[FIN] Best Kinds of Presents

[TawnyAngel]

She liked to know things.

Taavi squeezed his eyes shut and held Swift close, it wasn't really comfort but it was better than sitting alone.

She liked to know things. Abel wasn't surprised by the letter, not at all. "Abel.... Does she know something about you too? Is that why you're living off coffee and noodles?" But what secret could Abel have? Did he want to know? He wanted all of this to be a dream. "I... you don't have to say what it is, but does she?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel's mouth opened to speak, but he closed it again with a weary sigh; he suddenly felt much older than he was. He dropped the letter on the floor - he didn't feel like holding it anymore - and wrapped his arm around the pillow again. "Yeah," he confirmed quietly, his gaze shifting to a random spot on the floor, "yeah she does." The blond remained quiet a few more moments before he added, "I didn't... I never meant for you to get dragged into this s**t." His fingers fidgeted with the pillow, tightening around it so hard his knuckles turned white. "It's all my fault - I'm sorry."  

[TawnyAngel]

So they were both trapped then. If here this wouldn't have happened, but if he hadn't come here where would he be?

After a few moments of heavy silence Taavi managed to murmur; "It's not your fault, you couldn't have known I had anything to hide. You were trying to help me. You did help me. It's not your fault." It was his own fault for having done it in the first place.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Yes it is," Abel retorted almost immediately, his misery growing. It was his fault, why wasn't Taavi mad at him? "She's a ******** b***h and she always has been, I never should've... It is my fault; I'm sorry."  

[TawnyAngel]

"Never should've what?" Taavi asked, forcing himself to raise his head to look in Abel's direction. "Brought me here? I didn't have anywhere else to go." Because he couldn't stay with Sasha. Would it had been that hard to talk to his landlord? Couldn't he have tried instead of just making with words and 'oh it kinda sucks being homeless lol right?' Maybe Sasha didn't really want him around that much after all. What was he going to tell him?  

[BlackFireKitsune]

He opened his mouth to protest but shut it again; Taavi was right about that, at least. The blond gestured vaguely with a hand, "That's why I didn't want you to stay too long," he said with a small sigh. "I didn't want her to mess with you too, I... I knew she was a b***h, but I didn't think she'd... I didn't want her to sink her claws into you too, but I couldn't..." He trailed off, his hands gesturing vaguely before he dropped them with a sigh and gave up. She was right - he couldn't protect himself, so how could he even hope to protect anyone else?  

[TawnyAngel]

Too late now wasn't it? Her claws were well and truly sunk and he didn't know what the hell was going to happen next, or how long this was going to go on.

Taavi looked away from Abel, down at the Vulpix in his lap. "How long has she been blackmailing you? What's... what's it like? What's she like?" Other than a- a- a- He couldn't even think of a word bad enough to describe what she was. Was there any way to get rid of her? Probably not, it wasn't like there was anyone he could go to to ask for help and he could only guess it was the same for Abel. He still wondered what she had on his friend but he wasn't going to ask.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

How long had she been blackmailing him? "Too long," he sighed wearily. He didn't really feel like putting too much thought into it, it was far too depressing. "Probably about a year? Something like that. It's..." He trailed off again, making a vague gesture with his hand again. How could he even describe it? "Probably about as awful as you'd think it is. And she's an enormous b***h," the blond ended as he gave up gesturing and sighed again. "I ******** hate her. I hate her more than I've ever hated anyone--no, maybe not," he amended his statement with a small frown. "Maybe second. It's close. Anyway," Abel went on, "it's terrible and she's terrible, I... I'm sorry. It's all my fault."  

[TawnyAngel]

Taavi closed his eyes again and shook his head. "It's not your fault she found out Abel, you didn't mean for this to happen." If he'd been out that first time she'd come over this wouldn't have happened probably, probably he'd just be carrying on with his life. Abel would still be trapped though. "Who is she? Normal people don't do this to people, she's got to be into something herself." If they found out what could they...? No, probably not. "There's no way out, is there." Taavi said hollowly; it wasn't a question.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Why did he keep saying it wasn't his fault? It was, it was his fault, he... Did he not realize yet? How could he not? "Yes it is," he argued, lifting his head to look at Taavi before he dropped it back down on the couch again, one hand moving to rub at his face. "I..." When would he realize - would he realize, or would he just go on believing how good of a friend he was? There were some things he was perfectly fine with lying about or not sharing, but that just felt too low; the guilt was crippling. Taavi at least deserved to know the truth, much as he didn't want to admit it. "I... I really didn't mean for this to happen," he affirmed, "and I never breathed a word about anything to her, but she asked about you and I.. I told her," he finally admitted, his voice wavering, "I told her what you told me. I'm so sorry." So, so sorry. But being sorry didn't fix or change anything, did it?

Taavi's other questions went unanswered for the moment.  

[TawnyAngel]

No, no that couldn't be right. Abel wouldn't do that to him, he'd sworn he'd never tell anyone! It couldn't be true, it couldn't!

...It was true, wasn't it?

Taavi sat silent and motionless as the realization opened up a yawning black pit in his heart. How else could she have found out? The possibility hadn't even crossed his mind until now but now.... Abel had told her, he really had.

After what seemed like an eternity Taavi raised his head to look at Abel again, his expression stricken with pain and betrayal. "Why?" He'd trusted Abel, his friend. He'd trusted him.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

More miserable curses trudged through his mind as he shut his eyes tighter; he didn't want to look at Taavi again yet - not yet - he could hear how upset he was without having to see the look on his face. He didn't think he'd be able to handle that. "I didn't.. I wasn't going to," he started in a quavering voice, "I had absolutely no intention of telling her when she asked, but then she... she gave me two choices," the blond explained, feeling even more miserable now that he was dredging up the memories of what she'd said just a scant few hours ago, the nonchalant way she'd said them.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Choices?" Taavi's voice cracked as he spoke.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Choices," he confirmed miserably. "It was either you, or... or Isaac," Abel admitted, his own voice cracking a bit too at the admission, but anger started to bubble up to the surface again. "She's got Isaac. She's had him this whole <******** time," he said, his volume raising a little suddenly as he swung the pillow out in front of him to knock off what few things had lain innocently on the coffee table; Sonia's ears perked a bit, but she was on his other side and thus not anywhere near the pillow's path. The anger dissipated almost as quickly as it had manifested when the sudden movement jarred his ribs, so he dropped the pillow on the floor, set his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands as he held his breath. A lingering feeling of nausea crept back up a bit, but the pain was worse - so much worse - and even if sitting like that hurt, he had to sit like that for a few moments. He had to sit with his face in his hands and will himself to calm down, lest he do something else to incite even more pain.  

[TawnyAngel]

She had Isaac. What would he have done in Abel's position? He couldn't think about that right now, he wanted to - to be a good understanding person - but right now he couldn't, all he could keep in his mind was that Abel, his friend, had pretty much just ruined his life.

"I need to go out," Taavi said abruptly, setting Swift on the floor and wiping his eyes on his sleeve as he stumbled to his feet. Keeping his back to Abel he crossed over to the window and opened it. With one hand on the frame he paused and drew in a shaky breath. "I'll be back... later."

And then without his coat, without a sweater, and even without his shoes Taavi climbed out onto the fire escape and let out a piercing whistle. He stepped up onto the railing and a few moments later a dark shape plunged from above, snatched him up, and was gone.