A walk home to remember (closed)

[Abaddon Talbot]

Abaddon leaned against the outside wall of the AU comic book shop where Roo worked. Even though it had been several days since the event that landed her in the infermary Abaddon was gaining small pleasures in walking her to her classes and walking her home on the late nights when she worked until close.

He zipped his hoodie up all the way to keep the brisk fall to winter air at bay. He knew that most of the shops patrons had left for the night so it wouldn't be long now before Roo and Norton would start closing up shop. He sighed and looked up at the blank night sky, the stars shimmering like glitter against plush velvet. Being around Roo so much had changed how he was seeing things. Normally he would feel so small and pointless looking up at the stars but tonight. . .they filled him with hope.

[Jung Roojin]

Roo gasped to feel the chill of the night air as she opened the door with Norton chirruping his good nights behind her. She turned to lock up shop, and pulled her sleeves down over her hands, then flinched and laughed when she saw Abaddon.

"Ah! Aha, Abs, you seem to have a talent for melting into the shadows." She stepped forward and hugged his arm. "You're warm, too."

[Abaddon Talbot]

He smirked, not hiding the mischeviousness from his look. "I like to think it's a tallent, hiding in plain sight." He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and nuzzled her hair. "So how was work, my Rookins?"

He moved to hold her hand as they began their walk back to the castle. "Anyone come by to give you trouble? Do I need to rough someone up?" He chuckled light heartedly.

[Jung Roojin]

Roo hummed as she was hugged and readily laced her fingers with his.

"Eh, the only really troublesome person that came in was Kemekin. But he could always stand to be roughed up a bit." She smirked and looked up at him as they walked. "Is it getting annoying, having to escort me around so much?"

[Abaddon Talbot]

Abaddon made a wave with his hand. "Ah, if it's just Kemekin then I'll definately rough him up by singing to him about our undying love." He laughed but felt a slight warmth come to his cheeks.

"No, it's not annoying at all. . .I've actually really been enjoying it." He smiled and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "You know, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about, Roo.. . " But how to start?

He cleared his throat. "You know. . .someone told me that I was one of the first friends that you made since coming here and that from what they saw. . .I've helped you quite a bit and well. . . You have really helped me too. Like, I see things differently- Not a bad different! But a new. . . maybe better way." He paused for a moment and looked at her. "Does that make any kind of sense or am I just all jumbled up?"

[Jung Roojin]

Roo smiled and hooked her elbow around his. She rested her cheek on his bicep and nodded. "Mm? It makes sense." She chuckled. "I'm glad t' hear it, even though I can't imagine how I'd be a good influence on anyone."

[Abaddon Talbot]

He smiled. "Well you don't have to imagine because you've done it. Like, I used to look up at the sky and see only things that made me seem less. Like my existance didn't matter. But now. . ." He scratched the back of his head and smiled softly. "I don't know. It makes me happy, because it makes me think of you. You mean a lot to me, Roo. A lot more than I've realized."

[Jung Roojin]

Roo felt color rising in her neck and ears and hugged Abaddon's arm tightly as he spoke. She bit her lip and looked up at him through her hair. "Y-- D'you..." She gave a nervous little chuckle and nuzzled his arm.

"You mean a lot to me too, Abaddon," she mumbled. She felt that now-familiar swelling in her chest, and knew that she was likely to trip over her own feet if she wasn't paying attention. "You're the biggest reason I'm so happy here. You make it feel like home, y'know?"

[Abaddon Talbot]

He nuzzled her hair and slowed their pace. He wanted this walk to last as long as it could. "R-really?" He couldn't keep a big goofy smile off his face. "And may I ask how I manage to do that?"

He could begin to feel the odd twisting in his stomach but he fought it back. He hadn't been messing with her dreams or anyone's dreams as of late. . .maybe he still felt bad about her not knowing about him. But he was sure that would change soon enough.

[Jung Roojin]

Roo beamed. "I dunno, oppa. It just-- you make me want to be here. And it's a safe place, and a happy place. The people here act more like family than I ever had back... back before."

She sighed and stopped to look up at the stars. There was Ursa Major again.

"I feel loved here."

