[FIN] Give and Take

[BlackFireKitsune]

On one hand he'd been glad when Taavi left - he hated when the poor guy was subjected to Alyssa, and hated how he'd been dragged down into the dirt with him - but on the other hand he'd felt his stomach turn because it meant he'd be alone with her again, and he never really knew what she'd do in those instances. This time it came in the form of a manila envelope with her all-too-familiar, cheery handwriting on it - "For Abel's eyes only! :) :)" it said - that contained a set of brief, handwritten instructions for what she expected of him with the favor he owed her, as well as information about and pictures of his target. The minute she left he locked it in the trunk hidden away in his bedroom closet before he went to shower and change into more comfortable clothes, then promptly flopped onto his couch with a sigh.

He didn't so much sit there as he did slouch there, his head resting against the back of the couch while his eyes traced slow patterns in the ceiling. His ribs were mostly healed at this point, a fact Alyssa was well aware of - thus her poignant reminder of the favor he owed her. How was he going to get out of it...? He was running out of time to do so, and he still didn't have a clue...

A quiet, drawn-out groan escaped him as he lifted his hands to press them into his eyes, a grimace working its way into his expression. Sonia frowned a bit, ears back, and tried to puzzle out if there were anything she could do for him. Taavi would be back eventually, she knew, and while Abel tried his best to not look quite so miserable in front of his friend, it didn't really change the fact that he was. Thinking back on things Abel normally did when in better moods, the dark-type took it upon herself to carefully pull the guitar from the wall to bring to him, and set it gently on his lap. While the blond's hands left his face and settled on the instrument's smooth surface, he didn't move to play it. Instead he simply offered the ceiling a brief, sad smile. "Thanks girl," he said as he closed his eyes; Sonia whined softly and nudged one hand with her nose, so he obliged and started to stroke her ears, "but I don't think I can really play right now."  

[TawnyAngel]

s**t and amazingness had pressed really tightly into today, perhaps that was why his head was still pounding even after a painkiller.

The main thing was that Swift was healed and they were all home now, just outside the door to Abel's apartment. Taavi grinned down at Isaac, held safely in his arms, and knocked on the door with his foot. "Hey Abel, I'm back!" he called, sounding far more cheerful than he had in months. "Could you let me in please? Uh, if you're in? Because my hands are a bit full!" If Abel wasn't home he'd just put Isaac down and open up with his key buuuuut if Abel was home then he really wanted him to open up the door and see his brother right before his eyes.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The closer they came to the door, the more Isaac squirmed around in Taavi's arms. Inside, Sonia lifted her head from Abel's hand and padded over to open the door for Taavi - he sounded almost excited about something, and the dark-type had to wonder if something had happened - and she took a moment to fiddle with the lock and the doorknob before she managed to open it.

The moment she did, the psychic-type squirmed away and leapt out of Taavi's arms.

The dark-type responded with wide eyes and perked ears, astonished at his presence - but he didn't stop to greet her beyond that and instead darted right past her and into the apartment's interior.

At the Espeon's gleeful cry Abel sucked in a sharp breath and bolted upright on the couch, staring towards the door as he felt his heart stop. Was it - no, was he hearing things? He didn't want to get his hopes up, didn't want to even dare to hope--

But Isaac darted around the corner from the kitchen and crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, before Abel could even think to stand up and make sure he was just hearing things. He did think of his guitar in his lap though - the guitar his parents had bought for his birthday when he was young, the guitar he'd cherished and cared for and played all these years, the guitar he couldn't think of replacing for any other - the guitar that was now in the way, and he shoved it onto the floor without a second thought --

-- just in time for Isaac to jump into his empty lap with an exuberant "espeon!"

"Isaac!" The moment the psychic-type was in his lap Abel wrapped his arms around him and hugged him to his chest, burying his face in the Espeon's fine fur and holding him as if he never wanted to let him go again.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Oh wow! Looks like there's somebody to see you!" Taavi grinned as he shoved the door closed behind him and lent against it, blinking happy tears out of his eyes as he watched the reunion. He was still scared, and he had to tell Abel that everything wasn't completely fine but right now?

