[FIN] What Are You Hiding

[TawnyAngel]

Taavi managed to utter some kind of vaguely polite goodbye to Alyssa and waved at her as she left. Abel's girlfriend? Really? Okay she was pretty but that alone was in no way a basis for a good relationship! And Abel really hadn't seemed at all happy to see her, so what was going on?

When Abel sighed out Taavi nibbled at a bit of dry skin on his lower lip and tried to think of something to say. He failed, drank more of his coffee, and looked around at Abel's pokemon. After a few moments more he managed; "So.... Um." Yeah. "That was... she seems... um.... I didn't know you had a girlfriend." A rude one he didn't seem to like, or at least hadn't wanted to see this morning.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

When it became apparent that she'd left, Caleb, Sonia and Joel appeared from their preferred spots, and Isaac hopped from the couch to the floor to the counter behind Taavi. Vanessa, on the other hand, remained hidden in Abel's room, while Elizabeth toyed with things on the table, seemingly oblivious to what had just transpired.

Well this was awkward as all hell, and poor Taavi didn't seem to know what to say, not that Abel could blame him. "Yeah," Abel replied simply at first to any or all of what his friend had just said, as he headed out of the kitchen to lock his front door so she couldn't come barging back in if she changed her mind - not that he expected she would, but really he wouldn't put it past her - before he returned to the kitchen. He grabbed his mug from the counter, grabbed a sponge from the corner of the sink and after turning the tap on, began to wash the dishes that he'd piled in there, focusing mostly on those while he debated what to say and how to say it.

"Yeaahhh," he said again, not at all sure what to say really, but what could he say? "Sorry, I didn't think she'd invite herself over this morning. She's kind of..." Pushy? Rude? Horrible? A blackmailer? "...difficult sometimes. Really headstrong, says or does what she wants, and it's hard to make her listen to something she doesn't want to listen to, but..." He trailed off, ending with an excessive shrug, hoping to get his point across - he wasn't sure what exactly that point was - and internally hoped that was an adequate summary. All of it was true, of course, it just wasn't the whole truth, and there really wasn't much more he could say without going over the line... Ugh, all of this sucked.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Uh, no worries." Taavi took another sip of coffee, it was nearly all gone. He wanted to say: your friends don't like her her, literally all of them, how can you date her? He wanted to say: have you had a fight with her, is that what it is? He wanted to say: she's not headstrong, she's rude. He wanted to say: is everything okay? If he had any kind of spine he might have said one of those things but he didn't so instead he said: "Well all that matters is that you like her and she treats you well, right? Everyone's difficult sometimes, right? Um, I hope I made an okay first impression." He kind of did, he didn't like the woman but if Abel really did then... well she couldn't be all bad could she? He might have been able to make himself believe that if not for how the pokemon had reacted to her.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

He wanted to laugh. He wanted to laugh so hard - so bitterly - because oh Arceus that was a hilarious thought. Hilarious and incredibly depressing. Instead, he managed to reign in his reaction to merely a brief, rueful smile and said, "Yeah, that's true. And I'm sure you did, don't worry about it," though he wasn't sure whether that was a good or a bad thing... At the very least she hadn't decided to blurt anything out or taunt him in front of Taavi, so that was good...

Once finished washing dishes, Abel excused himself to slip outside his living room window to smoke outside on the fire escape for a bit - after closing the window to prevent the smoke from going inside, of course - before he reentered and went about getting ready for work. Before departing, he stopped to zip up his jacket and offer Taavi a few parting statements; his pokemon would take care of themselves if they were hungry, he could try to coax Vanessa out with honey if he felt so inclined as long as it wasn't too much, he could help himself to whatever in the kitchen, he could call or text him if he needed to do so, and he would be back later after his shift. That done, the blond waved goodbye for the time being and departed.  

