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It had been a few months since returning from Oakhurst to the manor Abolish and Pyro had fallen into an easy routine, orbiting each other with the easy constancy of the planets. Both were still recovering from the ordeal–Abolish was yet to return to missions, not that Pyro minded the continued proximity. Even now he worried that as soon as Abolish left he would be asked to leave, though he’d been repeatedly assured he wouldn’t be.
It didn’t help that the pain that had settled in their limbs during the curing process had never truly abated. Sure they had days where it was hardly noticeable, but most of the time now he relied on a cane to get anywhere without a great effort and pain, not to mention the stiffness that often afflicted his hands. Regardless of these changes, Pyro found purpose in assisting with what paperwork he could, helping take inventory of various supplies and filing away less classified files for the organization.
Perhaps the worst part of returning however was the increased number of people around. Pyro had always been a solitary creature, not by choice at first, but he had grown used to the lifestyle. Now someone always seemed to be hovering around him, asking after his health or dusting a shelf or dragging Abolish away from their increasingly rare times of solitude for one duty or another. Selfishly he missed seeing Abolish all the time, even if he knew that the man had important tasks to complete.
They weren’t even sleeping on the same floor of the manor, Pyro occupying what had been a guest room on the second floor while Abolish slept in his old room on the third. They’d learned the hard way that either of them consistently spending time in the other’s space only contributed to the vicious gossip perpetuated by the less accepting inhabitants of the manor.
It was practically impossible to walk down the hall without encountering a stray servant or service member even in the dead of night, making it nigh impossible for them to see each other even when no duty compelled either of them elsewhere.
Luckily the balconies weren’t nearly as populated.
Pyro was leaning on their balcony, warm spring air ruffling their hair as they looked out across the manor grounds. Clusters of wildflowers were growing, spots of riotous color that shone ghostlike in the moonlight.
Enjoying the peaceful scene he breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of the petals and closing his eyes for a moment. He loved quiet nights like this, relishing the quiet peace that they brought to an otherwise hectic life.
A soft thud of shoes meeting stone behind him alerted him to someone joining him on the balcony. He opened his eyes as the person came to lean on the railing next to him, admiring the way his dark hair shone almost silver in the moonlight. Combined with the thin white shirt he wore which hardly hid the muscle beneath and the light flush to his cheeks, Pyro could hardly think of the words to describe just how beautiful he looked.
Ethereal, he decided. That was how Pyro would describe Abolish.
“Good evening,” they spoke softly, well aware of the fact that other people could be outside enjoying the warm night as well, “how was the climb over?”
“Much easier now that it’s not been raining,” Abolish smiled, resting his head on his hand where he leaned against the railing and looking at Pyro with a soft expression that sent butterflied through his stomach, “the view is worth it though.”
Pyro laughed, feeling a flush creep up his cheeks. He'd have never expected Abolish to be as soft as he was when he’d first met him but now that Abolish had separated himself from the persona he’d worn in Oakhurst he only found himself growing more enamoured. Reaching over he took Abolish’s hand bringing it to his lips in a traditionally polite gesture, though it made the man’s cheeks flush even more pink, “How fortunate am I that you’d wish to enjoy the view with me then?”
“Very,” Abolish teased, drawing his hand back and stepping away from the balustrade, “I’m pretty tired tonight. Are you ready for bed?”
“Yeah,” Pyro agreed, grabbing their cane from where it was leaned against the railing next to them and heading for the ornate glass doors that led on to their balcony. Quietly the two went inside, the only sound being that of Pyro’s cane tapping against the stone tiles as they walked into the dark room.
A single lantern glowed warmly on the bedside table, casting deep shadows across the room. Setting his cane aside, Pyro climbed under the plush covers immediately, thoroughly worn out after a day spent working on his thesis in the manor’s library. He’d decided to continue his research regardless of whether it would earn him a degree, taking pleasure in the familiar process of gleaning knowledge.
Quickly Abolish joined them, waiting for them to extinguish the lamp before pulling them against his side, one arm curled protectively around the scholar while another began to play with their hair.
Pyro leaned into the warm embrace, nuzzling into dark hair and bringing his own arms around Abolish. He smelled warm, like dust and wood with hints of something sweeter–apples maybe? Sighing happily Pyro closed his eyes, relaxing fully into the familiar embrace.
He fell asleep to the feeling of nimble fingers carding through his hair, running down his arms and across his chest, smoothing wrinkles and brushing hair from his face. The familiar restless actions served to remind him that they weren’t alone anymore. Hopefully they never would be again.
–
When Pyro woke up, it took them a moment to realize that anything was amiss. The room was still dark, even the most industrious birds yet to begin their morning song. Unlike earlier however, the space directly next to Pyro was cold. That itself wasn’t surprising, considering Abolish left early most mornings for one reason or another. Was was surprising was the almost inaudible sobbing coming from the lump of blankets next to them,
“Abolish?” They asked softly, sitting up and reaching carefully for what they could now make out as the man, curled up with his back to Pyro and face half-hidden hidden by the blankets he was clutching. The only response they received was another choked out sob, Abolish hiding his face further as if he were ashamed to be caught crying.
