[FIN] Broken Bonds

[TawnyAngel]

"Mmmh." Zevran leant up again to give Abel's jaw another kiss. "And will you tell me where you knew it from?" If Abel didn't wish to answer this question he certainly wouldn't ask the other. Perhaps he wouldn't anyway, it didn't feel quite right somehow.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Unfortunately he couldn't really enjoy the kiss to his jaw with such a question presented to him, and he sat in silent thought for some moments while he pondered whether to answer it -- and how, if he chose to do so. "Ah, that's... Well," he began hesitantly, uncertainty tinging his expression and his voice. "I... may have been - ah - recruited, shall we say, somewhere. She worked there as well, though we never worked together and I only heard about her from some of the others."  

[TawnyAngel]

That made sense, a lot of sense. He didn't quite see where the pieces fit together yet but he could see how they might. Perhaps they did have more in common that he had thought, considerably more.... If he thought about this too might he suspected he was going to get angry, the way the pieces looked as though they might slot together was not pleasant.

Zevran slid his arms down around Abel's shoulders, squeezed him tightly and pressed a soft kiss against his neck. "We have both left things behind then," he said but that didn't feel like enough. Zevran sat up straight in Abel's lap so that their gazes met, and the expression in his amber eyes went soft and tender when he saw the uncertainly in his friend's expression. "And here we are," he murmured, freeing one of his arms from around Abel so that he could brush his cheek with the backs of his fingers. "A new chapter in your life, and a cause for celebration."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Yes, he'd definitely left things behind. He'd definitely run from things, too. Though he missed his family in Sinnoh he could at least visit them without issue. He hadn't missed much when he moved away from his apartment there, nor when he moved away from Unova - barring Molly for a while, of course - but now... Now he couldn't imagine moving away from Kodo and leaving his two good friends behind. His two best friends.

The reminder that he had his freedom back, his life back, that they were both free from her clutches and could go back to living their lives... It washed away the uncertainty and brought a smile to his face; warm and bright, fond, thankful, and so, so grateful. His hands glided up Zevran's sides, past his shoulders and paused so he could gently curl his fingers around the shorter blond's arms and just hold them. The skin beneath Zevran's fingers tingled, and Abel found himself hoping they wouldn't move for a while. He certainly didn't mind staring into his brilliant amber eyes; it was like sitting in front of the fireplace on a cold winter's night, entranced by the way the flames flickered in the dim light and the comfortable warmth they provided. This was nice. Everything was nice now. "Yeah, I do -- thanks to you."  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran's soft smile remained and he slid the fingers that had just brushed Abel's face around into his soft blond hair. His other hand remained where it was on Abel's shoulder and squeezed gently. "I am glad I was here to go with with, and you are welcome again. You are always welcome." He could sit like this for a long time quite happily, perhaps that was strange but he chose not to think about that for now. He was happy and it was always wiser to take happiness where and when you found it.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

That smile, the way he looked at him, the look in his eyes... Ohh, he was in way over his head, but he couldn't convince himself to break eye contact, couldn't convince himself to even consider moving. Instead his smile softened a bit more as one hand lifted to brush against his cheek, his thumb ever so gently tracing the curve of his smile. "I'm glad too." No, he had absolutely no desire to go anywhere right now. He'd be perfectly happy sitting like this all night. The corners of his lips twitched up a bit into a brighter smile as he added, "You really are sweet, you know."  

[TawnyAngel]

Oh no, he'd said it again.

Zevran huffed and his cheeks flushed and he ducked his eyes flickered away from Abel's down and to the right. He was smiling to though, it was just a tiny upturn of the corners of his mouth but the warmth reached his averted eyes. "Do you just keep saying that to see me blush?" he asked with brief awkward laugh as he started to massage his fingertips against Abel's scalp.

He couldn't believe Abel could mean it and yet he didn't doubt him; that was a very strange pair of thoughts to have in your head both at once.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Damn was he adorable though... That tiny smile of his nearly took his breath away. "Not that time," he said without hesitation - because earlier he may have played it up a bit to see him blush - but now... The hand at his cheek curved around Zev's jaw and tried to gently encourage him to look up into his face, into his eyes. The fingers rubbing his scalp felt nice and threatened to distract him, but he would not be swayed. At least, not yet. "I said it that time because it's true; you are sweet."  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran laughed again, more of a chuckle this time, and allowed Abel to lift his jaw so that their gazes met again. It was hard to hold Abel's lovely eyes, he felt as though he wanted to just curl away and hide his flushed face and the uncertainty he felt - the feeling was reflected in his amber eyes but the warmth in them and his small smile remained - but Abel wanted to look at him and... and he did have lovely eyes.