[TawnyAngel]

It was a bit weird being in Abel's apartment without him but not too weird because the pokemon were still here. Right, productive day then? Although he guessed there wasn't all that much point Taavi started by getting dressed in proper going outdoors type clothes; he felt a little bit better for it, a bit less like an awful failure of a human being. Next he made some more coffee using his own instant rather than Abel's but he did use a little more of his friend's creamer, he had said it was okay after all.

While Taavi spent most of the time Abel was out making applications for jobs he did take some breaks: some time to pet Isaac and Swift; a break for lunch - instant noodles! Thrilling! - some time out on the fire escape with Valour who'd brought a bloody lunch for Swift (eaten out on the fire escape and subsequently cleaned up after), and little while trying to coax Vanessa out to see him again with the use of honey.

All in all he was left feeling that he'd been pretty productive, several job applications made which had needed various tweaks to his CV and while he still hadn't heard back from any of the applications he'd made previously he was feeling.... Well not exactly hopeful but less awful than he had this time yesterday by a long shot. He really did want to do something nice for Abel but he hadn't ever established if his friend ate pokemon or not so he hadn't asked Valour to see if he could bring in something he could cook up for them. It was kind of a difficult topic to bring up but, well, maybe he'd figure out a way before he left. Maybe.

At around the time Abel had said he'd probably be back Taavi was sitting cross-legged on the couch frowning slightly at the screen of his pokegear as he did a final proof read of yet another application. Cleaning technician? Yes please, totally his dream job forevers!  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel's various pokemon spent the majority of the day puttering or laying about, either by themselves, with others, or with Taavi and his pokemon. Isaac especially took advantage of his presence, taking up a spot on the couch nearby or even in his lap when possible. Vanessa did eventually come out to spend time with the others while wrapped up in her blanket, though she stuck close to Isaac and Sonia rather than anyone else.

After a relatively uneventful shift, apart from the various texts Alyssa sent him, Abel finally walked back to his apartment building. He lingered outside against its surface for a few more minutes, a lit cigarette in one hand and his phone in the other, until he finished with the former and subsequently put the latter back into his pocket. Did he want one more cigarette...? Nah, too cold. Shoving his hands into his pockets, the blond made his way into the building and through the lobby and, after a short ride up the elevator, he headed down his hall before stopping in front of his door to fish his keys out of his pocket.

The sound of a key in the lock drew the attention of his pokemon. Caleb immediately darted to the door to sniff at it, his fluffy tail wagging back and forth, while Isaac trotted after him and hopped up onto the table to await his friend's inevitable entrance, Sonia taking up her post near the Espeon. Elizabeth eagerly lumbered over to the door and stood nearby, flexing her claws in anticipation, while Vanessa threw her blanket over her head and curled up under her blanket-tent, as opposed to fleeing into the bedroom outright. Such was the sight that met Abel's eyes as he entered the apartment, and almost immediately he felt himself relax as he stepped inside. "Hey guys, I'm back," he said warmly, a tired but contented smile on his face as he squatted down to pet the more eager ones - namely Caleb and Elizabeth - before he straightened back up to greet his calmer, older pokemon. That done, he drew out the various objects in his pockets and dropped them onto the table before slipping his coat off and putting it into the closet. "Hey Taavi," he called out as he did so, not wanting to forget about his guest (again), "sorry I was gone most of the day. Hopefully you weren't too bored out of your mind or anything."  

[TawnyAngel]

