[FIN] Home Again

[BlackFireKitsune]

After two weeks of visiting his family, copious amounts of hugs, plenty of pokemon to play with, good food to eat, music to play and sing to, texts and phone calls to his friend - and Christmas presents to give and receive - their trip finally wound to a close. As much as Abel's parents didn't want them to leave - either of them, not just Abel or his pokemon - Daniel still drove them to Sunyshore at the end of their visit to see them off with hugs and a request that they both visit again soon.

The following morning their ferry neared Camphoreon's shores once more, and Abel eagerly studied the beach they'd left behind for two weeks. While he wasn't nearly as excited as he'd been on the trip out - which was a lot - he was still eager to get home to one of his two best friends and to his other pokemon. Vacations were always good, but so was going home after. He felt rested and recharged - and like he'd gained a little more of his weight back - after spending two weeks relaxing (and eating) at his parents' ranch, and he could tell his pokemon did, too. Isaac was curled around his shoulders while Sonia stood nearby, peering over the railing down at the waves lapping against the boat. The rest of his pokemon - including the newly evolved Caleb - stayed inside their pokeballs in his bag, which was lighter now that the presents for his family were gone. Still, it wasn't too much lighter, since they'd seen fit to fill it up with gifts for him instead. Not that he'd needed any. No, getting to see them again after two years was all the present he needed.

"So how about it?" Abel asked abruptly as he turned a warm, content smile to Taavi, folding his arms to lean on the railing beside Sonia as they sailed ever closer to Camphoreon's dock. They'd disembark soon enough. "Think you could stomach another visit next year, or maybe over the summer?"  

[TawnyAngel]

It had been a great trip, really great. By the time they'd left he'd felt relaxed in everyone's presence, pretty much like part of the family. The presents they'd given him, well he hadn't needed them to fell welcome - he already had - but they'd been so thoughtful and useful and everyone had really liked the presents he gave them. It had been great. He was looking forward to going back to work and seeing his friends there, not to mention his other pokemon friends, but he already missed the ranch, it was peaceful and the only things it demanded were things he was good at.

When Abel suggested another visit therefore Taavi turned to him with a grin and nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely! I'd love to go back any time, that really was an awesome vacation."

The black Ninetails standing beside Taavi on the deck hummed agreement and nudged his hand, earning himself a scratch behind the ears. "Still hardly recognise you when I glance down," he told Swift with a grin.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel's smile broadened into a grin at Taavi's response. He'd known from the start that he'd love it, had seen for himself during the trip that he loved it, but that didn't mean he didn't like hearing confirmations or reminders of the fact that he loved it. Him wanting to go back without any hesitation was a good reminder. "Good. I'm really glad you enjoyed it, and I know Mom and Dad loved having you there too. Dad especially, I didn't think he'd let you leave again," he added with a chuckle. "Aaron always helps with chores, but he's never nearly as enthusiastic about it as you were."

Swift's noise drew the blond's attention, and he chuckled a bit as he reached over to give his ruff a scratch too. "I hardly do too, you look so different. Great, but different. How's it feel?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"We'll have to clone me, so then one of me can stay here and work and the other one can live at your parents' place. They can swap every so often," Taavi replied, trying to sound and look serious but completely failing as his lips kept trying to twitch upwards. "Ah, I guess we'll just have to settle for visits," he added as the grin overtook his face fully.

Swift yipped, swished his long tails and trotted around to Abel where he sat up on his haunched and tapped him on the hip for head-rubs.

"He loves it," Taavi translated, not that it had really been needed. "I think he's still getting used to the size but it can't be as bad for him as for Caleb!"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Pfft. Yeah, that sounds like a good solution," the blond agreed with a chuckle, "though I'm sure my parents would just want both of you rather than settle for just the one. So yeah, visits will probably have to do. I always used to visit every Christmas, so I'm definitely going to do that again if you wanna come next year. I'm thinking of seeing if I can go twice a year maybe, so maybe a summer trip?" He mused aloud, trying to think of the logistics of it. He could probably get off work no problem, so really he had no reason not to go... Well that was easy.

Another chuckle escaped him at Swift's response; no, it hadn't needed to be translated. Abel stooped down a bit to oblige the fire-type his head rubs. "Heh, I can see that. I'm glad you love it, bud; evolution's always exciting. Though, yeah.. I'd imagine it's kind of difficult to get used to at first. Caleb will probably have a hell of a time, yeah," he added with another chuckle. "He definitely won't fit on his bed behind the chair anymore, that's for sure." As the ferry moored in Camphoreon, Abel found his gaze drawn to the myriad of people along the dock and boardwalk. The crowd was much larger than the one they'd been a part of when they'd left; perhaps a lot of people were expecting friends or family back from a Christmas trip, or they were leaving early for a New Years trip maybe? Whatever the reason, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to pick out his rather vertically challenged blond friend. Maybe he'd text him in a minute or two... Maybe he wasn't even there yet, they were a little ahead of schedule, after all, thanks to the smooth weather conditions.  

