Gabriel looked a tiny bit annoyed at being treated like a child, yet he couldn't really say no to her. One, she was stronger than him, and two... well, currently, he was being given a lap pillow.
Yup. This was his life now.
Sun-Sun teased him, but he didn't say anything back, just enjoying the warmth. Meanwhile, Apacci and Mila Rose did not look too happy about how close he was to Harribel.
Did he care? Fuck no.
He was in her lap. That was the most important thing in the world right now.
Now, how to make her view him less as a son...? He tried asking what he could possibly do to get out of this family zone, but she didn't say much—just gently caressed his mask.
...Goddammit.
She seemed to view his actions as a kid acting out. Okay, so maybe he was a six-month-old Hollow, but he wasn't a baby, for Christ's sake!
Though, laying on her lap was quite nice. He quite enjoyed her touching his mask and hair.
His luscious, beautiful hair... Don't ask him why he had bothered growing hair. It just felt good, okay?
Plus, his dad used to help him with his hair, so there was that.
Well, as long as he could get close to her, he guessed everything would be fine.
He would get Shark Mommy to like him.
Someway or another.
Time Skip
Gabriel could be seen meditating, his eyes closed as he tried to clear his mind.
Remove all dirty thoughts from his pure mind... and he was imagining Harribel in a more human-like form.
And she was sweating... and it was now sexual.
And... if he had a dick, it would be rock hard.
'Stop thinking like that,' he reminded himself. He should not think like that. He was not that much of a horny bastard.
He calmed his mind and stopped thinking about her melons. He stopped himself from fantasizing about marrying her or having a child.
'Calm down.'
'Hn~'
STOP FUCKING IMAGINING HER MOANING, FOR FUCK'S SAKE. GET IT TOGETHER.
Eventually, after hours... he got it.
Of course, Sun-Sun had to ruin it.
Her teasing words slithered into his ears, smooth and relentless, like always. He didn't even bother responding. What was the point? She knew his situation too well. Too damn well.
She was enjoying this.
Still, after a while, he opened his eyes and looked at her. There was something he wanted to ask.
"Hey, you know anything about Harribel?" he asked casually, though there was obvious intent behind his words.
Sun-Sun's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Oh my~ Why do you ask?" she mused, tilting her head slightly. "You seem awfully interested, Gabriel~kun."
Oh, fuck off.
He didn't take the bait. "Because I want to know," he said simply.
Sun-Sun chuckled. "And what do I get in return?"
Of course. Of course, she wouldn't do anything without a price. That was just how she was.
Gabriel thought for a moment before holding up a small, glowing sphere in his hand. "This," he said.
Sun-Sun raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly is 'this'?"
"The soul of five Gillian," Gabriel replied. "Refined, purified, and condensed. If you eat it, you'll gain the full energy and power of five Gillian."
Sun-Sun's smirk faltered for just a second as she processed what he was offering.
Adjuchas didn't gain the full strength of whatever Hollow they devoured. It was inefficient—only a fraction of the consumed Hollow's power would actually transfer over, the rest being lost in the chaotic mess of souls. But this... this was different. This was guaranteed power.
Her sharp eyes studied him carefully.
"You're really eager to win Harribel over, aren't you?" she asked, amused.
Gabriel just shrugged. "Yeah."
That was all there was to it. He wasn't going to deny it.
Sun-Sun hummed. "And why is that?"
Gabriel's expression didn't change. "Because I made a promise to my dad."
That made her pause.
"Oh my~" she murmured. "You actually remember your human life?"
Gabriel exhaled through his nose. "Roughly," he admitted. "It's... fading. The details are slipping away. But I remember enough."
Sun-Sun tilted her head slightly. "What do you remember?"
Gabriel's jaw tightened for a moment before he answered. "I remember that I turned into a Hollow after another Hollow attacked my home. It ripped me out of my body and killed my dad right in front of me."
He glanced down at his hand, clenching his fingers into a fist. "The regret... the despair... I think that's what turned me into a Hollow."
Sun-Sun's teasing demeanor softened just a fraction.
"Hm... How tragic," she murmured.
Gabriel snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Spare me the fake sympathy, Snake Lady."
Sun-Sun chuckled, the teasing glint returning to her eyes. "Oh, but I am sympathetic, Gabriel~ In fact, I feel so bad for you that I might just answer your question~"
Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Just take the damn ball."
Sun-Sun grinned, plucking the glowing sphere from his palm. "With pleasure~"
He could get along with this snake lady.
A/N...Snake lady.