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[inthebiblicalsense]

[In a very serious, business tone, Abel's answering machine sounds after any attempted calls that aren't responded to right away.]

You've reached Abel. I am not available at the moment, but I'll get back to you as soon as I can. If this is urgent, leave the line open.

And if this is Fitz I hope you're having a good day.

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Re: a few days post-Flood

[inthebiblicalsense]

I can be in a few minutes. Meet you there?

[reargunner]

Sure thing.

[He'll be there, waiting outside even though he could have gone right in to wait. He's looked a little more worn out the past few weeks and today isn't any different, though he does smile when Abel appears at the end of the hall.]

[inthebiblicalsense]

[Abel isn't surprised that he didn't just let himself in, that walk turning to a jog before he stops just short of him, giving a kiss in greeting.]

Hey! Everything okay?

[reargunner]

Yeah.

[He leans down a little for that quick kiss then straightens again, hooking his thumbs into his pockets.]

Just need to talk to you about something. It's important.

[inthebiblicalsense]

I would never have known.

[He didn't get a paragraph of text beforehand, so how could he? He's mostly teasing though, letting the both of them inside.]

Do you want anything to drink before we sit down?

[And he can be patient enough to not ask about it until they do. It isn't like Alexei seems at all twitchy so he can't imagine it will be all that bad of a talk.]

[reargunner]

No, no. I'm okay. You can get something if you want.

[He's definitely feeling all kinds of ways on the inside, though given he was the one to initiate this he's had time to calm himself and decide how he's going to approach things.

Perching on the arm of the couch he waits for Abel to decide if he's going to get a drink or not. Still no guarantees of this not turning into a mess, but... he's sure gonna try to avoid it.]

[inthebiblicalsense]

[Abel decides to sit, not really needing anything himself and grabs a pillow to set in his lap, leaning into it.]

Alright, I'm listening. What did you want to talk about?

[reargunner]

[It takes him a second. He's clearly organising a couple of thoughts before he decides to say anything.]

You wanted us to let each other know if something changed between us and someone we were sleeping with. [Which he doesn't object to. It's just... he didn't think he'd be needing to have this conversation.]

I said I didn't want that. At the time— at the time, that was true. [He's measuring his tone carefully, calmly.]

But. There's been a... development. I guess. [A soft exhale through his nose.] There's somebody else.

[inthebiblicalsense]

[Abel's listening, his eyebrows slowly inching up. He's not about to react negatively, though there might be some...frustration sitting there right at the surface.]

I was under the impression that there was a better way to say that. [Or at least that's what he'd been told, but he doesn't sound upset, just a little surprised and trying to cut some tension with a tease.]

Who is it? I assume I at least know them, though I've been surprised before.

[reargunner]

[He decides to not react to the attempt at levity. Alexei doesn't feel particularly tense - he got all that out about an hour ago - but he's not going to just treat this like something he can just gloss over either.]

Given how many people you know I expect it'd be more of a surprise to me if you didn't.

[But. Sigh.]

Florian. It's Florian.

[inthebiblicalsense]

[There is the subtlest shift in his grip on that pillow when he says who it is.]

Well, he obviously cares about your well being, so I can't say I'm all that surprised. Are...you going to tell him?

[reargunner]

[A soft snort.]

He knows. He— I tried to break it off with him, rather than telling him at all.

[And then panicked the moment he saw him. Like an idiot.]

Made a fucking tit of myself. [Shrug.] Thinking I could just walk away from it was fucking stupid.

[Though, under different circumstances, he certainly would have.]

[inthebiblicalsense]

Oh.

[Abel is kind of thankful he grabbed this stupid pillow. He rests his chin on it, trying his best not to break eye contact.] What did he say, then?

[Which is a better question than 'you didn't think to talk to me first?' He's trying his best to not make him feel like he's not supportive, but there definitely are some feelings starting to rear their head over how this went down and how he'd approached this himself.]

[reargunner]

... That he loves me too. That I knew before I even asked.

[He exhales slowly, leaning back a little where he's perched.]

He was right.