[TawnyAngel]

"They'll both get used to it, it didn't take Valour too long to get used to being big," Taavi recalled with a nod and a reassuring smile for Swift. "But you guys have probably already talked about that hu?"

The Ninetails nodded and Taavi gave a huff of amusement. "See, way ahead of me. But um, yeah! A summer trip sounds great, we could go swimming and stuff! I'd love to visit Lake Valour again and the other lakes too maybe? Um, if we can make time...." Oh look at that, Abel was scanning the dock! What a big surprise that was! Taavi tried very hard not to start grinning again.

The ship was early but so was Zevran, he hadn't meant to be early just... well once he was up and he'd fed the pokemon he'd felt restless, unable to settle to anything, so he'd come here to wait. It was a rather nice day, cold but he had warm clothes - thanks to Abel's shopping assistance - so it wasn't so bad to wait on the docks with a cup of coffee watching the water and then the slowly growing shape of the ship.

As it drew nearer to the dock Zevran wended his way to front of the crowd and peered up at the deck, would Abel be out there?  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel stayed silent for a few moments, instead opting to watch Taavi and Swift interact, a soft smile on his lips. "Oh, yeah, we could definitely go swimming. My parents obviously don't have anywhere to swim on their property, but there's obviously Lake Valor right nearby and yeah, we can definitely go check out the other two, especially if we fly there," he went on as his gaze shifted back to the dock, trying to pick out his friend...

...but a few moments later, before he had a chance to, the crew signaled for the gangplank to lower. Eager to be at or near the front of the line, Abel turned and motioned for Taavi and their pokemon, "Here, I think we can get off in a couple minutes, let's go."

Indeed, 'a couple minutes' turned out to be exactly two minutes, and though they weren't at the very front of the line, they were still relatively close to it and disembarked fairly quickly. Sonia readjusted the guitar case strap over her shoulder and stuck close to Abel, while her trainer wasted no time in trying to pinpoint their friend. Isaac hopped off the blond's shoulders and onto the dock to trot alongside Sonia; he knew how things would play out once either they found Zevran or he found them, and he had no desire to be sandwiched between the pair of blonds.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Alright, let's go!" Taavi agreed, swinging his bag back onto his shoulders as he spoke and then setting off beside Abel.

As they stepped onto the docks his thoughts weren't so different to Isaac's, he'd just dump his bag in Abel's car and then fly back to his apartment; if the blonds didn't start making out within a few minutes he would be seriously surprised.

When he spotted Abel and Taavi coming down the gangplank Zevran's heart lifted and he waved to them but there were a lot of people around him and neither seemed to notice him. A moment later he lost sight of them in the throng but this didn't worry him too much, they wouldn't go far and so he made his way through the crowd until he caught a glimpse of the pair again; a broad grin spread across Zevran's face and he raised two fingers to his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. "¡Hola! ¡Abel, Taavi!"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

As he continued to scan the area he took a few steps away from the gangplank to make space for others to disembark too, but the whistle and shout drew his attention immediately -- the latter more than the former. The former caused bystanders nearby to glance around and move away from Zevran a bit, since he was obviously attempting to reach friends of his, and Abel wasn't about to complain one bit; it certainly made his job easier. A broad, bright grin alighted his face instantly and a warm, lighthearted feeling spread through him as he turned and headed in his direction. When he got close enough he readjusted the strap over his shoulder so it wouldn't fall and then promptly reached both hands out to wrap his friend in a tight hug. "Hey!"

Sonia and Isaac followed after him, then hung back behind him politely as he greeted his friend.  

[TawnyAngel]

Was it his imagination or did Abel look better than when he had left? He didn't have long to think about that, the distance between them closed and they pulled on another into a tight embrace. He had missed him, he had missed him! "It is good to see you my friend," he said warmly, unable to bring himself to let go or to stop himself from grinning. It had been a very long two weeks but now here he was, warm and real. He had missed him.

Taavi hung back with Sonia and Isaac and gave the pair a knowing grin.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Any ache in his heart he'd felt from missing his friend so much vanished immediately, replaced by a warm fuzzy feeling that he welcomed gladly. "It's good to see you too," he replied in a soft murmur. He gave the shorter blond a squeeze and ducked his face down to press a kiss onto Zevran's cheek, taking in the familiar scent and savoring the feeling of holding him in his arms after two long weeks. He'd missed him.

