[PRP] Responsible Adults Renting Apartments

[TawnyAngel]

For once Zevran was up early, and he stood in the kitchen in a thoughtful mood as he watched the churros float around happily in the pan of oil. How had he come to this? Standing around in a small, safe-feeling kitchen wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt that was a little too big for him? It had been Abel's but he had claimed it to slob around the house in when it got some holes in it because the old material was soft and comfortable, and because it reminded him of Abel.

He turned the churros over.

Today they were collecting keys to their new apartment, their new apartment. He didn't yet have a stable job to always be sure he could pay his share but he was still making some money here and there from cards and such, and he had vague plans to put that money towards bills instead of whims. Whether or not those plans would come to fruition remained to be seen but that he had even thought of it felt strange.

He took the churros out of the oil and set them on the waiting paper to drain.

A stable relationship, a stable home, no imminent risk of death or call to cause it. Keys to an apartment. Cooking breakfast. Soon they would be able to sit out on their little balcony, where there would be pots of herbs to sweeten the air.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Given how much of a morning person Zevran was not, it was odd to see him up so early. No, odd wasn't the right word; it was just different than normal. A lot of things were different recently, not the least of which were the boxes of things they'd packed and pushed out of the way. Not everything was packed yet, of course, given the fact they kind of needed things like clothes or things to cook with, but they'd made good progress on the less necessary things and that was what mattered.

Setting his wandering thoughts aside for the time being, Abel stepped over to grab two mugs from a cabinet and then poured some coffee into each. "D'you want your usual coffee?" He asked as he pulled out the creamer and sugar for his, though he stole a glance back at his boyfriend as he spoke. Zev had seemed rather pensive the whole morning, and he couldn't help but be curious what he was thinking about. Perhaps he'd ask in a couple minutes.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Humm?" Zevran turned with raised brows and a hint of a smile as he actually processed the noises Abel had just made. "Oh yes please, the usual boring coffee," he winked, "and you know the response to that too. For you - cinnamon on the churros today or only sugar? Or perhaps a sprinkle of coco powder?" Whatever Abel wanted he was just having sugar on his, a reassuringly familiar breakfast on a rather strange day. Key, contracts - contracts! He had signed his name on something! The X for his second name had got a rather funny look but all of his documents had backed it up, and the smartly dressed young soul had declined to hear his life story quite vehemently when asked if they wanted and explanation....

Keys, and an apartment waiting. One of the keys would be his.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Hmm, pensive and distracted. Abel smiled and carefully slid Zevran's mug over the counter before he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and pulled him into a hug. "Anything's fine, really. I'll have them however you're having them, if it's easiest. I'm easy," he said with a slight smirk. It softened to a smile after a moment or two though. "You okay sweetheart? You seem a little... preoccupied." He wasn't having second thoughts about the apartment, was he? No, that couldn't be it. Maybe he was just a little anxious or something? He'd never gotten an apartment himself before, after all, so it would make sense if he was.  

[TawnyAngel]

Hugs. Hugs were good, hugs that just meant hugs. "Humm, I do remember that about you," Zevran replied with a chuckle, turning his head so that he could kiss Abel on the cheek. "No virtuous man would make out at a fair and then go back to a hotel room with some disreputable tattooed man. Lucky for me eh?"

Zevran squeezed one of the arms around him and then pulled free to place the churros on a plate and then get the sugar; he spooned some into his hand and then started to sprinkle it over the churros with flare, flipping them when required to get both side. Now though, how to explain what he was feeling this morning to Abel?

"I am well," he said as he dusted his hands off; his brows were pulled together as he turned to Abel but thoughtfully rather than in a frown. "This is all simply," he gestured vaguely, "very strange. I feel as though I am standing in somebody else's life today. How can it be mine?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh, certainly not," Abel chuckled, a wry grin lighting up his face as Zevran kissed his cheek. "But then again I've never been a virtuous man, so lucky for me I found a disreputable, irresistible tattooed man to make out with at a fair." Irresistible and adorable, and sweet, and so many other things he had never expected. He really was lucky in so many ways.

