#𝔞𝔰𝔶𝔞. ⸻ ft. abel romanov

[demidevildiva]

Closed Starter: @eclvpses

"Well don't you look dashing!" Asya exclaimed, reaching for his hands and holding him at arms length as she glanced him over, "You clean up nicely, I'd almost forgotten."

[demidevildiva]

Between the lights going out and the snow burying them in the museum, Asya had been too nervous to talk to people. Her thoughts solely on checking up on her babies, so she'd reached out to the babysitter to ensure their safety. They had been asleep, which she'd expected but merely watching them through the phone screen was enough to alleviate her need to have them in her arms. They were safe at home she had to keep telling herself. Finally putting her phone away she glanced up and locked eyes with Abel. She'd been avoiding running into him since her conversation with Mercy. It doesn't matter. Easy enough words to say, but harder ones to swallow. Her eyes danced over him - scoping him out inch by inch almost as if looking for signs to lead her thoughts astray. It was probably wrong of her to. He owed her no explanations. "I will have to decline the drink. Don't believe my stomach could handle it at the moment." she replied, eyes shifting down to his empty hand but kept her thoughts to herself. "I'll walk with you, though. You seemed to have misplaced your cane." The feelings of uncertainty she felt were much too odd. Did she ask? And if so, did she really want an answer? Abel's not someone she could stand being wrong about. Not someone she could stand to not trust even if they didn't have the same relationship as before. Motioning with her head for him to lead the way, she waited before following. "What's wrong?"

TIME JUMP

"You're one of the only man in my life I've never regretted. To this day. There's no disguising your kindness or loving nature. Anyone can see it.”

Asya’s words rang in Abel’s head - he felt like he couldn’t get out of a dream, alarm blaring in real life and infiltrating the fugue state. He knew he needed to turn it off, but then that’d be waking up and facing reality. What he’d done was awful - just plain wrong really, morally, but apparently Abel just simply didn’t have those anymore. He’d done his best to put himself back together before going back out to the crowd, finding Asya, so caught up in the distress he felt after his fight with Freya and worries over Asya hearing and inevitably being hurt he hadn’t even noticed he’d left his cane behind. Adrenaline got him back to the main lobby with barely a limp, but the second his eyes landed on Asya again the rush came crashing down. With a visible grimace, he bent to clutch awkwardly at his knee, screaming with pain and annoyed that he’d exerted it so heavily in such a short amount of time. “Hi,” he huffed once Asya had come closer. She’d notice, the first thing she’d notice was that he wasn’t using his cane. She was annoyingly observant about that. “Um - can we grab a drink? I kinda… need a drink, big one, I think. What do you want?”

[demidevildiva]

Closed Starter: @eclvpses

"Doctor?" Asya asked, knocking on the door three times before sticking her head in to find him staring back, "I had a feeling you'd still be here." It wasn't uncommon to find Asya at work way after hours. Specially the night before a big surgery. She found it comforting staying on the premise to ensure everything went according to plan. Things that others were in charge of doing in her absence, but for some reason it never helped ease her mind. "In the mood for some takeout?" she asked, taking her phone out to look at some potential places close enough for delivery.

[demidevildiva]

Her eyes traveled in the direction he glanced, then Asya leaned forward to give his words the privacy he seemed to seek as she placed a hand on his upper arm. "Oh." she said trying to hold the grin that his compliment invoked, "Thank you. I'm flattered." She didn't really know how to handle him outside of the hospital. His words burrowing easily into her mind, compartmentalized into the storage of endless praises and feelings that she never dare to touch. Their history locked away to make both their lives easier past the relationship he so courteously ended. Asya had understood the reasoning despite the ache that it had brought at the time. "My mother listens to no one's begging. To this day she refuses to accept anything that doesn't agree with her mentality." she laughed at his words, then sombered by the end, "You think too much of me, Abel. Or not enough of yourself." He'd been everything that she wanted. The man of her dreams she would have admitted in their blissful years. No one could have compared, which is why to this day she refused to acknowledge their history. Safely pushing her need for him to the side, while she continued on with the plans for her future. Marrying little over a year after to disguise the pain that Abel left behind. It was easier to forget him that way. Easier to move on, if she told herself that she perhaps just wasn't whom he needed even though he'd been all she'd wanted. "You're one of the only men in my life I've never regretted. To this day. There's no disguising your kindness or loving nature. Anyone can see it." she admitted, turning to face the bartender as they poured their drinks. "Your hair was a bit questionable, though. I'll give you that much, but you've learned."

