[FIN] Home Sweet Home

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Nope! I wouldn't dream of it," he replied readily, a bright smile crossing his face. No, he loved Zevran just the way he was. And then he added with feeling, "Agreed!" There was something to be said for the fact he felt as though he saw Dith more in the hospital than outside of it. That was probably... a problem. "We will, and you take care too, yeah?" Along with those words he offered a brief parting wave.

Once Dith had left them, Abel bent down to press a soft kiss to his love's hair. "Alright, let's get you home, yeah? The car isn't too far," he said as he began walking again and pushing the wheelchair down the hallway once more, "then once you're inside I'll need to bring the wheelchair back... somewhere around here, then we can go home and relax for a while. As long as you want, really."  

[TawnyAngel]

Now that Dima had left, now it was just the two of them there were fewer distractions. He really hated being pushed around in this thing. He had never had any control of the big things in his life and many little things had been provided so he had never needed to think of them but he had always chosen which damn street to walk down and how he would walk. The choice of his actions was not his but the manner of the execution - ha! - definitely was.

Zevran gritted his teeth but even as his frustration bubbled up he replied; "I just want to spend time alone with you." He knew his voice had snapped suddenly from friendly to tense but he couldn't help that. He could explain. "I hate this. I hate it. Being controlled to this level, trapped-!" He was feeling anxious, the feeling tried to spiral away and whisk him with it but he rejected that weakness. He could not stop himself feeling it but he could decide how he reacted, he could also decide how he reacted to being in this chair. His hands tensed on the arm rests. "******** it," he hissed, "just get me out of this thing, soon."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Hearing the frustration in Zevran's voice tugged at his heartstrings. For someone as fiercely independent and active as he, being restricted to a wheelchair of all things on top of requiring help to go very far must be absolutely maddening. "I know sweetheart, I know. It's just a couple more minutes though, yeah? Think about where you want to crash -- couch? Armchair? Or we can skip those and just go straight for bed, if you like, though there's no movies to be had there." Maybe if he could distract him just a bit, at least until they got to the car... There was only so much he could do to distract him though. His pace quickened as much as was proper - it wasn't like he could run pushing a wheelchair through hospital corridors - but it would be a couple minutes before he reached the car.

Thankfully no one scolded him for walking too quickly nor barred their path, and as the remainder of the doors were automatic as Dith said, it didn't take more than the couple of minutes he'd estimated for them to reach the parking lot. "Here we are," Abel announced rather needlessly as they headed towards his vehicle which, as he'd said, was parked right near the very front of the parking lot. Once he pushed the wheelchair up alongside the passenger side, he halted to dig his keys out of his pocket to unlock the doors. "Aaand here you go love," he said as he offered his arm to Zev with a flourish, "I can help you in if you need or want, or not. Up to you." It really was his decision, and hopefully having control of that would give him at least some small measure of comfort. He wouldn't blame him if it didn't though.  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran made a small noise of agreement to Abel's soothing but he couldn't summon the cheerfulness to do anything else. ********. ******** this. How could Taliesen have done this to him? And how could he have killed his oldest friend, the only one he'd had for so many years?

And then they were outside, there was sunlight and a breeze and they broke the chain of his spiralling thoughts. He remained quiet as they approached Abel's familiar car, drinking in the freshness that contrasted so sharply to the sharp antiseptic smell of the hospital.

"Thanks." Zevran smiled and accepted Abel's arm as he offered it out, he could have managed by himself but it was easier and less painful this way. "I can manage to sit down I think, if the seat is all the way back?" Once this was done he sat down cautiously and swung his legs in, managing not to grimace as his injuries made themselves very much known once again. "Would you leave the door open while you go?" he asked, looking up at Abel once he was settled. "I have been shut in for far too long." The air was a bit cool even with the hoody Abel had brought for him but not so cold as to be uncomfortable, and definitely not cold enough to put him off the fresh air.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The smile Abel offered his boyfriend was soft and gentle, and his heart couldn't help but ache a bit at how weak and dependent on help he'd become after his injuries. Seriously though, <********>. Why did this have to happen? But soon enough Zev was settled in the car, and Abel stopped before he could even reach for the door, let alone think of shutting it. It was hard to forget Zevran's long hospitalization, but he hadn't really stopped to think about how much he would miss being outside. "Oh yeah, absolutely," he agreed without hesitation, nodding his head as he reached a hand over to touch Zev's stubbly jaw, and leaned in to press a soft kiss to his forehead. "I'll be back in just a minute, yeah? Try not to have too much fun without me."

With this parting given the taller blond smiled again, his hand slipped away and he stepped back to grab the wheelchair. It took him but a minute or so to push the chair back inside to relinquish to someone on staff, then turn around and jog right back to the car. "Alright," he said once he got close enough, "let's get you home, yeah? We can leave the windows down if you want."  

[TawnyAngel]

The tender kiss and the gentle brush of fingers over his face brought a small smile to Zevran's lips. "No promises," he replied as Abel withdrew. They were going home, they were alive, the air was fresh, and they were leaving the wheelchair behind. None of that changed what had happened but it was still good, these were sensations to savour.

