[FIN] Broken Bonds

[TawnyAngel]

"Gone?" Taavi's eyes widened. "Like... gone gone?" Dead? Because of her employer?

"Extremely gone," Zevran agreed, making an expressive motion with two fingers raised, the others curled into his hand. "Oh and her real name was Patty, I hope that amuses you as much as it does me." It did not lend itself to intimidation as well as the sultry Alyssa~  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Permanently gone," he affirmed, not bothering to gesture or explain further. Zev had that covered quite well. "That's what happens when you work somewhere shady and you try to steal money from them, so," he shrugged as well as one could while lying down, which wasn't too well.  

[TawnyAngel]

"...Wow." Taavi sat up properly again and tucked a braid of hair behind his ear. Alyssa was gone, really gone. "And... and nobody else knows about...? You know. Things?" He was having trouble believing this was real, found himself half expecting to wake up at his desk any minute. A dull ache from his still healing arm told him that he was probably awake but mainly that he shouldn't have hugged so hard.

"Indeed not," Zevran said through a half-stifled yawn as he propped himself up on one elbow and scratched his chest. "She never had any real information on you, though I imagine had you called her bluff she would have found something unpleasant to do anyway."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"He's right, no one else knows," he said with a small shake of his head, though he pursed his lips and furrowed his brows at the point Zevran made. "Oh, I'm sure she would've. We already know she didn't have a problem with coercion when blackmail didn't work." Like when she convinced him to divulge Taavi's secrets by threatening to kill Isaac if he didn't, or the most recent choice she gave him... that he'd somehow managed to pick an unlisted fourth option for. It still didn't feel completely real, but it was.  

[TawnyAngel]

Taavi stared from one blond to the other and tried to think of something to say. "Wow. I... Wow." No more worrying about what he'd do if something broke or wore out, or fearing he'd somehow slip up and she'd decide to tell everyone anyway, and they could afford to buy food again. He could move off Abel's couch, have his own place again. Taavi swallowed hard and rubbed his face. "It just... it doesn't seem real. I never thought we'd be free of her, ever."

Zevran smiled and leant against Abel's shoulder. "You will have plenty of time to get used to the idea, both of you."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

As Taavi struggled to process the news, Abel couldn't help but sympathize. That was pretty much his reaction that morning, but thankfully he'd had some time - thanks to watching the sunrise - to sit and process everything, to work through it mentally and feel some semblance of closure that way. Not that it still didn't feel like some sort of dream sometimes that he was afraid he'd wake up from.

Rather than feel warm and fuzzy inside at Taavi's reaction - because he was almost assuredly happy, or would be once he finishing processing - the cold hand of guilt crept up and gripped Abel's heart. His arm slipped out from underneath Zev as he pushed himself to a sitting position and wrapped his arms around Taavi instead. "I know," he murmured softly. Hesitating a moment or two, he hugged him a little tighter and added, "I'm sorry you had to suffer through that for so long." He shouldn't have had to suffer through it at all; that was all his fault too, of course. Poor Taavi had never deserved even a day of that, let alone months upon months...  

[TawnyAngel]

Taavi leant gratefully into the hug, trying to take this in was overwhelming especially with how tired he was after the events of the last couple of days. "Me too, and that you did - for longer - but it's... it's over." Taavi wrapped his good arm around Abel and squeezed tightly. They were free, and safe, and free! Taavi started to grin. "Well now we've got something to be thankful for, hu?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Ah, Taavi... He couldn't help but wonder if he was capable of hating or being angry at someone for doing something awful to him. Part of him was still a little surprised that Taavi didn't hate him for dragging him down into this horrible, miserable pit with him. At this point he probably never would, and it didn't even matter anymore, anyway. They were out.

They were free.

"It's over," the blond affirmed, his voice growing more positive as a smile spread across his face. "I think we do, yeah. So, now that you're free, what're you gonna do?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"Uhh..." Taavi sat upright again, his grin now looking rather puzzled as he fiddled with his hair as he tried to think. What was he going to do? "Well I could really use some new hiking boots?... And that was a super boring thing to say," Taavi said, laughing briefly with the realisation. "I... really don't know. Wow! Um. Well I can stop living on your couch! Once I can save up for a deposit somewhere... Aw. I'll missing living with you though, but not living on your couch! You know what I mean." It would be pretty weird at first but maybe he could get somewhere close by? "What about you Abel?"