It was the first time Pyro had seen him cry since leaving Oakhurst.
“Hey, are you okay,” he whispered awkwardly, resting a hand on the trembling shoulder. Abolish shook his head almost imperceptibly, curling away from the touch. Pyro sat there for a moment, contemplating how to best comfort him. They’d never been especially good at comforting others but they couldn’t just leave Abolish to cry either.
After a second he laid back down, burrowing under the blankets until he could drape an arm over the sobbing man’s waist, resting his forehead near the nape of his neck where two small scars were still visible,
“I’m here,” they whispered. The man only sobbed harder, and for a moment they thought they’d somehow managed to make the situation worse. But as they began to retract their arm Abolish grabbed it, bringing it to his lips and kissing it shakily before cradling it to his chest. Pyro could feel the man’s heartbeat fluttering behind his ribs, faster than it should’ve been.
“I’m sorry,” Abolish choked between sobs, squeezing his hand so tightly it was beginning to ache. He didn’t pull away, preferring dealing with the stiffness it would surely have tomorrow than to rob Abolish of whatever small comfort he could provide,
“Don’t apologize,” Pyro chastised softly, “do you want to talk about it?” There was silence for a moment, broken only by Abolish’s still ragged but slowly calming breathing as he considered the offer.
Finally he rolled over, though his eyes didn’t meet Pyro’s as if he were ashamed at being caught crying. While he waited for him to collect his thoughts, Pyro smoothed a few damp strands of hair away from his face, brushing away the teardrops on his cheeks as he did so.
“I just–” Abolish started, tears falling from his eyes again. Pyro was quick to wipe them away, brushing their cold fingers over his flushed cheeks. Abolish turned his face back into the pillows slightly, “sorry. Sorry. It was just a dream, it’s nothing.”
“Will you tell me what it was about?” They encouraged, gently guiding his face back out of the pillows so they could hear him better.
“I just…I dreamt that you’d died,” Abolish said the words delicately, as if speaking them too loudly could cause them to shatter the peace of their reality.
Immediately Pyro’s heart filled with even more sympathy for the man. There’d been so many nights when Abolish had comforted them, holding them when they woke up from a nightmare or bringing them food when they’d had particularly bad bouts of pain, acting as an anchor during all of their lowest moments. And now he was apologizing for needing the same treatment for once. Ridiculous.
Realizing he hadn’t said anything in response, Pyro finally spoke, “I’m sorry. It’s okay though, see? I’m right here, we’re safe now, okay?” He promised, for once believing it to be true. Nobody in the manor would hurt them, all loyal members of the organization or the manor staff who personally cared for Abolish.
“I know but you–you know how dreams are,” Abolish sighed, leaning forward until his forehead was pressed against Pyro’s. From where their chests pressed together he could feel that the man’s heartbeat was finally beginning to slow, calming from the nightmare.
“I do,” Pyro was quick to agree, “it doesn’t hurt to remind you though.” He leaned forward, wiping the final tears from his cheeks with feather light kisses.
Abolish laughed softly, a light if hesitant noise that cut through the somber atmosphere of the room, “You’re so weird,” he grumbled, catching their lips when they tried to pull away. Grinning into the kiss, Pyro cupped Abolish’s face,
“You love it though,” they mumbled against his lips, deepening the kiss before Abolish could respond. They could still taste the salt of tears on his lips, but it disappeared after a few more moments much to their satisfaction. Before they could go much further however Abolish was pulling away, studying Pyro’s face with soft yet critical eyes,
“I do,” he whispered, tracing a raised patch of scarring left over from the holy water that had been hurled at him in Oakhurst with light fingers, “you’re so beautiful. How couldn’t I love you?”
Pyro’s stomach flipped, those three syllables shifting some fundamental part of his universe. Abolish loved him. Loved someone who’d only thought of themself as a monster until recently and had only ever been seen as such. Who had fallen in love with the tearstained face looking at him with stars in his eyes, more beautiful than anything else he’d ever seen,
“I love you too. You’re just…” he blurted before he could stop himself, blushing furiously as he tried to think of some eloquent way to describe how he saw Abolish when he was so many things. He was beautiful, even with puffy red eyes and messy hair. He was strong and smart and everything he’d ever wanted to be but more, “you’re my everything.”
The slight tenseness in Abolish’s brow ceased and he broke into a smile as well, though his was much softer, more reserved, “I’ll be your everything,” he agreed, pulling Pyro into another soft kiss.
They fell back asleep with hands intertwined, faces close enough to feel each other breathing. A steady reminder that they would be there for each other, no matter the circumstances. Two planets orbiting each other for the rest of time.