He let his boyfriend pull free, and took the opportunity to pick up his own mug of coffee and take a sip. Mmmh, coffee... He took another sip as Zevran spoke, and his own eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Well that's understandable, I think. I mean you've never gotten your own apartment before, or anything like that, and it is a lot of work." A lot of work and time and research, and touring apartments, and all sorts of things. Zevran had never had cause to worry about any of that before now.

After a moment he offered his love another smile. "It feels a little strange to me too, I haven't actually gotten an apartment with anyone in years." Not since Molly, but he didn't particularly care to bring her up. She wasn't important anyway. "Either way though, it is your life. And I'm glad it is." Zevran would have a good life -- he'd make sure of it.  

[TawnyAngel]

Lucky for Abel, luckier for him.

"I am glad it's over with now," Zevran admitted with a laugh and a shake of his head; Abel could probably guess this from the way he'd flopped down on the couch and refused to move for a few hours after each apartment they'd viewed. "It was quite exciting, but exhausting." So many strange buildings, exits unknown, and the people who'd shown them around had all smiled far too much! Thoroughly disconcerting.

Smiling again Zevran picked up the plate of churros and leaned up to give Abel another kiss, a brief one on the lips this time. "I am glad as well, more than I can say.... I think we chose the best one out of all the ones we saw, with the best person." It hadn't even been the most expensive one they saw, he'd been a bit worried about the cost of all of them but Abel assured him the one they'd settled on was affordable and he trusted him.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel's smile softened even as he chuckled a bit again. "I bet you are, I know how much you didn't enjoy it." It had been painfully obvious, and made him feel bad every single time; it exhausted him too, but Zevran especially always seemed so completely drained afterwards, after every single apartment they went to see or every research session they went through to find places online with features they wanted. Probably the most frustrating part was finding one that looked nice online, only to visit and find out that it was actually nothing like what they'd expected from the pictures or information. How apartment people got away with that he had no idea. "At least it was exciting though, and I'm glad you went through with all of it anyway even though it was exhausting."

Zevran had just picked up the plate so it wasn't exactly a good time for a tight hug... To fix this, Abel carefully took the plate from his love and set it back down on the counter for the moment so he could pull his boyfriend into a warm embrace, and so he could return the kiss. "I think we did too," he murmured softly, staring into those handsome amber eyes he loved looking into so much, then gently leaned his forehead against Zevran's. His smile softened again, filled with love and fondness and perhaps something more. "I'm proud of you, y'know that? I know it was exhausting and barely any of it was enjoyable, it was a lot of work and it was stressful and sometimes disappointing, but you did it anyway every time despite all of that. I'm so proud of you." He'd always felt bad every single time, but doing it together had been nothing short of vital. It wouldn't really feel like their apartment if they didn't pick it out together.

And later they'd finish signing for it together, get the keys - one for each of them - together.

The thought filled him with a bright, fluttering kind of joy; it brightened his smile and prompted him to kiss Zevran's nose. "You're amazing, you know that?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Constantly wondering if somebody around the next corner was going to stab you was indeed stressful and tiring, especially when you'd had to go unarmed yourself. How did these people - a lot of people, all over Kodo - comfortably go about their lives without a weapon beside them? It was done now though and done well; Zevran practically purred as Abel took the plate away from him and pulled him close.

"I think you are being a little effusive mi amor," he laughed as Abel kissed his nose but his smile and the flush that rose to his cheeks betrayed the fact that he was pleased by the compliments all the same. Abel was proud of him. Had anyone other than Abel ever been proud of him?... Well yes they had, but that had been for things like a skilfully stealthy application of poison or a precise thrust of a knife, this felt like a very different sort of praise.

"I am extremely amazing," he agreed a moment later, smirking now but still too flushed to look smooth and cocky. "And so are you, I am glad that we did it together and... ah, and I am grateful for your patience, as I always am." Abel had to put up with a lot from him but he did so gladly, asking nothing in return but company and affection returned. What a strange world to inhabit! What a wonderful one.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Effusive eh? "Oh, am I?" Abel asked, aiming a coy smirk at his boyfriend as he pecked another kiss on his nose and noting but not commenting on the obvious blush in his cheeks. "Well in that case I can stop giving you compliments then, I don't want to give you too many."