Ah, s**t, he hoped this was Abel and not.... Oh, yep, Caleb was wagging his tail, good. Taavi relaxed and smiled as the door opened to reveal Abel. "Hey!" he responded to his friend's greeting. "No worries, I've been busy! Did a bunch of applications and hung out with the pokemon. Your day been okay?" He looked happy enough, if kinda tired. "Um, can I make you a coffee or anything? You've been busy all day and... well I've been busy, but relaxed and sitting on my butt busy." He kind of felt in need of some exercise really but not enough so to drive him out of the comfort of Abel's apartment, he'd have his fill of fresh air soon enough.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"That's good," Abel said encouragingly as he patted Cyrus and closed the closet door a bit, then headed out into the living room to join his pokemon and his friend. Applications, hm? Had he heard anything back yet? No, probably not; in all likelihood he would've mentioned such a thing if he had, so Abel felt it safe to assume he hadn't, and he didn't want to make him feel bad by asking if the answer was no. "Sounds like a good day to me. Nah, I don't need coffee, thanks," the blond said with a slight shake of his head, and he sighed as he flopped down onto his couch. Isaac took advantage of this immediately and hopped up onto his friend's lap, receiving a pat to the head in response. "My day was all right, kinda boring. We had a handful of troublesome customers but nobody too bad today, thankfully. It was mostly just long and boring today," he said with a light frown, closing his eyes to relax more. While he usually enjoyed his job, on slow days with nothing to do it felt like such a drag. Days out on the firing range or giving instruction were his favorite, but alas, he'd been assigned counter duty today. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"  

[TawnyAngel]

What had happened? "Mmmmmh.... Well Vanessa came out again as you can see!" Taavi smiled over at the odd Lopunny. "And uh, Valour came by with lunch for Swift but he's gone off out again now, not sure what he's up to. Bird business, very important!" He thought that Valour was probably either hunting or scouting for camp sites but he wasn't sure which it might be. "Um... and, stupid question?" Taavi grinned apologetically. "What is it you actually do? Uh, for work. If you ever told me I forgot, I'm sorry." He didn't think Abel had told him but he wasn't one hundred percent sure, not enough to say he hadn't.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel cracked an eye open for a moment to look and, sure enough, there she sat, blanket and all. He shut his eye and dropped his head back against the couch again. "So she did! That's my girl," he said approvingly, holding one arm out towards the Lopunny in invitation. Vanessa hopped up and hopped up onto the couch to accept, flopping down partially on the cushion next to him and partially next to Isaac, who politely scooted over to make more room for her. Abel laid a hand on each pokemon's head to pet their ears; why did they all like having their ears patted? He wasn't entirely sure, but he set the idle thought aside for the time being.

Vanessa shifted a bit on the couch so she could pull her blanket up closer, enough to lay a corner of it over Isaac, and the Espeon smiled at her appreciatively.

"Bird business, yes, sounds very important," Abel agreed with brows furrowed and a light frown on his face, feigning importance. "Very important indeed." Expression clearing to one of amusement, he shook his head and opened his eyes again to look over at his guest. "Nah, that's not a stupid question. I haven't told you before?" Huh, he could've sworn he did... Maybe he only thought about it? After a moment or two of thought, he simply shrugged. "I work at a gun shop and firing range not too far from here and I do pretty much everything there, depending on where they need help that day," he explained, still petting both pokemon. "Working the counter, helping customers, unloading a truck, stocking, cleaning stuff, giving lessons, overseeing the firing range, stuff like that."  

[TawnyAngel]

"Oh." Oh. "Really?..." Well everyone had to make a living, he knew that well enough! Still, it was an uncomfortable thought. "Well... that sounds like it beats waiting tables," Taavi concluded after a short pause, and though he tried to sound bright his tone came across a little awkward. He hadn't known Abel knew anything about guns, not that it was bad to but.... Well he was just- he just had a sore spot. To say the least.

Okay, new subject please.

"I should probably, no, I should definitely text Sasha and tell him what happened," Taavi said, perhaps rather suddenly. "I ah... kind of haven't told anyone except you that I was even in danger of getting kicked out so.... Yeah. And he sometimes turns up at my place unannounced, I wouldn't want him to show up and find it empty or worse somebody else already in there. I just...." Taavi trailed off, sighed, and shrugged. "I just don't know how to tell him. He seems to have everything together so well and...." He stopped again because he didn't know how to go on, he just felt so... so inadequate compared to Sasha. Sasha had a dream job, a great place to live with - he didn't want to think about that actually - and he was just so effortless with people. He couldn't measure up to any of that.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Uhhh, okayyy... That wasn't quite the reaction he'd expected when he'd answered Taavi's question. Did the thought of firearms make him uncomfortable or something? It was a touchy subject for some people, but he wouldn't have pegged Taavi as that bothered by it... Maybe a little, sure, given his quiet, almost timid personality, but not this much.

