[FIN] Tonight's Gonna be a Good Night

[BlackFireKitsune]

The poignant silence in the wake of his confession seemed to stretch on for years, and the longer it went on the more his worries grew exponentially. It was a bad time, the worst time to tell him; he was being so selfish dumping this on him after the evening he'd gone through, after everything it meant for his future - a future that had a distinct possibility of ending far sooner than either of them wanted - and he only thought of himself in telling him. Stupid. How could he--

"Oh, no, no I'm sorry," he said hastily at the choked noise Zevran made, apologizing on reflex and because he did feel sorry - and guilty - for what had obviously been a selfish thing to say on his part, and he held Zev close and wrapped his other arm around him too, his fingers burying themselves into his hair. Hopefully he wouldn't mind. Would he mind, after that? "I didn't mean to upset you, please, I just.. If it's too soon for you that's okay, that's fine, I just..." He just what? Did he even have anything worthwhile to say, to add, or was he just grasping at straws for something he could say to justify being so selfish?  

[TawnyAngel]

Abel was apologising, obviously he hadn't reacted the way people usually reacted to being told somebody loved them. This, Zevran supposed, was not really the greatest surprise in the world. He wanted to resolve the confusion, to say something anything in return in fact but his throat had closed up and his mind was still reeling too much to string a sentence together.

In lieu of words he squeezed Abel tighter, kissed his collarbone briefly, and shook his head rapidly a few times. Abel loved him. Loved him. What a time to find that out, when he might be dead tomorrow. Then again had he not always lived in the moment? He never worried about the future. He worried now.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

How could he have been so selfish, only thinking of himself? What was he thinking? Nothing, obviously. Seriously, how could--

And then Zevran tightened his grip, left a brief kiss on his skin, giving him several reasons to think that he didn't share his thoughts that Abel had been selfish, had said something selfish. He didn't mind? He didn't seem to mind. Was he... was he glad? Abel wanted to think he was, but he couldn't be sure just yet, and he didn't want to assume.

What he did feel okay assuming, though, was that Zevran usually didn't mind curling up in his lap, so maybe he wouldn't mind now? Hoping that was the case, Abel shifted his position on the couch. "Here," he said as he dropped one arm, slid it around Zev's legs and carefully pulled him into his lap; the better to fold him up in his arms and hold him close while waiting for him to be able to speak again.  

[TawnyAngel]

He was not about to argue with being closer together; when Abel made to pull him into his lap Zevran shifted willingly and then pressed closed, hunched down so that he could rest his head on Abel's shoulder again. He didn't deserve this and he had always told himself that he was incapable of feeling it himself but now....

He had known for a while he thought, he wasn't sure how long because he had never allowed himself to examine his feelings - he never examined his feelings about anything let alone anything deep - but this was no sudden revelation. He didn't deserve it, had never expected to be given this or to feel it but he couldn't deny it. He didn't want to either.

Zevran raised his head and took in a shaky breath as he met Abel's gaze, lifted a hand to stroke along his jaw. He felt naked, vulnerable, afraid, unsure... but not unsure of this. "Te amo." The words felt raw, alien, and yet completely right. Perhaps this was a poor time to say such things but it was better than never saying them at all.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel happily held Zevran close, just as happy to have him rest his head on his shoulder for now because he wasn't sure if he could handle looking into those eyes again just yet...

But then Zev shifted and lifted his gaze, and Abel didn't dare to avoid meeting it; the thought didn't even cross his mind. As he looked into those handsome eyes he loved gazing into, in the face that he adored that belonged to the man he loved, he drew in a slightly shaky breath himself and opened his mouth to speak. He shut it a moment later without saying anything, and a bright, happy, somewhat mischievous smile crossed his face as he tried again, "Is it safe to assume that means you love me too, and not that you're saying my face looks funny or anything?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran laughed, all his of fears momentarily driven from his mind by how ridiculous Abel was and by... and by how much he loved him. "Yes, it means 'I love you', but coincidentally your face does look funny. You have something just here," Zevran smoothed his thumb over Abel's lower lip and then leant in close to murmur; "Let me get it for you," before he pressed their lips together.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Hearing Zevran's laugh may as well have flipped a switch inside him for how quickly a bright grin, practically bubbling over with the dizzying amount of happiness and joy that lifted his heart and made him feel light as air, formed and spread across his face. Even Zevran's silly, flirtatious response couldn't quell it or reshape it into the smirk he usually adopted around his irresistible boyfriend. "Oh, do I?" He asked somewhat rhetorically, and didn't bother to comment further; he much preferred leaning into the kiss instead.

A few moments later - several long, blissfully happy moments - Abel pulled his head back with a contented sigh before resting his forehead against Zev's, gazing into his eyes, all of the various, wonderful feelings bubbling up inside of him written plainly on his face. And then, his voice devoid of the hesitance and uncertainty it held before, instead full of confidence, unwavering affection, love and happiness, he repeated in a soft murmur, "I love you."  