Then he hugged him a little closer and smiled, enjoying the feeling of having him there in his arms. Had anyone else fit in them as perfectly as Zevran did? He didn't think so. "You are the most amazing," he said despite teasing about ceasing his compliments not a moment earlier, his coy smirk giving way to a fond, warm smile. "I'm glad we did it together too, and I'll always be patient with you, sweetheart." Not that he'd really had to try too hard of course, but regardless his smile turned apologetic. "I'm sorry it was so exhausting, but it's over now, yeah? I'm glad it is, honestly, apartment hunting's never fun. Neither is moving, now that I think about it, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he chuckled. Oh yes, moving would not be enjoyable.

Especially moving in the middle of summer, when it would be hot outside. No, he didn't expect to have any fun moving.

"Mmh." Abel leaned in to kiss Zevran's forehead and smiled. "We should probably eat breakfast before it gets any colder, and then head out to get our keys." Their keys, to their new apartment! The apartment they picked out together!  

[TawnyAngel]

"Oh, I didn't say I didn't like it," Zevran chuckled, squeezing Abel tighter and snuggling his face into the crook of his neck as he spoke. "You're amazing too." Far more amazing than he was, and in many ways he was pretty amazing!... But Abel thought he was amazing in the ways he didn't himself too. How had he ended up here, with this life? Would it always seem so unreal?... How long was always?

"Breakfast!" Zevran agreed as he kissed Abel's cheek in return and then pulled back to pick up the plate of churros once more. "I can't wait to see it again, I think it will look different knowing that it is ours." A home of his own. Who would have thought it?  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel chuckled and gave Zev another squeeze and one more kiss for good measure before letting him go to grab their breakfast again. "We're both amazing then, I guess," he ceded as he grabbed their mugs of coffee to carry into the other room. "I can't wait either."


An hour or two later, after they'd breakfasted and readied themselves for the day, they'd headed to the apartment building to sign the remaining paperwork that needed signing, paid their deposit, and a few other things before finally receiving their keys. Two keys, to be precise, one for each of them, which was a fact that delighted Abel possibly more than it should've. But it delighted him all the same, because it meant that Zevran was on the lease as an official tenant, and half the apartment was his. It was theirs.

It was... a little bit higher up than his last apartment. But no matter; thankfully this building had a couple elevators for them to choose from, and after the availed themselves of one and headed up to the right floor, Abel halted outside their new apartment and gestured to it with a flourish and a grin. "After you!" He could've unlocked and opened it himself, of course, but he wanted Zevran to unlock it with his own key first.

He really was rather more excited about this than he probably should've been. Oh well!  

[TawnyAngel]

The closer they got to the apartment, to their new apartment, the faster his heart beat. By the time they were in the elevator it was racing as though he'd just sprinted a district in the old city pursued by hounds, and just like he had been on the occasion that came to mind he couldn't stop grinning.

At the door he paused, key in hand, and turned to Abel with his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Are you sure? Ah! No, I have a better idea!" Zevran slid the key into the lock and gestured at Abel with his free hand. "Come, we should turn it together yes? This is our place after all." Their place, a home shared, a home to make their own mark on - within the limits of the rental agreement.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Zevran's excitement was almost palpable and extremely contagious, and Abel found himself beaming brighter because of it. "Ah, that's an excellent idea sweetheart," he said as he wrapped one arm around his boyfriend's waist, the better to hug him close and press a kiss to his brow. "You can still go in first though, the door isn't big enough for both of us to fit through at once." And with that said, he placed his hand over Zevran's so they could open the door together.

The door to their brand new apartment. Both of theirs!  

[TawnyAngel]

Sweetheart.

Their hands turned the key together and opened the door then Zevran turned, leaned up, and pressed a soft kiss to Abel's lips. "Te amo." He held his love's vibrant gaze a little while longer as he committed the moment to memory. Once he was sure that he would remember it for the rest of his life he turned, exhaled, and stepped into the empty apartment.

It was the light that caught his attention first, streaming in from the small south-facing balcony. The clean open kitchen area he'd liked so much was to his right but he didn't look there yet, his gaze was held by glass and clear skies.

"Our apartment," he murmured softly, almost disbelievingly. "It feels like a dream." Their apartment. Safe, warm, beautiful, theirs.