[FIN] New Years Date

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran's smile turned a touch shy as Abel kissed his palm, he felt ridiculous for feeling so over a kiss but the kind of kiss was... It was just nice, different, and it was the way Abel looked at him afterwards for a moment before he turned his gaze to the plate.

Luckily there was quickly something to chuckle over, and he did so before tapping his lips with the first two fingers of one hand. "Bouche is French for mouth and these are amuse-bouches, things that please the mouth." As he spoke Zevran took a seat beside Abel and reached out to select one of the dainty things from the plate; importantly there were two of each different kind.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh, really? I didn't know that," the blond admitted thoughtfully as he surveyed the various foods again... And he couldn't help but notice his friend had taken care to get two of each kind. The thought brought a faint smile to his face. As he reached for one of them as well - coincidentally the same kind Zev picked - he couldn't help but ask, "So d'yu speak French too, then? I think you mentioned you speak a couple languages besides English and Spanish but I don't remember if you said which ones."  

[TawnyAngel]

The thing, whatever it had been, had been rather pleasant. Zevran swallowed and nodded. "Oh yes I have a decent command of French and a smattering of Italian too, enough to get by but not really to make any conversation. That part of my education at least was most useful, I would not speak more than snatches of English without it." Zevran sounded thoughtful as he said this and looked it too as he took a sip of his champagne. When he lowered his glass again however he was smiling at Abel, and he shrugged. "Without it I would not be here so... Well, I suppose I can have no regrets." He did, but he wouldn't change things if they would change this outcome and wasn't that the same in the end? Sort of.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel's eyebrows rose a bit in mild surprise. "Really? You'll have to speak some of each for me sometime, I'd love to hear it." Not just because he enjoyed listening to his friend's voice of course. "I think I'm most used to you speaking Spanish, though. Maybe you could teach me some sometime?" He asked, aiming a curious, somewhat hopeful glance at the shorter blond as he stuck the small bit of food into his mouth.

...oh, that was good. He made a soft appreciative noise before swallowing, but his expression was similarly thoughtful as he watched his friend think. "I suppose that's fair," he ceded after a moment or two. While he wasn't even remotely okay with Zevran's childhood - or lack thereof - it at least had brought him this far. That wasn't something he could ever regret or wish had happened differently. "I.. feel that way about things too sometimes," the blond admitted with a soft, pensive frown. "About myself, I mean. It would've been nice if some things hadn't happened, or happened differently, but if something had been different, then I might not be here right now." After a brief, hesitant pause, his free hand slid across the table to curl his fingers around Zevran's, a warm, somewhat shy smile on his face. "I'm glad you're here."  

[TawnyAngel]

Ah.

Zevran squeezed Abel's fingers in return and ran his tongue over his lips as he tried to think of a response while his eyes searched Abel's face for a clue but there was none, the only reply that could be made came from himself. "I ah... I am glad you are here too. That we met. You... you know you mean a lot to me. Ah." He was saying too much, yet he wanted to say more. Shouldn't he be honest? Decent people were, were they not? And Abel deserved to be treated decently, honestly. "You ah... you have been more to me than anyone else I have known, and kinder." He looked down at their hands and laughed nervously. "Have I said that before? I may have. And I... I am just glad we understand one another? We share things."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Oh. That... wasn't at all what he expected. Zevran's moments of sincerity were always unexpected and always incredibly sweet, as was the way he tried to struggle through obviously unfamiliar territory to try and express his feelings. For a moment or two Abel sat there, mild surprise on his face, but it quickly shifted into a pleased sort of bashfulness as he ducked his head down and promptly averted his gaze to a particularly interesting spot on the table. He gave Zevran's fingers another squeeze, running his thumb over his knuckles. "I'm glad we met too, and you mean a lot to me too," he murmured, a little hesitant but still smiling shyly. "You haven't said that before, but.. I'm happy to hear it." And he was. Zevran's words filled his heart with warmth; it overflowed and spread outward, everywhere it could -- like into his expression and his voice.

He hesitated another moment or two before lifting their hands to his face so he could press a soft kiss to the other man's knuckles. "I... I really enjoy sharing things with you."  

[TawnyAngel]

This was not normal. He did not know how to deal with this- this, whatever this feeling was but he liked it and so... maybe if he just let it keep happening and didn't think too much all would be well? He meant a lot to Abel. He'd know he cared but-

