought down a smile. Covering his mouth with his hand, glancing away, he huffed and allowed himself a small smile.

It was infectious.

Sneaking another glance, Khalid was grateful that Malik's back was turned to him. He doubted his brother would ever let him live it down that he'd been ogling his friend. Unabashedly at that. With Gabriel facing him though looking down at Malik, Khalid was able to soak in as much of his features as possible. He'd never admit to anyone that his breath hitched at the freckles dotting Gabriel's face, or the discoloration around his eyes, across his nose, chin, and neck. 

Leaning against the door hinge, Khalid's eyes raked over him, traveling down to the hand perched upon his hip then the arm tossed around Malik's shoulders. While one was made of flesh, discolored around the wrist and forearm, the other was an intricate-looking prosthetic disappearing into the sleeve of his long-sleeved t-shirt. Letting his gaze travel up, Khalid froze as those dark eyes met his own. Gabriel pinned him in place with a lingering look, eyebrow raised and a crooked grin. The tips of Khalid's ears burned as he tried to school his expression into something neutral and wholly unimpressed. 

Just in time it seemed as Malik did a double-take over his shoulder then gasped, clapping his hands together. 

"Right, right," he said, groaning as he pressed the heel of his hands to his eyes. "So excited I almost forgot to introduce you two."

With one hand fisted in Gabriel's t-shirt, Malik practically dragged him to the front steps although it didn't seem like Gabriel was complaining the closer they got. With Malik's back turned, his gaze flicked up to meet Khalid's. The latter's eyebrows raising to his hairline, fingers tapping against his bicep, fighting down the urge to smile. Standing only a few inches away from each other, Khalid's lips parted and his eyes widened. 

The number of freckles on Gabriel's face reminded him of a starry night sky, poetic seeming as Khalid had to tilt his head slightly to look Gabriel in the eye now that he was closer.  Malik standing between them, happier than he'd been upon Gabriel's arrival, gripped them both by the shoulder.

"Khalid, this is my best friend, Gabriel," Malik announced, nose raised and a shit-eating grin firmly etched onto his face. An 'I told you so' going unsaid but hovering in the air above their heads, Khalid rolling his eyes to the ceiling in response. 

"And Gabriel, this is my best brother, Khalid."

Khalid's mouth ran dry. A snarky retort of him being his only brother stilling on his tongue at the sheer affection accompanying the joking lilt in Malik's voice. Pensively, the younger boy's gaze flicked towards him then to the ground. A momentary lull in conversation as Khalid was rendered speechless and touched at the same time, mouth clamping shut. 

"Well, it's an honor to put a name to a face," Gabriel drawled, filling the silence with an easy-going laugh and serene smile. "You must be a saint, puttin' up with this one."

Khalid snorted with laughter at Malik's indignified gasp and the resulting light smack against Gabriel's shoulder. 

"You don't hire a saint to look after a sinner," Khalid quipped, waving a hand flippantly as Malik gasped and feigned a stumble backwards into the doorframe.

"Not you too, and after I gave you such a nice compliment! You're killing me, Khal."

Gabriel huffed, folding his arms across his chest and cocking his hip. "And yet you still live," he hummed, giving Khalid a look part conspiratorial and something else. "Guess you'll have to try harder, right?"

Khalid rolled his eyes with an exaggerated long-suffering sigh. "Perhaps," he said, seemingly ignoring Malik's cry of 'hey!' by turning on his heel and gesturing for the two of them to follow with a crook of his finger.

It didn't help that from the corner of his eye, he caught a hint of Gabriel's smile and a wink directed at him over Malik's head. Though he didn't want to admit it out loud, it was almost nice having someone else who knew how to navigate Malik's mischief. Theodosia's warning of Gabriel being an ax murderer seeming more and more unlikely as Khalid watched him unlace his sneakers, putting them in the shoe rack by the door.  Malik breezed past them, forgoing taking off his own shoes to skid down the hallway, turning around halfway and holding out his arms with a flourish.

"Welcome to the House of Jackson!"

Khalid gave his brother a withering look but it did fairly little to wipe the grin off of Malik's face. Huffing with a slight smile, Khalid barely Gabriel until their arms brushed as he took up the space by Khalid's left side, regarding Malik with an amused smile.

"Does he do this for everyone you guys bring home?"

"Hey! Don't I get a round of applause or something?"

"No," Khalid heaved an exaggerated sigh and shook his head. "You would be the first."

"Really?" Gabriel hummed, the teasing lilt added to the word and the question itself brokering something unsaid made Khalid glance at him curiously. 

Unlike the time before, Gabriel didn't return his gaze, more focused on his prosthetic arm as a soft chime echoed through the hall. 

"Hey! You actually got it installed in your arm."