Taavi's throat closed up with emotion, he cleared it and wiped his eyes on his sleeve; he nearly said something silly and funny but on second thought he stayed quiet, hung his coat up, took off his shoes and headed into the living area with a dumb grin on his face. He sniffed and wiped his eyes again; this was the best ever.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Sonia barely registered the fact that Taavi was there as she turned and ran back to the living room to throw her arms around both Abel and Isaac, an uncharacteristic excited grin on her face. Caleb and Vanessa bounded over to join in the dogpile, with the Growlithe hopping up onto Abel's other side while the Lopunny sidled behind the couch to throw her arms over him like Sonia did. Elizabeth joined in next, hastening over to throw herself over his lap and completely missing the 'hug' aspect altogether, though she did give a happy "chaaarr!" at least. Tabitha, for her part, trotted over before she sat down on the floor nearby to watch. New as she was, she hadn't met Isaac before, but she'd at least seen pictures of him and hard about him a great deal. After a moment, she turned to smile up at Taavi and gave him a pleased, happy bleat.

Abel didn't even hear his friend speaking, so wrapped up was he in Isaac's sudden return. He could barely breathe and his mind had blanked completely for the moment, too stunned to do much more than sit hugging him - his friend, his brother - while his other pokemon joined in.

Eventually, though, one by one his pokemon withdrew. Abel pulled in a shuddering breath and while he shifted his posture, his face remained buried in the Espeon's fur. Isaac worked his head up into the blond's shoulder and pressed himself as close to him as he could; neither wanted to let go.

Sonia was the last to pull away, and once she did she trotted over to wrap her arms around Taavi in a similarly uncharacteristic tight hug, making pleased, happy noises all the while.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Ha!" Taavi beamed and hugged Sonia tightly in return, this was new! He liked it a lot. "I can't believe this!" he managed after a few moments, ready to release the Zororark if she wanted to go. "I mean, it didn't really seem real until we got here right?" But here they were, Isaac and Abel pressed close together like they never meant to part again. They could stop Alyssa taking him right? She had a lot of power over them but she had to know they'd fight for this, now she couldn't threaten Isaac's safety anymore. Right?  

[BlackFireKitsune]

With the hug complete, Sonia withdrew again and went to go hug Abel and Isaac once more. Isaac made a happy noise, his forked tail whipping back and forth in his excitement. Abel shifted and finally lifted his head to plant a kiss on the Espeon's forehead, and then with one arm firmly around the psychic-type, he looped his other arm around Sonia to hug her, too. For the first time in months his face broke into a grin, wide and ecstatic.

After a few more moments he turned an expression with so many emotions - relief, joy, disbelief, to name a few - to Taavi and managed to ask despite the continued blank in his mind, "How did you...?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Heeeee!

Taavi grinned and shrugged. "Luck! Luck or divine providence," he admitted. "Do you remember I told you about that girl I ran into, literally? Well I saw her again and she had Isaac with her, she'd been looking after him, and then we had lunch and she left and," ah, s**t, "then, err, there was a bit of an issue with a Houndoom so Alyssa probably knows Isaac is back here but here we are! She's not taking Isaac back again." No chance, right? Right?  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel nodded a bit - yes, he remembered - then frowned a bit. Only a bit, given the fact he was holding Isaac again. He did still prioritize his thoughts and gave Taavi a once-over, once his brain effectively rebooted. "You're alright though, yeah?" Taavi, at least, looked unhurt. "Everyone else okay?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"Ah, yeah, we're all fine" Taavi said, shrugging and rubbing the back of his neck. "Swift got a bit beat up but we came here by a pokecentre so he's all good now.... Oh! I should let them out!" Shaking his head at himself Taavi reached for the pokeballs at his belt and release Swift, Scully and ********!>> Melody announced with a happy jingle.