After a few moments he became vaguely aware of just how long they'd been standing there - and how badly he had missed him, which was another matter entirely - so he stepped to one side to break the hug but slid an arm around Zev's shoulders instead so he could stay nice and close to him. Just like he shouldn't. "Let's get out of the cold, yeah? Were you waiting out here long?" Now that he thought about it, actually, Zevran's face looked a little pink, and his skin had felt rather chilly, as if he had indeed been outdoors for some length of time... though he really couldn't even guess how long, if long at all.

Neither Sonia nor Isaac noticed - or maybe just pretended not to notice - Taavi's grin.  

[TawnyAngel]

Aww, c'mon, really? Just him? Taavi shook his head and fished his (new!) 'gear out of his coat pocket to take a sneaky picture of his friends; if nobody here was going to join in he was just going to have to message Joanna.

Abel's lips were soft and warm against his chilled cheek, he could happily have stayed as they were for quite a while longer but when Abel stepped to the side he didn't try to cling on. He did slide his arm around Abel's waist though. "Not too long at all," he replied, lifting his chin a little so that he could grin up at Abel. "You are right though, let us- Oh! Hello Taavi, are you well?"

Taavi coughed as he tried not to laugh. "Yep, I'm good! You?" Zev kind of looked in danger of grinning so much his face split.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Taavi would receive a prompt, eager and excited response from Joanna about how precious the both of them were.

Not long? "That's good," he said with a small nod. He would've felt bad if Zev had been waiting a while. A chuckle escaped him however as the shorter blond seemingly forgot about Taavi entirely; poor guy. While he felt bad, it made him feel... good? It made him feel good that Zev was so eager to see him that he forgot about other things. Poor Taavi...

Now that they were all here and ready to get out of the cold, Abel turned to head off the docks once he was sure Taavi and their pokemon would follow. "Yeah, how're you doing? Besides a little chilly," he added with a small grin. His pink cheeks reminded him of how Zevran blushed, and absently he wondered if he could make him blush later. "Oh, and what d'you guys wanna have for lunch? And dinner."  

[TawnyAngel]

"Oh, well," Taavi looked at his gear, "actually some of the guys are going to a grill place for lunch so I might just dump my bag in the car meet them there if that's okay? I'm not fussy about dinner!" He was lying about the lunch but he figured it was in a good cause and anyway he and 'the guys' - his pokemon friends - could totally go and find a grill place to eat at.

Under the pretence of contacting his KSO friends Taavi replied to Joanna along the lines of 'right??!'

Oh, Taavi already had plans? Well that was good for everyone concerned yes? "I would not keep you from your work friends, I expect they will have much to share with you from the past two weeks?" He did seem to have a very eventful line of work. "As for us," Zevran squeezed Abel's waist and gave him another warm smile, traced the angles of his face and the softness of his lips with his eyes, "perhaps we could just pick something up and head back to your apartment? It has been a long trip for you. As for dinner, I have some options available. There is chilli in the freezer which can be made into burritos or tacos, or I can do a macaroni and cheese? The recipe is from Joanna." Dinner seemed like a very long time from now; in the present all he wanted to do was spend some time with Abel. He felt warm, light, alive, like his blood was full of tiny bubbles, and he was very happy not to have to share his company over lunch with Taavi.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh, really?" Abel replied, his eyebrows raising a bit as he glanced over at Taavi. He hadn't mentioned having any plans earlier, but then again they could've been organized once they docked, especially if his friends were eager to see him after he'd been gone for two weeks. It was entirely possible that they had plenty to catch up on. Maybe some s**t had gone down somewhere and they wanted to tell Taavi all about it? Well whatever the reason, Abel was happy about it; it was good that Taavi had other friends to hang out with that had missed him while he'd been gone, and he was also rather pleased to suddenly have a few hours alone with Zevran. Not that he even had anything inappropriate in mind, but it would just be good to sit and spend time with him for a while. "That sounds like fun, so yeah, go right ahead," he added, waving his free hand in a 'go on' gesture, "I'm not gonna tell you 'no, you have to stick with us now that we're back' or anything, especially if they wanna hang out with you. We'll bring your stuff up for you, I promise."

Then he turned to focus on Zevran, his expression softening as he looked fondly into those brilliant amber eyes and as he returned the gentle squeeze, "I think that sounds like a good idea. I kinda wanna just sit around the apartment and relax for a while after being on the boat for that long." Yes, sitting around with Zevran... maybe in the armchair, under a warm blanket with a movie on for background noise. That sounded nice.