[FIN] We Have to Stop Meeting Like This

[BlackFireKitsune]

As much as Zevran struggled with sincerity, Abel always enjoyed seeing it manifest in his words, his actions, his demeanor; it did so now, and his smile warmed again. His friend seemed ready to move on right away though, so Abel dutifully considered the question he posed. Did he want anything...? After a few moments - much longer moments than he would've needed were he in his normal state - he said, "Not really." A few moments later, his lips twitched back into a more sheepish smile and he added, "Just some company."  

[TawnyAngel]

Still grinning Zevran rose from his chair but only in order to perch on the edge of Abel's bed. "Ah, well that is no trouble at all." As he spoke he reached across to squeeze the battered blond's shoulder gently and then lent down to kiss the side of his mouth.

A then, a few moments later, Taavi walked back in. "Bwuah?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Unexpectedly Zevran filled his entire field of vision, but the blond didn't really need to think all that much. Instead he reacted almost instinctively; he turned his head a bit to brush his lips against Zevran's. A moment later he leaned his head back and smirked. "I didn't mean that sort of company, but that's nice too."

Oh, and Taavi was back. Taking the brief opportunity to breathe as well as he could with only one functional lung, Abel turned his head further to look at his friend-slash-roommate. "Thanks for calling Chris. What'd he say?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"Both is good," Zevran agreed with a chuckle. It was a shame really that there wasn't space for him to join Abel properly on the bed, he could quite happily just lie down beside him and go to sleep.

When Taavi made his rather surprise return to the room Zevran shot him a grin and a wink. "The chair is free!" he pointed out cheerfully.

What? Just... what? Since when was...? "Uh," Taavi blinked, "he said uh... he said... I thought you were straight? Oh, no, that's not what he said he said 'he's in hospital again?!' and for you to go see him when you're better. Um..." Of everything he'd expected to happen in the last twenty four hours relating to Abel none of it was any of this that was happening. Stabbing? Kissing men? Well, man, just one of them, at least that he knew of! How had this not ever come up?  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Yes, both was good - not that he had time to really reply, because Taavi was back and he was talking, and...

Abel's mouth wobbled, contorted into a broad grin, and the beginnings of a chuckle bubbled up in his throat. He only managed a breathy 'hah' before he flinched and inhaled sharply, a grimace replacing the grin as his fingers gripped the sheets beneath his empty hand. "Ow," he said, pausing for a moment before adding, "dude, don't make me laugh like that." As hilarious as that was, as much as he wanted to laugh... Seriously, ow.  

[TawnyAngel]

When Abel started to laugh and then grimaced with pain Zevran winced slightly in sympathy and started to rub gentle circles on the taller blond's neck with his fingertips. He nearly said 'Spaghetti is straight until things get hot and steamy', but he didn't want to make Abel laugh painfully again and so he resisted the jest. "Your face is a picture, Taavi," he said instead with a wicked grin.

"Sorry! I didn't- that wasn't supposed to be funny, sorry!" Taavi hurried across the room and then found himself hovering a bit awkwardly beside the now empty chair. Was he interrupting something or-? He had really thought Abel was straight! And since when was this a thing? Had they actually screwed or-? It wasn't actually any of his business and he knew Abel was private, he just thought that over the course of the last ten months of living together something might have been mentioned!  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"It's fine," Abel said quickly, his voice much more strained than it was before. For a few moments he focused just on his breathing, willing the sudden burning in his chest to go away. When it finally dulled to a hot ache again, the blond exhaled slowly and turned his head to look at Taavi. "That's the funny thing - or one of them, anyway," he said, then took a moment or two to breathe - and to smirk - before he continued, "I thought I was too." Another moment later he clarified, almost as an afterthought rather than an opportunity to breathe, "Straight, I mean."  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran, still grinning and rubbing Abel's neck, shrugged expressively. "What can I say? I am a very persuasive man." It was more than a bit flattering to be an exception, especially to somebody he liked as well as he liked Abel.

Oh? Oh, well, okay that made more sense. Taavi laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, yeah, I guess you are aren't you!" He'd persuaded Sasha to sleep with him within an hour of meeting and now Abel that maybe he wasn't one hundred percent straight. Well, good so far as he was concerned; not that Abel wasn't straight but that he was apparently having some fun with somebody nice.

"I'll definitely knock before I come into your room in future," Taavi added after a moment, grinning sheepishly as he sank down into the chair; he always knocked anyway of course but this was an extra reason.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel suppressed the urge to chuckle at both of his friends, felt rather disappointed he couldn't give them a sage nod, but he did offer in his wisest, most serious voice, "He is very persuasive." Then he smiled a moment later; warm, appreciative, glad, and quite tired. What little energy he'd had when he woke up had all but faded away completely, especially after trying to laugh; he resisted the urge to yawn because that would probably hurt a lot too, if not more.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Exceedingly," Zevran chuckled, his fingers sliding up Abel's neck to run along his jaw. "Do you think I could persuade you to sleep now? You look in need of the rest, though never the beauty sleep."

"Yeah, you do! Err, the rest I mean. I've got no comment on beauty sleep," Taavi laughed, recovering enough from his surprise to join in with this. "One of us will be here when you wake up -" he glanced at Zev, who nodded; "- promise! And we'll let the others at home know you're safe, and get them all fed, and stuff like that." And then get some sleep themselves maybe. Was it possible to sleep in this plastic chair? Possibly, certainly doze anyway.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Ah, that felt nice.. The blond leaned into the touch just a tad and aimed a sleepy smirk up at Zevran. "Shameless flatterer."

The knowledge that they'd both keep him company and that the rest of his pokemon wouldn't be kept wondering - or hungry - gave him some measure of solace, but he frowned just the same. "I don't want to sleep."  

[TawnyAngel]

"Shameless in many things," Zevran agreed with a smirk, clever fingers on the move again up around the curve of Abel's ear and into his hair. "Rest, it will do you good," Zevran repeated, his tones firm but soft. He then smirked a little more and added; "Or are you fishing for a goodnight kiss, humm?"

Taavi smiled wryly and shook his head. "He's right... errr, about the rest. I'm going with no comment on the other bits again. And sooner you sleep and kill time the sooner you're out of here right? I mean, not literally but from you point of view though if you sleep and rest well probably you can leave sooner... and I'm going to stop babbling now. Ehe."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

His eyelids fluttered as Zevran's fingers deftly rounded his ear, and as they ascended up into his hair they slid shut and he made a quiet noise in the back of his throat. "No, I just don't want to sleep," he answered honestly in a soft, sleepy murmur. It made sense; the more he slept, the faster the time would pass, but he just.. didn't want to.  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran made a thoughtful noise as he continued to stroke Abel's hair. "Well alright, I will talk then and you can listen and that will still be resting." What could he talk about that was not horribly dull but that was not so gripping that it would keep the obviously exhausted Abel awake? The aim was of course for Abel to go to sleep regardless of what he had said to his friend.

"Food," Zevran decided aloud after a moment, "I will tell you about some of the things I might cook for the two of you when we have that dinner party. Did you tell Taavi about that?"

"Err, I don't think so but that sounds good!" Taavi replied, his brows raising slightly with interest and mild surprise.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Truthfully the blond was close to drifting off already - especially now that Zevran's fingers were brushing through his hair - though he struggled to stay awake still. "Mmn." Realizing he'd probably need to respond a little more clearly rather than make unintelligible noises, he murmured, "That sounds good." Had he told Taavi? Taavi said no, which saved him from having to try and think about it. "I guess I didn't, sorry," he added in the same tired voice, though sleep already crept into his tones. Whether he wanted to or not, he'd fall asleep soon enough.