Seen as the conversation seemed content to go on without him for now Zevran gave Abel's shoulder a squeeze and slipped out of bed with his back to Taavi, and so as not to embarrass the easily embarrassed man he located and put on his pants more quickly than he would usually bother with.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

As Taavi sat upright again, Abel leaned back on the palms of his hands to watch him think -- though not without stealing a few glances at the shorter blond. An amused smile lit up his face. "Nah, that's not really boring. It's something more or less necessary that you couldn't really afford before. Like food, or new clothes, or.. stuff like that," he said, waving a hand in a vague gesture before putting it back down to lean on it.

The thought was a strange one; for so long he'd stayed more or less alone - not counting his pokemon, of course - but he'd stayed away from relationships, didn't really have people over often... And then suddenly Taavi had been with him for months. "Yeah," he said slowly, "yeah, I'll miss having you here too - though I don't doubt you won't miss the couch," the blond said with a wry chuckle. It would... yes, he would miss having him. It would be lonely after he left again...

His gaze drifted back to Zev for a brief moment. Maybe it wouldn't be too lonely... Which was another concern for another time.

"Me?" He said, focusing back on Taavi; it was his turn to be puzzled and uncertain, and he gave the question due consideration. With a soft hum, he leaned forward to drape one arm over his leg while he lifted a hand to the back of his neck, furrowing his brows as he frowned thoughtfully at the sheets on his bed. "What about me.. Well, besides food and decent coffee? I.. don't know, actually," he admitted, expression leaning away from pensive and toward uncertainty. "It's been so long since I've actually had money to just.. buy whatever I wanted, I'm not really sure, I..."

A thought struck him suddenly and he drew in a sharp breath. "Ah, no, I know," he said as a variety of emotions - regret, sadness, relief, furtive happiness, suppressed excitement - crossed his face and his voice. "I want to go home. For Christmas, I mean. I haven't seen my family since this whole mess started, so it's been about two years... I'm sure Chris will give me the time off, though I don't know how long..." His brows furrowed again as he considered. Normally he only went for a few days or a week, but this time... "Maybe two weeks or something?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Oh, um, well, so he did have tattoos on his butt. Whelp! Taavi looked away quickly for one so that he didn't get embarrassed if he was caught looking, and for another because it was rude to stare so he shouldn't anyway. "Um, yep, that's true," he agreed with a grin to Abel as Zevran slipped out of the room and he steered his brain back onto the conversation. "It'll be nice to stretch out properly and all, but yeah that sounds awesome!" Taavi nodded enthusiastically. "You should definitely do that, that's way too long to not see them. Two weeks sounds perfect, you hardly ever have time off so like you say I'm sure Chris'll be fine with it." For somebody that actually spoke to and got on well with their family.... Maybe he should call his Mom, it had been five years since he'd left and he did miss her even if they hadn't always got on well or communicated well.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Absolutely not, he was definitely not tracing any of Zevran's tattoos with his eyes, why would anyone think otherwise.

The thought of going home for Christmas again suddenly filled him with a surge of warmth, of happiness; the smile he turned to Taavi practically glowed with it. "I think I will. It'll be so nice to see them all again.." He'd missed them so much, and his heart ached when he couldn't visit them last Christmas... Hopefully he could make up for it this year.

An idea occurred to him and he peered over at Taavi curiously. "Hey, d'you wanna come too?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"Really? Oh, wow, that'd be great!" Taavi replied as a beaming smile spread across his face. "I mean, if it wouldn't be weird or awkward? I'd love to see where you grew up, and meet your family too, and all of the pokemon!" Valour would love a trip like that too... Oh. Taavi smile faded. "And um... I could make presents for all of them, things in wood," he added, but he didn't manage to sound half as enthusiastic as he had a moment ago.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Nah, it wouldn't be. I'm sure my parents would be thrilled to have you come too," the blond said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. The person who brought Isaac home to him? Yeah, his mom would be thrilled to bits.

Taavi's less enthusiastic addition gave him pause, and Abel's smile faded to a curious, worried frown. "What's wrong..?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Taavi sighed and shrugged helplessly. "Sorry," he began, starting to fiddle with his hair again. "I didn't mean to kill the mood and I really am excited to come with you and I'm really happy you asked me I just.... I just miss Valour. He'd be so happy right now with her gone and he'd love to come on a trip like that, he loves new places and... and I just miss him." He still didn't know what had happened and it was seeming more and more likely that he never would. "Christmas won't be the same without him, you know?"