[Fin] Weekend Getaway

[BlackFireKitsune]

"But that's exactly what I was going for!" He teased right back, but just the same he leaned back and pulled Zev with him into a fond hug. "Me too, New Year's was good." So good. And they had another date for next New Year's, which he was looking forward to. Quite a lot, actually, now that he thought about it.

A few thoughtful moments later he sighed contentedly and pressed a kiss to Zev's forehead again. "There's no one I'd rather be dating, or sitting in a hot spring with, or on a weekend trip with, or any number of things really." It still hit him sometimes that this was his life now, that he was actually, truly, sincerely happy. After two long, miserable years of blackmail and living at the end of a leash that could kill or severely injure him on a whim, it still baffled him sometimes that he could be this happy again. ...or maybe not 'again' because had he ever been this happy before? It was hard to judge, but he did know that he was happier than he'd ever felt in years. That was more than enough.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Cad," Zevran replied with a sly sounding chuckle, but he took no sly action and instead snuggled happily into the hug Abel offered. "What was your longest relationship then? Was it with Molly?" He guessed Abel had had girlfriend or- no, only girlfriends - he felt a bit smug about that - before her but perhaps none so serious?

"I just want to know more about you," it occurred to him to add a moment later.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel hummed a long, thoughtful hum before he shook his head and said definitively, "No, I don't think 'cad' fully encompasses how terrible I am. Close though." And then he smiled brightly and gave the shorter blond an affectionate squeeze. "Longest was definitely with Molly; two years and a few months. I had a few more before her but the longest of those only lasted, mmh, maybe nine months or so? I was twenty when Molly and I started dating, so it's been a few years," he admitted with a brief chuckle.

Ah, that explained it. While he usually never hesitated to answer any questions his friends may have had, it occurred to him again that he usually never shared unless asked to do so. Had Zevran picked up on that? Was that why he was asking so many questions now? Either way it made him happy that Zevran wanted to know more about him, so he wouldn't hesitate to oblige him. "I'm glad. Ask me anything else you'd like to; there's only a handful of things I won't talk about, but I'm sure you know along what lines those things are already anyway."  

[TawnyAngel]

It really had been a while, they had been apart now for longer than they had been together and he had to admit that this was a little reassuring. He did still believe Abel's assertion that he no longer loved Molly but... well, it was just reassuring, he didn't have to analyse why.

Zevran squeezed Abel's shoulder and smiled warmly at him. "Of course, and thank you. Humm. What else do I wish to know? Ah! I know, tell me about your first girlfriend." Zevran started to grin again, stories like that were often entertaining or so he gathered!  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ohh boy," he replied promptly, thought about it for a moment or two, then laughed as he tilted his head back against the smooth rock as he sunk a little further into the water. "I was... sixteen? Yep, sixteen, and her name was Tiffany. We only dated for I think a little less than a month? Neither of us had a clue what we were doing and it wasn't anything serious - it never is at that age - but she thought it was, so it only took a few weeks to careen downhill. So that was fun!" He finished cheerily, even though it had not been fun at all.  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran cackled at Abel's description but after his brief laugh he looked wry and sympathetic, if still rather amused too. "I do not envy you that! It sounds like quite the disaster...." Zevran's expression turned thoughtful, and then he smirked again as he admitted; "I am trying to imagine you as a teenager. Did you have an embarrassing haircut?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ha! It was, and I don't think I did," he said with an amused grin and brief shake of his head, "though once in a while they did cut it a bit too short for my liking. Either way my mom has plenty of pictures of all of us - me included - and I'm sure she'll happily show you more of them than you could ever want if you ask."  