“Oh.” It hadn’t been what Abel was expecting to hear. He thought she was just being - funny, Asya. Teasing him, and then he’d say something a million times less funny back. But Asya was also incredibly sincere, even though it sometimes winded Abel when she was. “Well - would’ve dressed up long ago if it’d make you so happy.” The pathetic attempt at teasing. Apparently it was unavoidable, where Abel was concerned. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Thank you. I’m - really happy you said you’d come with me. You’re not easy to forget, either. And… honestly?” Glancing over his shoulder, Abel played up like he was trying to tell her a secret. “You’re easily the best looking person in the room. And smartest, but you knew that.” Ordering their drinks, Abel scoffed at the prospect of their prom pictures still being up on a wall, cheesy picture frame piecing the whole image. “I miss them. Your parents - even if your mum never listened to my begging. No one needs to see my high school hair. You were so - out of my league, I still don’t know what switch in your brain turned off and made the judgement call to give me a chance.”

[demidevildiva]

Asya laughed at his reaction not having had taken a moment to realize how she probably sounded, “No, what I meant was that it’s been a while since I’ve seen you… looking this -” Good? Handsome? Hot? “- dressed up. You’re not exactly easy to forget.” That was the best she could do and not make their interaction feel awkward. Despite the fact that this man had known her longer than possibly anyone else around, and had been her first everything, she couldn’t help the formality that befell them over the years. “I think we can arrange for one. I still have our prom pictures, I’m pretty sure my parents have it up on their wall still.” She giggled at the evasion of the word old but she did appreciated it. Asya couldn’t hear those words just yet. An ever looming plague over her shoulders. “A drink would be delightful.”

"Almost forgotten? Jesus - what a crisis. I would've worn another suit for you long ago if I knew there was a chance you'd forget about me." Abel felt a bit shy under her gaze. It wasn't a bad shy, or something he felt embarrassed about - it just reminded him of when they were younger. Giving each other their full undivided attention had been as natural as breathing then. "You're beautiful. I want a picture of us taken by the end of the night. Or is that lame? Are we too... adult for that now? Doesn't matter - I want to remember this. Can I get you a drink?"

[demidevildiva]

"What's new, right?" she teased with a raised brow because it's all that either of them ever really did. Work on this, or work on that. Asya finally stepped into the room and took a seat across from his workspace. "Yes, but I think you should put in the order though, because last time I called that old lady yelled at me." she said before laughing, "All I did was ask for some some extra fortune cookies." She had honestly been joking, but her humor was not appreciated that day. "Babies are great, thank you for asking." Asya flashed a smile that never ceased to exist when mentioning her children. "Emre's been really into his martial arts these past few months so we're keeping up with that, whereas Alara's still pretty young, you know, but she's liking swimming quite a lot so I have it planned to enroll her in lessons come New Years." It was crazy to think about, and she did her best not to, but had things been differently they would have shared kids. They would have married. Or so she believed at the time.

Even after all this time, Abel still - perked up like an over excited schoolboy when he heard Asya’s voice. He was like Pavlov’s dog and hearing her speak was the ringing of a bell. Flashing her a quick smile, Abel waved her further inside. “Hey - come in, I’m just… doing some useless research.” If Abel knew Asya the way he thought he did, he’d figured she hadn’t left the hospital in almost 24 hours. Which he hadn’t either - sometimes the hospital felt more like home than his own four walls. “Oh, food - yeah, I’m starving. I don’t remember the last time I ate, I think that Indian place down the street’s still open. That okay with you?” Now, the smile he gave her was a bit more sheepish. It would always feel weird, how he could simultaneously feel so comfortable yet nervous around Asya now. “How’re your kids doing?”