"You are a strange man with strange tastes Abel Gray," he murmured, "but I like you." A lot.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

While the desire to laugh bubbled up in his chest, the uncertain look in Zevran's face, in his eyes, kept it where it was; instead his thumb ran across one of the shorter blond's blushing cheeks. His words chased his breath away and made his heart skip a beat. Ohh, he was in way over his head, wasn't he? "What a coincidence, I happen to like you too. Quite a bit really," he admitted as he leaned close to plant a quick kiss on the tip of Zevran's nose. "But why am I strange?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Somebody had probably kissed his nose before but he couldn't recall when, the gesture shifted his smile into a little grin though Abel's words might have had something to do with it as well. This sort of thing - kindness, sincere affection - it did not come to people like him and yet here it was and the fact that he did not deserve it wasn't going to stop him accepting it.

"Well I am glad to hear that! Ah, and we call what is rare strange no? You are the first person to call me- well to call me that, besides your mother apparently, and so that makes you strange. I would not say it makes your mother strange however because I have found people are very defensive of their mothers."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Now he chuckled, his smile morphing into a small grin as his arms slipped down to wrap snugly around the other man's waist. "What's that? The first to call you what? Sweet, cute, adorable? A sweetheart?" Even if he was hoping to worsen the flushing in his cheeks, he meant every single one of them. The grin widened as he added, "Firsts! I'll take it. And," he shrugged expressively, "I don't need to be that defensive of my mom, since she's perfectly capable of defending herself. I suppose being called strange isn't that bad..." Abel adopted an exaggerated thoughtful expression. "Rare sounds nicer though, strange makes me sound like some kind of weirdo or something," he finished with a chuckle.  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran made a flustered sounding noise but he didn't try to hide this time, instead he wrapped both arms around Abel's shoulders again and leant in to rest his forehead against the other blond's. "Several firsts," he agreed once he had regained the power of speech, "and your mother sounds like a fascinating woman!" She must he a good one for Abel to speak of her with such fondness, it was good that Abel was going to visit her soon.

"And let us say rare then," Zevran continued, still with his brow pressed against Abel's. "It is just as true, perhaps truer than strange was." He was not quite sure what he meant by that but he did mean it.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The noise Zevran made prompted Abel's grin to widen and a pleased laugh to bubble up from his throat. As the other man leaned in close, he gave his friend an affectionate squeeze. For some reason, the thought that he'd been the first to say such things to Zev brought him a certain amount of pleasure. Happiness? His friend had obviously done and experienced a great many things, but it still pleased him to know that he could at least be the first to say or do certain things with him. Like call him cute or sweet, for starters. What else...? Ah, Thedas was a more temperate region, he remembered; snow then. Abel made a mental note to pay attention to the weather forecasts. "She is! You'll have to meet her sometime, I think she'd like you."

Being called 'rare' was indeed better than being called 'strange' but it made his stomach perform a little acrobatic feat; he wasn't used to being called such things by such an attractive, sweet, irresistible person. "Rare it is then," he ceded with a fond smile, feeling perfectly comfortable and content with Zevran's forehead resting against his. It gave him the perfect view of those beautiful amber eyes of his. "I'd like to think you're rather rare yourself."  

[TawnyAngel]

Abel wanted him to meet his mother? That was... sweet. He liked the idea. He didn't know if it was normal for friends to invite friends to meet their family where Abel was from but that wasn't important, he could like it whether it was normal or- call it rare. "I would like that, and I will endear myself to her by helping in whatever area of the house is her domain," Zevran replied with a soft chuckle that resonated in his chest; pressed as close as they were Abel might be able to feel it. "Kitchen would be my preference of course but I can turn my hand to other tasks if required."

Cute, adorable, sweet, sweetheart, and now rare. Zevran chuckled again and nuzzled Abel's cheek. "Well I am not usual it is true so rare can be applied fairly, if you would like to."