[TawnyAngel]

He couldn't leave. If he hadn't known it before he knew it when Abel kissed him back, and knew it more deeply still when they parted and their gazes locked. He was afraid again then and it showed in tension around his eyes but his smile remained true. It was a rare and wonderful thing to be loved and if he had only a little time left to live at least that time could be happy. "I," he still had to take a run up at the thought, "I love you too Abel. I... Thank you. You have changed my life more than I can tell you; you have given me a life, not merely an existence." He didn't want to die, he couldn't die, couldn't leave Abel all alone. "We... we will get through this. Somehow. What are impossible odds to people are ridiculously awesome as we?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

He was still scared - maybe only a little bit, but it was still there - but regardless he still seemed happy. Tentatively Abel wondered if he was the cause for that happiness. Logic told him he was, absolutely, without a doubt, but he doubted himself regardless because... well, because he just did. He never used to doubt himself nearly so much, but he knew when and why it had changed, though he didn't care to think about it just now. No, the only thing he wanted to think about right now was his boyfriend, currently curled up in his lap, looking at him and speaking to him with such love and affection. Hearing him say it in Spanish was one thing, but hearing it in English was quite another and sent a pleasant thrill through him, widening his smile and warming his heart. "I'm glad," he said softly, reaching a hand up to brush his fingers against Zev's cheek fondly. "I'm glad I could help - I'm happy that I could help - and I'd be just as happy to keep helping you as much as you need in the future. I'll always be here for you, and we will figure something out -- together. And," he added as traces of a smirk crept into his bright smile, "you forgot handsome, though we both know you're the most handsome."  

[TawnyAngel]

"Ah yes, handsome too, how could I forget?" Zevran laughed again, though it came out a little weaker this time and worry began to crease the corners of his eyes more deeply again. "It could be worse, they could already know where we are... I suppose I should read those messages, see what I can learn of their plans from them." He didn't want to right now though, he didn't want any of that to be real. Could he not just lose himself in Abel, just for a little while? "Ah... unless you wished to be distracting for a while?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Ah... Well that didn't last too long, did it? But still, he was glad to have driven away his worries at least for a few moments. ...and it seemed like Zevran wished for him to do so a few moments longer. If that's what he wanted then Abel was more than happy to oblige him. "Mmh, you can read them a little later," he suggested in a soft murmur as he smoothed a hand over the line of Zev's jaw, tracing the familiar curve he could picture perfectly with his eyes closed. "How would you like me to distract you? A brief adventure in the bedroom, perhaps, or something else?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran sighed softly and closed his eyes as Abel's fingers, loving fingers, traced their way along his jaw. He had to hold onto this, somehow, he would not lose this and he would not be lost to Abel - he refused... But how?

Later.

"Bedroom," Zevran agreed, shifting slightly in Abel's lap and pressing a kiss to the side of his mouth. "Definitely."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel sighed happily at the unexpected kiss before turning his head to give Zev his own surprise kiss, though for his part he aimed for his lips instead. It was brief though, and as he pulled away he gazed into those handsome amber eyes and murmured softly, "Anything you want." A simple phrase; one he'd told him before in a variety of different instances or contexts, though this time it held a suggestive edge. Abel carefully shifted Zev out of his lap before he laced his fingers through his boyfriend's and led him towards the bedroom.


They emerged some time later in more comfortable attire with folded sheets and blankets Abel had pulled out from the back of his bedroom closet, as well as the comforter and pillows off his bed. A blanket fort, he'd claimed, was the best way to spend an otherwise scary night, and since he already knew Zev had no experience with them - because why would he have ever built them before when he was a kid? He wouldn't have had the opportunity to do so - he resolved to make the grandest one he could manage on short notice. The kitchen-slash-dining-room table was cleared and pulled over in front of the couch to replace the coffee table, which was turned and placed perpendicular to the couch to create a short wall on one side. Sonia's favorite (and the only) armchair was moved to a similar spot on the other side of the couch to form a taller, thinner wall, and a pair of chairs from the table were brought out and placed in front of the table. Several sheets were spread over the various pieces of furniture and hung down all the way to the floor, including over the pair of chairs where the ends of two overlapping sheets formed a sort of doorway; various heavy objects were fetched and placed on strategic spots to help hold the sheets in place.

"And that's a blanket fort," Abel said with finality as he lay on his back atop the folded-up comforter they'd spread over the floor of their fort and spread his arms out above him towards the bottom of the table, his fingers splayed, but they promptly dropped down to fold over his chest as he turned his head to offer a smile at his boyfriend. Despite the various furnishings and blankets shielding them from the remainder of the living room, the lights were still on and still penetrated the fort at least somewhat. "What d'you think?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran surveyed the structure with his head on one side for some moments and rubbed his jaw theatrically. "Well it is not the most defensible fort I have ever seen, but-" he knelt down and clambered inside to cuddle up against Abel's side, "I must say I like the other guard on duty tonight."

It was as silly as hiding under a blanket from monsters but, just like the same, it did somehow feel safer inside than it did out in the livingroom. "I like it," Zevran added, shifting so that he was looking up at the blanket-ceiling. "It feels... enclosed in a good way, warm."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Mmh, yes," the taller blond said with a warm smile as he wrapped an arm around Zevran to pull him closer, "I'm an excellent blanket fort guard with years of experience. I can even put you into contact with two references who'll say the same, if you like!"

But then his tone softened and his free arm crossed further over his chest, his hand seeking Zevran's to hold. "I'm glad you like it, and I'm glad you think so; that's how it should feel, safe and warm."