Scully sighed and shook her head. <>

<> Swift chirped, bounding over to Isaac as though he'd never been so much as scratched. <> he exclaimed. <> For a little while there he had thought the Houndoom was going to carry him away to some terrible fate, yet here he was safe. He was safe. The Vulpix shivered a little and glanced around; if he knew he was safe why didn't he feel it?  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Char!" Said Elizabeth in response to Melody; Sonia sighed as well as she sat on the floor in front of the couch.

"Aw man, really?" Abel replied, turning to look at the Vulpix as he emerged from his ball. The blond patted the space next to him on the couch with a quiet "c'mere," and even though Taavi assured him that they were fine, he still felt inclined to ask the fire-type, "You all right bud?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Swift chirped and hopped up on the couch next to Abel in order to rub his face fondly against the human's hand. <> he assured Abel with a soft blink of his large green eyes. This blink was soon followed by a yawn and the fire type attempted to curl himself up on the little bit of couch he had jumped to. <> he added sleepily.

"Heh, looks like he could use a bit of a sleep," Taavi observed with a fond smile as Swift tried to make himself comfortable half falling off the couch. "But, yeah," he grinned and crossed the room to lean against the kitchen worktop. "I was just wandering along and then there they were, and after a bit of a misunderstanding we were having lunch together! Um, her name was Sera, she was looking after Isaac for a few weeks seems like?" Did Abel know how bad he'd been? If not then Taavi did not intend to be the person who told him.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel obliged the fire-type and ran his hand over his head a couple times before rubbing his ears. He didn't understand a word the Vulpix said, but he could more or less guess at what he'd meant. "Yeah? That's good, then - I think you've earned a nap," he noted aloud, moving his hand from Swift's head to gently pull him over to his leg - and away from the edge of the couch, lest he fell off - and began to gently rub his thumb over the Vulpix's side. "Thanks for helping bring Isaac home."

Isaac said somberly, moving to curl up on Abel's lap with his ears back. He looked okay, but still...

Abel hummed softly, thoughtfully, and a puzzled frown drew his brows together somewhat. "A few weeks? Are you sure?" He had no reason to think Taavi was lying, and this chick - Sera - may have been lying to him, although what would she have to gain by doing so? "Alyssa's been reminding me that she's had him - she even said so today, actually - and never said a word that she didn't," the blond explained, puzzled frown still in place.  

[TawnyAngel]

<> Swift said sleepily as he lent slightly into the strokes Abel offered; while the machine in the centre had healed him he was left feeling exhausted. <> he paused to yawn, <> If he had been bigger and stronger he could have fought back better; he knew he could evolve with a fire stone but he also knew there was no way Taavi could afford one. Was there another way to get hold of one? He wished he knew.

"Ah, that's what she said," Taavi replied, shrugging and rubbing the back of his neck. "She seemed pretty genuine you know? And Isaac seemed comfortable with her and her pokemon.... I think maybe Alyssa was lying to you, she lost him and was trying to get him back before you found out. That's what the Houndoom was trying to do." It made sense, to him it did at least.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Since Swift seemed content to stay there, Abel kept gently rubbing his side in slow, rhythmic movements in the hopes it would offer him some comfort.

Despite his assurances, Isaac remained unconvinced. He hesitated but said, he noted, feeling himself tire now that all the excitement of the day had worn off, though he wasn't nodding off just yet. He was far too happy to finally be home with Abel and the rest of their small family, although a feeling of guilt had started to gnaw at him. If it weren't for him, Alyssa's Houndoom wouldn't have hurt Swift.

Huh... "It sounds like it," Abel noted as he looked down at Isaac curled up in his lap, "so yeah, Alyssa was probably lying. I wouldn't put it past her to do just that, actually," he added, faint annoyance creeping into his expression. "She is a lying b***h, after all. But, you guys had lunch, did you?" He asked, moving away from the unsavory topic in favor of more lighthearted ones, and he turned an amused half-grin at Isaac, "Sounds like she spoiled you, huh?"

Isaac made a face at him, and the blond laughed and ran his hand over the Espeon.