When Abel returned Zevran reluctantly fastened his seatbelt, he thought about trying to arrange it so that it didn't rest over the bullet wounds but doing so would draw attention to the fact that they bothered him and so he did not. "Yes, let's go; I am more than ready to see the back of this place," Zevran agreed; his gaze flicked to the building for a moment but soon returned to Abel's face, caught on his ear, flicked back to his eyes again. "And yes, leave the windows."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

As Zevran seemed more than a little eager to go home - not that he didn't feel the same - Abel wasted no time in climbing back in the car and fastening his own seat belt. "Me too," he agreed with feeling as he turned the car on and rolled the windows down. It was a little too chilly still to have them all down the whole time - especially once they started driving - but that would be okay. Fresh air was good for him. Once assured that Zevran's door was closed, the taller blond backed out of the parking space and guided his car through the lot. "You can move the seatbelt if it bothers you, or you could even lay the seat back and rest if you want."  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran made a small 'eh' noise - the vocal equivalent of a shrug - as he gazed out of the window at the moving world. "It's no trouble, and it won't be for too long." It wasn't comfortable but it could be a lot worse; he was alive, what more could he ask than that? Perhaps it was only right that he hurt, some kind of penitence.

After a moment of silence he continued; "Couch. When we get back I mean; I think curling in the chair might not be comfortable and I am sick of being in a bed. "And perhaps we could have coffee? I have missed it, the way you make it I mean." He had been allowed to have a cup over the last few days but it wasn't the same.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel simply nodded his head in response. "Alright." The drive really would take but a few minutes, so he'd probably be fine... The blond resolved to drive extra carefully just in case.

...oh? Oh, that made more sense. "I'd be more than happy to make you a cup of coffee and then cuddle with you on the couch sweetheart," he said with a soft smile curving his lips. One hand dropped away from the steering wheel to rest palm-up between the two of them, his fingers flexing a bit in silent invitation. "We'll need to watch at least one movie, though my vote's for two." Not that the movies themselves mattered even remotely; no, it was simply more time he could spend holding his precious boyfriend now that he could finally come home.  

[TawnyAngel]

He looked down at the hand, open and inviting. How often now had they driven this way? How many times would they in days to come? He hadn't asked Abel about any of what had happened but he could only assume that all of the Crows were dead. Nobody else to come for him, and Abel free of Alyssa. They could live a long time. Would they live it together or would this all end in pain?

After several long moments Zevran reached over and laced his fingers through Abel's. He had always lived in the moment hadn't he? Why worry about the future now? Enjoy this, don't fear losing it.

"Sweetheart." Zevran smiled a little. "I remember the first time you said I was sweet. Adorable. It's still hard to believe, that you mean it. I do believe it but it feels... tingly. As for movies, we can watch as many as you wish. I don't think that I will be much good for conversation this afternoon."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Much as he wanted to look over at his love, to study his expression, trace the familiar curves of the face he'd already memorized... he couldn't take his eyes off the road, unfortunately, so he had to settle with enjoying the feeling of Zevran's hand in his once he finally took it. His fingers curled around Zev's and gave his hand a fond squeeze. "I remember too. I'd never seen you blush before - I didn't think you were even capable of it - and I'm glad. I know you didn't believe it for the longest time. But don't worry about being talkative love, you just relax, yeah?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"Ha." Zevran squeezed Abel's hand and turned to look at his face instead of the view out of the window. "I am capable of many things... many more than I thought it seems, thanks to you. I never imagined this." There was more to say around this but it was all tied up with people and places too painful to discuss. "I do not deserve your affection." Of that he was certain; Abel deserved so much more but he could not bear to let him go, to allow anyone else to have him. He wanted to be happy. He wanted to be loved. He was selfish, small, and he had done things that could not be forgiven with a smile on his face but he still wanted to be happy.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel aimed a happy smile at the road ahead of them as warm, fuzzy feelings bubbled away in his heart. "I'm glad." He gave Zevran's hand another squeeze before lifting it to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to it. "And I think you deserve every bit of it."  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran squeezed Abel's hand, shifted in his seat to lean back a little more, closed his eyes. "You would say as much, mi amor. Thank you." He didn't know why Abel believed in him so but people fervently believed in unlikely things all the time starting with benevolent gods and working down from there.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"'Course I would!" He chirped brightly. How could he not? If anyone deserved any amount of love and affection, he was more than certain it was Zevran.

It didn't take long for them to arrive and park the car, though getting upstairs took a bit more effort. While Abel couldn't carry him, he could offer Zev his arm at least, while his bag of things hung from the other. Thankfully the elevator brought them all the way up, and after that it took but a moment to dig his keys back out and unlock the door to let them in. Immediately a myriad of excited pokemon came to greet them but the taller blond waved them off so they could actually go inside the apartment. "Alright, here we are," he announced rather needlessly as he kicked the door shut with a foot. "Want me to help you over onto the couch, and then I can make you your coffee?"