[Abaddon Talbot]

He smiled down at her. "I'm glad that I can make you feel that way because you are loved and..." He could feel a lump rising in his throat but he had to go through with what he had planned to say. "I-uh, I do!" He blinked a bit realizing that he might not have been clear. "Love you that is. I-" he slowly exhaled gathering himself. "What I'm trying to say is that I think, well more than think I feel.... I just!" He grumbled feeling his face get warm and flush bright red.

He stopped walking for a moment and ran a hand through his hair mumbling to himself, "Feelings are weird." He cleared his throat and looked down at her. "Can I try all that over again?"

[Jung Roojin]

Roo's head slowly lowered so that she could stare at him. She blinked, eyes widening, cheek growing more and more pink with each passing second.

"A-- th-- yeah, you can try again." She giggled and bit her fingertips, eyes squinting to slits with how wide her smile grew. She felt like her pulse was simultaneously going a mile a minute and nonexistent. Part of her thought that she might be imagining things-- this flustered Abaddon was not what she was used to. And it was devastatingly cute.

[Abaddon Talbot]

"Okay." Abaddon stood for a second, trying to collect all of the thoughts and feeling that were buzzing around inside of him, making him think that he would burst at the seams.

He looked at her and ended up resting his forehead against hers, making his voice a bit louder than a whisper. "I think I've told you before that I'm not very good at understanding or expressing all of my feelings, since a lot of them are new to me. I know that I feel very strongly towards you and it's the closest thing to this elusive word 'love' that I have experienced myself. So, I guess that's the thing that I most want you to know." He wrapped his arms around her waist and crooned softly. "I enjoy every second that I get to be with you. Even when we are just existing together doing absolutely nothing. You play back with my jokes and you haven't tried to change me, yet you have. Those things and more make you the most important person to me."

He hesitated for a moment before tipping his head slightly to press his lips softly against hers. He straightened after a moment and smirked, regaining his regular mischievousness. "And I have decided that you are going to be mine, okay?"

[Jung Roojin]

As Abaddon spoke, Roo felt like she weighed less and less until she might have been floating on air. She curled her fingers into the back of Abaddon's jacket and unconsciously leaned into the kiss, knowing that her heart was probably beating loud enough for the whole world to hear. She bit her lip when he pulled back, and tried to tamp down the big goofy grin that curled across her features.

"I'll agree if I can have one more kiss," she rasped, her voice colored with laughter.

[Abaddon Talbot]

Abaddon blinked, a bit surprised at her responce. He tipped his head and looked up and to the right, pretending to ponder her request. "You do strike a hard bargan, but I will accept."

He chuckled and leaned down, tipping his head so their lips met. He lingered and gently cupped her cheek with one of his hands while his other was placed carefully on the middle of her lower back. He rubbed his nose against hers playfully when the kiss ended and held her hand. "I have to admit. That went a bit better than I had originally planned."

[Taibhse Steiner-Finlay]

Taibhse smiled as he walked, head bowed so that the collar of his jacket protected his ears from the evening chill.  He figured it would be fun to walk Roo home from work tonight, since he hadn't been able to see her much over the past few days.  And Mollie had been right- it was best to talk with her about what his vision had done.  How he felt.

He heard voices ahead, and slowed his pace.  He recognized the figures just a moment before one pulled the other close and--

Taibhse's heart skipped a beat.  Clearly, Roo had closed the comic shop early.  And clearly, Abaddon had her attention.

Taibshe's brow furrowed and he started backing up, feeling something wrench in his chest.  Roo's voice echoed after him, sounding like she was the happiest girl in the world.  He saw Abaddon tip his head to kiss her again, and Taibhse immediately turned on his heel and strode back towards school, shoulders hunched once more, though the night felt much colder than it had moments ago.

[Jung Roojin]

Roo chirruped brightly and stood on tiptoe to meet Abaddon halfway. She bit her lip again and laced her fingers with his before starting to walk with him again.

"How had you originally planned it? Because that was almost painfully charming."

She blinked as she noticed a retreating figure up ahead. "Mm? Who is that?"

[Abaddon Talbot]

"Well, I hadn't planned on babling like an idiot," he said with a chuckle. "I was much more swave and mysterious in my mind." He shrugged. "But things that I plan out in my held seldom work out so I have just slowly learned to stop."