Abel frowned a little in mild confusion but let the topic change without comment or opposition - if it bothered Taavi that much that he wanted to talk about something completely different, that was his business and he wasn't about to push him on it - and hummed thoughtfully. Maybe he just wanted to talk about his boyfriend? "Yeahhh, that's definitely something you should tell him about, especially if he has a penchant for surprise visits," the blond said, his expression one of mild amusement. He could sympathize with unannounced visits so much, though he guessed Taavi probably felt much differently about his than he felt about Alyssa's. "That's the thing," Abel said as he straightened up on the couch a bit, sitting up properly, and both Isaac and Vanessa shifted accordingly now that there was less room to sprawl over, "there's a lot of people that seem to have everything together, but they don't really. It just seems like it. I'm sure he'd understand, anyway. Did you tell him about that d**k getting you fired?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"I... yeah." Taavi nibbled on the corner of a thumbnail. "Yeah he knows that much." He sighed. "He does though. I mean he's got his dream job, he seems to just... just get on with people like that," Taavi snapped his fingers, "and he's got that great place to live with that... rich twenty year old whoever," why couldn't he be that rich twenty year old? "and.... Ah, sorry." Taavi stopped abruptly, suddenly looking guilty and seeming to shrink in on himself. "I'm going to shut up before I get any more whiny. I guess it makes sense that he's kind of got it worked out, he is twenty nine and all. I mean he doesn't really act it so it's easy to forget, but yeah. Sorry. You just got in from work and I started going on like that." He just needed to get it over with, Sasha wasn't going to judge him for this; he just hoped he didn't mind that he was staying with Abel.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

These were a lot of facts to have suddenly presented all at once, and if Abel had been drinking something he would've choked on it. As he didn't, however, he looked to Taavi sharply, a perplexed frown set on his face. "Dude, he's twenty-nine? And how old are you again?" Not anywhere near that age, certainly. No, no, if Taavi liked the guy and if the age gap didn't bother either of them, then why should it bother him? The blond tried to push the uncomfortable feeling away - it wasn't any of his business, anyway, he reminded himself - but before he could move past the subject entirely, his brain finished processing the rest of what Taavi said. "Rich twenty-year-old whoever," he repeated, his frown still present as he tried to recall what his friend had told him before about his boyfriend. Something about not being allowed visitors.. "Wait, so he lives with someone else - is that why he's not allowed to have visitors?"

Oh, Taavi had tried to apologize. "Don't worry about it," Abel waved a hand as if to wave away the concern, "it sounds like it's something that's bugging you, anyway, so you can talk about it if it'll help." Plus, much as he wanted to stay out of his friend's business, he couldn't help but be curious and vaguely suspicious of Taavi's boyfriend. Did he have a roommate? Were he and his roommate forbidden from having visitors, or did the roommate forbid them, or what was going on? It sounded like some kind of confused situation to him.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Uh." Taavi rubbed the back of his neck and looked down; yeah, he knew it was kind of weird. It didn't matter though, the age thing, it was just a... a thing that was, neither of them cared so why did it matter? It didn't, that was why. "I'm twenty," he supplied with a shrug after a small pause, "I thought he was younger when we first -" uh "- met, and by the time I found out it didn't seem like a big deal anyway. Um, yeah, the twenty year old- not me, the other one, is the landlord he lives with. I don't know anything else about the guy, just that's he's sweet and- oh! Yeah, he's teaching Sasha to cook. Heh, I guess that's one life skill I have down better than him? I mean I'm not competing with him! Uh, it just feels kind of nice to know I can get something right you know?" It did feel good to talk he had to admit; he didn't know a lot of people all that well on this island and so having a friend as good as Abel was all the more important. He just wished he could do something to repay him for, well, for all of this - the letting him stay and the listening and all of it.