[TawnyAngel]

"Ah, I am disappointed," Zevran grinned, "disappointed in your lack of terrible teenage haircuts, but most interested by the prospect of baby pictures! Should I email your mother, or wait until we visit?... We are still doing that yes?" Abel hadn't indicated that they weren't but... well he just wanted to check, that was all.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Well did you have any terrible teenage haircuts?" He countered with another grin, but a moment later he gave the shorter blond a firm, affectionate squeeze. "Of course we are! Mom would never forgive me if I didn't bring you for a visit. She's already been bothering me to bring you to visit as soon as possible," he added with a brief chuckle. Pretty much as soon as she found out that Zev had asked him out, even.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Good," Zevran smiled warmly and leant up to kiss Abel on the cheek, "I am looking forward to it." It would be wonderful to meet Joanna in person instead of just exchanging emails, and of course he wanted to meet the rest of Abel's family too and to see where he had grown up.

"As for terrible haircuts I suppose you could said I did!" Zevran replied, and as he spoke he freed his hand from Abel's shoulder to gesture part way down his chest. "I grew it out to this length over a few years, but I had a bit of an incident with a lit chandelier when I was - oh - eighteen? Yes, eighteen. It was mostly unsalvageable, and so it cut it all back to around an inch long. I have considered growing it that long again, what do you think?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Me too," Abel said happily, feeling warm and fuzzy and content and relaxed for more reasons than just the hot springs they were lounging in as he leaned his head on Zevran's and squeezed him fondly again. "And I know my mom is looking forward to it, possibly even more than I am."

And then he drew back a moment or two later, mostly so he could study his boyfriend and try to imagine him with hair that long as well as that short. ...it didn't work. "I can't even picture you with short hair," he admitted with a chuckle and brief shake of his head, "but I'm sure you'll look even more fabulous with hair that long again. ...were you upset when you had to cut it that short? Also I'm very curious about how you lost a fight with a chandelier."  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran smirked up at Abel and nodded agreement. "It did not suit me at all, I was merely very attractive instead of devastatingly handsome. I was a little upset yes, but not terribly so having escaped without major injuries. As for the chandelier, I lost to that foe in the midst of defeating another! My friends and I had been charged with an unusual assignment, to steal a certain jewel for..." Zevran looked puzzled, shrugged, and waved a hand dismissively; "Because we were told to. My part was to cause a diversion and so I crashed the party being held in the merchant prince's ballroom in spectacular fashion! I insulted him terribly which led to him challenging me to a duel, which led to me swinging off the grand chandelier to kick him in the face. In retrospect I should perhaps have tied my hair back but that look really would not have gone with my outfit."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ah, what a crime that must've been," he said with a weary sigh as if a work of art had been ruined, even if only temporarily. "You and your stories though, I don't think I'll ever get tired of them," also it helped to say such a thing just in case anyone else was within earshot; he didn't think anyone was, but just in case, "and I don't know what you were wearing but I trust your judgement, so it sounds like losing part of it was inevitable. I think it'd look awesome grown out that long again... but then again, you look awesome all the time anyway, so I don't know how good my obviously biased opinion is," the taller blond finished with a cheeky grin. Zevran did seem to love his biased opinion though, as well as all the compliments he paid him.  

[TawnyAngel]

"I have many good stories, I doubt we will run out for many years yet!..."

Years yet.

Zevran's smile did not disappear but a rather confused look did spread over his features.

"Can you tell if you will be with somebody for a short time, or for a long time?" he asked, and here again he sounded a little uncertain of himself but pressed close to Abel he still felt fairly safe.

Humm, and maybe he really would grow his hair longer again.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Many years yet.

He'd said many years yet.

The words sent a cold thrill down his spine. Did Zev want to be with him that long? Did he want to be with Zev that long? Could he sustain a relationship that long with what he was, what he did? ...should he really be hoping that they could, and that Zevran would want to be with him that long?

"Ahh... Well you can't really tell the future, but I think you can get a pretty good idea based on how well you get along with the other person or how into each other you are," he explained, then paused to press a thoughtful kiss to Zev's forehead. "If you're more into their looks than their mind then it generally doesn't last very long."