He looked over to were Roo was looking and tipped his head. The tall figure looked familiar. "No horns so it can't be Keme. Is it. . .That friend of yours, from the class room that day. Oh, what did you say his name was? Taib. . .Taibhse! That's it." He looked down at her with a smile. "Should we try to catch up with him? It's not right to be walking all by yourself at night."

[Jung Roojin]

"Suave and mysterious." Roo chuckled. "If you say so. It ended up very cute."

Roo swung their arms a bit and tilted her head, squinting after the figure. Now that he said it...

"Taibhse~," she called, lengthening her stride to walk faster. "Taibhse, whatcha doin' out so late? Let's walk back together, yeah?"

[Taibhse Steiner-Finlay]

Taibhse flinched when they called for him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, brow furrowed at the stinging at the corners of his eyes. He picked up his pace, hoping his long legs would carry him fast enough. He didn't want to be near the happy couple. Didn't want to ruin their moment. Or whatever it was.

He sniffed and ignored Roo as she called after him again. With a huff, he lengthened his stride and hoped against hope that they would give up and continue on their romantic moonlit stroll.

[Abaddon Talbot]

Abs' brow furrowed as the figure walked away, determined to not be stopped. "Eh? Maybe I was wrong. He definitely would have stopped if it was him, right?"

He slowed his pace back to something more comfortable for a walk. "Buuuuut~, back to what we were talking about before. . . I am not cute. I am trying to become more manly. Kazuo said that if I actually show up in the gym more often that he would help me do the weight lifting thing."

[Jung Roojin]

Roo grumbled as the figure retreated. "Mm. Maybe it wasn't him..."

She smirked up at him. "I beg t' differ. You are super cute. Your nose scrunches when y' smile and you do this goofy lil' chuckle and ruffle the back of your hair when you're embarrassed. I dunno if you're doing it on purpose, but it's adorable." She pressed her forehead to his shoulder and hummed happily. "You'll have fun with Kuma-kun. He's a good teacher."

Her smirk came back. "Does that mean you're gonna be able to take my affection-punches better?"

[Abaddon Talbot]

He grumbled and pouted a bit playfully. "I don't do that when I'm nervous. . .I just. . ." he nudged her playfully with his arm. "Stahp pointing out all the things I do but I don't know that I do them until you tell me." He laughed. "You nibble on your fingertips when you're excited or embarrassed and it's adorable. Plus your freckles permanently multiply your cuteness by like a thousand."

He playfully stuck his tongue out at her and nodded. "Yeah, that was the plan. Since you are going to be my girlfriend and you told me that I will have to endure the love punches. That means that I must take it upon myself to become more. . .well buff I guess?" He shrugged and chuckled, waving their hands a bit as they walked.

"Hey, kinda random, but how has trying to talk to the 'monster under the bed' been goin?"

[Jung Roojin]

Roo, who had in fact been in the process of bringing her fingers to her lips to nibble on them, immediately dropped her hand and nudged him with her hip. His use of the word girlfriend made her smile all over again.

"Y'don't have to be buff." She laughed and let him swing their arms. She gained a little bounce in her step. "You give very comfortable hugs already. Maybe it's just cos you're tall, but it's like wrapping up in a big warm blanket and I love it."

She was quiet for a long moment. "I... haven't been remembering most of m' dreams lately, actually. It's like something is keeping all the bad stuff from sticking."

[Abaddon Talbot]

He chuckled and playfully flexed, "Why thank you. I know it's always been so hard for you to resist me. It must be my jaw." He tipped his head just so and laughed.

When she began to talk about her dreams he turned his full attention to her. He had not been able to spend as much time in her dreams as he had in the past. So, he had been trying things here and there to try to keep the really bad nightmares away. Whatever he we doing seemed to be working. He smiled and pulled her closer. "I'm glad. Maybe that's a good thing, right? Have you talked to Bolin about it at all?"

Abs had no idea how he was going to tell Roo about him being the 'monster under the bed' but he was content to let her find out these things on her own for now. No reason to ruin a perfectly good night stroll.

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