[And it still feels strange in a way he isn't sure he likes, and he still has to think it over some more, but the idea of trying to push Florian away from him feels so stupid now.]

I just didn't want to look at it.

[inthebiblicalsense]

Mmm.

[He can understand that, at least a little. Except he still hadn't gotten a real confirmation from Norton, and he's trying to be patient about bringing it up again.]

You know, I tried to do that when I first realized that I was in real danger of catching feelings. I didn't say anything aside from no when he'd ask, but... just being friends only made it worse and made me feel angry with myself. It's probably better that you didn't try that route, I wouldn't recommend it.

[reargunner]

[A shrug.]

I could have handled it.

[If they'd been keeping this a closed thing. But that got changed, and that gave him options. Ones he hadn't realised he wanted to take until he did.]

Doesn't matter though. I don't have to. Still feels weird to accept it, but it's good.

[inthebiblicalsense]

[He's quiet a moment, pulling at a loose thread on the pillow before he looks at Alexei again, mulling over his own thoughts.]

So, what are you doing with that? Or have you not gotten to that yet? I have to assume he's not bothered by me, or at least I hope he wouldn't be... Anything I should know about?

[reargunner]

Doing with it?

[He cocks his head slightly.]

No, he doesn't have a problem with you. It'd be a different story if he did.

[And he can't think of anything Abel really needs to know, save for the main point of why he asked him here to begin with.]

[inthebiblicalsense]

Like, are you adding some kind of official label, keeping it the same as before?

[And Abel does have his own issues with Florian, though he's sure he can get over them. They just feel compounded now that he's a bigger part of Alexei's life. But it's fine. It's mostly his own issues and he's sure it will be okay, working through that himself.]

[reargunner]

We didn't talk about it. Anyway, he's got Johann, this is just... for now, and that's okay. I don't need anything more than that.

[It's just nice knowing, and the relationship isn't any less real for not having a label stuck to it.

And he still seems so calm, talking about it. Like his entire view of something didn't get turned on its head.]

[inthebiblicalsense]

[Abel nods, accepting that. He doesn't know much about Johann, they'd only shared the boat for a short time before he'd left. He'd been much less receptive to weird, magical beings anyways, so it probably wouldn't have been great for either of them if he had.]

A-alright. Well...thank you? For telling me.

I doubt I'd come off as intimidating to a man like that, but I do hope you won't mind me taking up the tradition of a gentle warning against harming you?

[reargunner]

[Alexei blinks, raising one eyebrow slightly.]

I'm not gonna tell you that you can't.

[But aside from not finding Abel intimidating in the slightest, he doesn't think Florian will find any amusement in the 'threat' either.]

But I'm sure he wouldn't do a thing to cause me harm. Entirely sure.

[inthebiblicalsense]

That's what I thought of myself and you. Entirely sure that I wouldn't, made it a priority not to in my own way, and yet here we are. I'm not saying I expect he will, I trust him to take care with you, but I would feel odd if I didn't at least say something.

[And he isn't looking to threaten him, no. Perhaps tell him that Alexei can certainly take care of himself, but there was something that he felt Florian should know about himself in the event that something does happen, even accidental if he were to witness it.]

[reargunner]

['Here we are', he says, and Alexei's eyes flick away while he makes a small face. Yeah, here they are, but he knew how things would be with Florian going in.]

Whatever you feel you gotta do.

[He's sure he'll hear about it, one way or another.]

Like I said, I'm not going to try to stop you.

[inthebiblicalsense]

[Abel is quiet a moment, considering before a few different pieces come into place that he'd not given much attention to.

He'd given himself a nonactive role in this conversation because he felt like that was what was required of him, to prove to Alexei that it was fine, and yet? He doesn't want to continue to have these misunderstandings and sit on things like he has been. He needs to be better about communication. He does. They both do. He takes in a deep breath, holds that pillow and looks across at Alexei.]

Can I- I'm not upset about Florian, I want to be clear on that, but I realize I'm trying to bully myself into being more fine with this conversation than I actually am... and not saying something is a disservice to both of us in trying to be better at communication.