Zevran grinned, laughed, and smoothed a hand over his hair while the other was busy being kissed. "I ah, I enjoy sharing with you too! A great deal." Abel looked so happy, was that because of what he'd said? "You know this is the first real date, the first date I have really wanted to go on. You are making it a very good one."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The warmth in his heart, his smile, his eyes all deepened. While a small part of him was curious how many dates Zevran had gone on in the past - especially when it sounded like he'd never particularly wanted to go on any of them - most of him was just... so incredibly pleased that this one, at least, he had wanted to go on. "I hope you're enjoying it so far then," he said honestly before giving Zev's fingers another kiss. "I'm sorry if I'm a little boring with taking breaks and all... And, I'll tell you a secret," he added, then hesitated a few more moments before he went on, shyness creeping into his tones even though it was already evident in his expression, "I think this is the best date I've ever been on." He'd been on plenty and he'd enjoyed most of them, of course, but he'd never really been on them with someone that was... that made him so happy. Even with Molly, she'd made him happy, he was comfortable with her, but it was a different sort of feeling. There'd been plenty he'd kept from her, that he could or would never tell her, not in any of the years he'd known her... and now here was Zevran, a man he'd known for less than a year who knew more than she ever did. Maybe he'd learn more sometime, but then again maybe not. Zevran had his secrets too, just like he did; it worried him a little, but for some baffling reason, more than that it gave him some small amount of comfort, a sense of kinship he'd never had before. It was odd, it was different, and he was happy to have it. He was happy to have him as a friend -- and as a date, even if the latter was only for tonight.

He wanted it to be more than just tonight though.  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran laughed and squeezed Abel's hand, he felt giddy and stupid and most of all incredibly happy. "You know if you keep saying sorry I will have to think of a way to punish you every time you use the word tonight. And I... eheh, I am very pleased to hear that." The best date. Abel looked as though he meant it too, he looked slightly bashful in fact. What was going on with the two of them? They had been affectionate for some time but tonight....

"This is an excellent end to the year." Zevran smiled and turned to watch the dancers, his hand remaining clasped in Abel's. "If somebody had told me this is what I would be doing," how he would be feeling, "tonight this time last year I would most certainly have laughed at them." Laughed, and asked why he would want to do something so silly and sentimental. And here he was, holding Abel's hand.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ohh, really? Is that a promise?" Abel countered with what he intended to be a smirk but it actually turned into a bright, happy grin. He gave Zev's hand another squeeze as his gaze followed his friend's to the dance floor. "It is," he agreed wholeheartedly, "and I would've done the same. I think around this time last year..." He trailed off into thoughtful silence as he wracked his memories for what exactly he'd been doing around New Year's the previous year. "I think Taavi was just moving in around this time last year. Just for a few days," the blond added with a rueful smile. A few days had turned into a few hundred, and while he still felt horrible for everything that had happened to Taavi because of him, he couldn't regret it but so much since it had led to their close friendship.

After a moment or two of pensive silence Abel lifted Zev's hand to his lips again for another kiss; for some reason he felt a strong desire to do so fairly often tonight, and had no inclination to stifle it. "I'd love to dance some more in a few minutes. I've been... really looking forward to dancing with you."  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran grinned back and squeezed Abel's hand. "It is indeed! You will have no trouble holding me to it I assure you." Abel would have no trouble holding him to anything in fact, filthy or otherwise.

After the silence, when Abel kissed his hand, Zevran looked away from the dancers to study his face with a soft smile on his lips. "As have I."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

With a chuckle and the same bright grin, Abel turned back to his friend - his date - and... promptly averted his gaze again, another shy smile crossing his face as his heart fluttered in his chest again. "I'm glad," he managed to say after a few moments, his voice soft.


Eventually the pair returned to the dance floor once their food and drink had been consumed, and commenced another round of dancing. Breaks were required rather more often than Abel would've liked, and they slowly grew progressively longer and more frequent as the night drew on. Even though he felt bad about it, he could only feel but so bad since Zevran insisted it was okay, that he was enjoying himself regardless -- and he seemed sincere. Abel always loved seeing his moments of sincerity.

As the clocks ticked ever closer to midnight the blond's still healing lung demanded another break, and Abel could do little else but acquiesce -- though not without another apology to his date as they found another place to sit and he promptly sank into it with a sigh. "Sorry again," he said, aiming a tired, sheepish smile at his date. Even though Zev had told him not to apologize, he couldn't help but do so regardless. It felt impolite not to.  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran crinkled his nose fondly at Abel and drew a tally mark in the air as he apologised again. "That is another one. If you are not careful you will have more than twenty and then I will definitely have to think of something extra special to do to you, it will be terrible I guarantee it!"

Across the dancefloor was a large clock, as ornate and wonderfully over the top as everything else in the place. The hands were creeping ever closer together, towards the beginning of another year. Servers were starting to move through the room too, delivering glasses of drink to the guests for a midnight toast.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel chuckled again and reached forward to catch Zev's gesturing hand in his own so he could pull it closer to press a soft kiss on it. "Oh, don't tempt me; I might have to apologize more to make sure I surpass twenty, just to make sure!"

When a server passed by offering drinks, Abel gladly took one glass - his other hand was still occupied - with a quiet murmur of thanks before glancing towards the rather excessive clock. Was it that late already? The evening had seemed to fly by without him noticing somehow; perhaps he was just too distracted by his date? Not that that was anything unusual of course.  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran too accepted one of the drinks with a glance and a smile for the server before he turned back to Abel. "Mmmh, maybe I will do so anyway?" he suggested, tightening his fingers a little on Abel's hand as he kissed it for the latest time this evening. He really had done very well on kisses, and dances, talk, laughter.... "I have decided that I definitely like dates with you," Zevran said, now taking his own turn to lift Abel's hand so that he could kiss his knuckles. "Very much so."