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The door opens with a low creak of the metal, cold night air brushing into the doorway as Scott steps out onto the roof. He walks over to the edge of the building, leaning against the railing.
“It's a nice night, isn't it?”
Abolish glances over at him before turning his gaze towards the darkening sky. “It is.”
Scott crosses his arms, looking up at the stars starting to make themselves known. The sun has just gone over the horizon, the sky turning from violet to dark navy. Despite the noise of the city, it's like a bubble has wrapped around the rooftop, distancing them from the sound below.
The quiet between them is comfortable in a way Scott isn't innately familiar with. Spending the nights in companionable silence hadn't been planned, at first. Scott had seen Abolish watching him from out of his studio window and had decided to say hello on a whim.
He had already known that Abolish watched them from time to time. It didn't bother him as much as he thought it might.
It had become a thing for them now to spend the last hours of the day together. Abolish wasn't much for talking, but Scott found that he didn't mind the lack of conversation. Scott had always enjoyed hearing himself speak, but he had learned that the silence wasn't all bad when it was shared with good company.
His eyes drift away from the stars to focus instead on Abolish's profile. His lips were pressed into a flat line, his dark eyes gleaming from the city lights. His dual toned hair was windswept, a messy mix of white and black.
Scott knew he was staring, he knew Abolish was aware of his gaze, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Abolish was stunning, and Scott enjoys looking at him.
Scott was aware enough to admit to himself that he was starting to develop some sort of attachment towards Abolish.
It made him back away when he wanted to get closer.
Shelby had held him to his promise about starting therapy, and while he had complained to her that the sessions were useless, his therapist's words about nonlinear recovery and grief echo in his mind.
Scott hadn't loved Avid, not really. He hadn't had him long enough for that. There were feelings there, but Avid was taken away from him before they could blossom into anything more.
It still made him hesitate.
Abolish was immortal because of his brief stint as a vampire, but that didn't make him invincible. Scott, loathe as he was to admit it, would be affected if Abolish was to one day disappear. He would miss his presence.
Scott didn’t regret his choice to better himself, not now, but he did miss how easily it had been to dismiss his more troublesome emotions. Caring about things was so much effort.
Scott sighs. “Do you miss it?”
Abolish looks back over at him, raising an eyebrow.
“How things were before, I mean. Before everything went to hell.”
Abolish's expression evens out. “It didn't last long enough for me to miss anything.”
Scott hums, not surprised by the answer.
“What about you?”
Scott rests his head against his arms, looking over the railing at the miniature people down below. “It's an odd thing for me. I've been around for so long that time seemed irrelevant.”
“Not now though?”
“I guess now there's things I want to stay present for.” Scott looks back at Abolish, eyes lowering briefly to his lips before refocusing on his face. “People I want to stay present for.”
“I can understand that.”
Scott smiles. “Yeah?”
Abolish nods his head. “I haven't been alive nearly as long as you have, but there's more to my life now than there was back then.” Abolish meets his gaze, unwavering. “People I want to stay present for as well.”
Scott softens despite himself. “I'm glad I'm not alone in that then.”
Abolish huffs out an amused sound. “You're never alone when I'm here.”
Scott laughs. “No. I suppose not.”
Silence descends again, the two of them watching each other. Scott moves over, letting himself get close enough to take Abolish's hand in his own. Abolish glances down at their interlocked hands, but doesn't pull away.
“I'm glad you're here, Scott.”
Scott's eyes widen, but Abolish's gaze has once again turned to the sky.
“I didn't care much at the start beyond the paperwork,” Abolish continues, squeezing his hand lightly. “But you did change for the better.”
A small smile crosses Abolish's lips.
“I'm glad.”
A smile of his own forms on Scott's face. Scott hated the work he had to put in to get to this place, but this moment, with Abolish's hand in his, made it feel worth it.
“Thank you, Abolish. It's nice to hear that.”
Maybe something could come of this, this time. Maybe Scott could open up his heart, and not lose a piece of it.
It was a nice thought.
It was a hopeful thought.
Scott didn't often indulge in hopeful thoughts.
Despite his flair and love for theatrics, Scott was a realist. Hope didn't have a place in his reality. If he wanted something, he would take it.
It had seemed silly to waste time wishing for something he could take.
Scott didn't want to take this.
He wanted to earn it.
He wanted to earn Abolish.
Scott runs his thumb over Abolish's knuckles, tracing the thin scars there.
“May I kiss you?”
Abolish blinks at him. He tilts his head, seeming to consider for a moment. Scott is patient, content to wait him out.
“Go ahead.”
Scott brings his hand up to cup the side of Abolish's face, his eyes catching on the light freckles dotted along the man's cheekbones. Scott closes his eyes, pressing his lips to Abolish's.
It's better than he thought it would be.
Scott had kissed people before, of course, but never this intimately. Never with this amount of fondness. This wasn't something Scott was taking. This was something he was being given.
That made it all the sweeter.