If I Know What Love is, it is Because of You

Sarrain

Sarrain

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When Abby broke the circle and picked up some of Barty's old things to travel back home, she was in a sort of daze. On the beach, back on the main island, Abby fell to her knees and cried happy tears. She screamed to the wind and the sea, her voice carrying over choppy waters and late afternoon winds.

She dug her hands into the sand and caught her breathe, tears soaking the sand beneath her. She was free. Her husband was free. The problem of Sitri's deal was something to deal with at a later date. For now, things were better.

When she had managed to pick herself up and collect the books and materials she'd dropped, Abby trudged back home. Her bones were old, and her entire being was weary.

The kids were asleep when she got in and laid the stuff out on the rug in front of the fire. Among them sat a picture of Barty and Abby on their wedding day. She held it close and sighed.

 
Kada

Kada

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Baety sat alone in the bathroom, wearing only his boxers and staring at himself in the mirror. He was himself again, though the jagged scar around his neck was a jarring reminder of everything. From his death until today; everything that had happened.

He couldn't cry anymore. He had cried so much his tears had actually stained his shirt, which lay on the floor. He hated that shirt, hated the whole wardrobe that Sitri had chosen for their shared body. His body now. He could feel it. He was free, at least for now.

He didn't hear Abby come into the house. He was kind of lost, after having fed the kids and put them to bed. They had had so many questions. He couldn't answer them, so he had told them stories about his life back before Manta Carlos. Living on the road. Adventure. Careful to leave out what he did for a living back then. That had contented them.
 
Sarrain

Sarrain

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When Abby finally went upstairs, carrying some of Barty's old things, she stopped at the bathroom door and set the box on the floor.

"Babe?" She leaned against the doorway and stared at him. He looked so much like himself. Except for that nasty scar. She wanted to touch him but was too afraid to move from her spot.

It was fine that he had been crying. She'd been crying too. They were both such a mess, and it was fine. At least it was them. Free, for now.

She tried not to imagine the bad things. Like that stupid barbed penis. The laugh. The red eyes. She shook her head and cleared her throat awkwardly. She didn't want to be in this orphanage anymore.

"Uh, I... I hate to ask this right now, but my skin?"

 
Kada

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Barty was shaking a bit, his mouth dried out when he heard Abby's voice. He turned and stared at her, unsure if he should smile or cry anew but unable to do either for some reason. What was she saying? Her skin? Right, oh right. He had it somewhere around here.

"Satchel," he finally choked out. The black leather satchel that he had often carried in his duties as a teacher. "Hidden zipper at the bottom."

Barty took another look in the mirror and settled his gaze on his eyes. His irises we're back to normal but the whites were still black... it almost looked worse than it had when they had been red. His face twisted in disgust and he turned away from his reflection.

He needed to sit down, but the only place immediately nearby was the bed. He didn't want to be on a bed right now, but it was that or the floor. He briefly considered the floor, but shuffled into the bedroom to take a seat on the edge of the bed.

"I-I'm sorry," he started. Now his tear ducts were working. "I left you, and then I had the nerve to think you had abandoned me. And everything- all of this is my fault."
 
Sarrain

Sarrain

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Abby had to go against every fiber of her nature to stay there with Barty after finding out where her seal skin was. She wanted to run to it and pull it close. To don it and leap into the sea where she was safe.

But Barty needed her. And that was how each of their stories seemed to begin and end.

Abigail approached him and crouched so he had to look at her face, gently touching his cheek with the tips of her fingers. She inspected his new black eyes.

"Hey," she said softly, barely about a whisper. The sound was so gentle it took work for her to stay loud enough for Barty to hear her. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known, and we're here now. Right? We made things better."

 
Kada

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Barty flinched ever so slightly at Abigail's touch. It was instinctual, the reaction built up over... he couldn't even remember how long he had been in his father's domain. He slowly brought his shaky hands up to cover hers, pressing them into his face and basking in the warmth. He was sure he was a normal body temperature, but Barty felt cold inside.

"No, you made things better. You and your stubbornness." Even he wasn't sure if it was supposed to be praise or an admonishment. His eyes flicked to hers, so sharp and blue. "Thank you," he managed to choke out, willing himself to stop crying at least for now.

The brief silence that followed was somehow neither awkward nor oppressive, but he broke it anyway. "Where do we go from here?"
 
Sarrain

Sarrain

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Whatever we want to do, was the first thing that came to Abby's mind. But that was a silly thing to say. She peered around the bathroom. "Well, getting out of this house is probably a good start. I don't think I can be a caretaker anymore after... everything that happened."

Then Abby sighed and smiled at Barty, tried not to show all the hurt in her eyes or the way her hands shook a little. "We take it one day at a time. Together. Right? We're a two-man team no matter what."

It hurt to say that after all the things Abigail had down to hurt Barty. To trick Se-- Sitri. Everything hurt. Her body yearned for her skin, but everything else wanted to stay here rooted with her husband. She'd stopped thinking she'd ever see him again.

"When, uh, when everything was happening. I felt so hopeless. I thought for sure I'd never see you again. I didn't know which things were true anymore or which weren't. I just took it one day at a time, and that helped me to keep my perspective in line. If I could just complete those small goals or take one step by one, I'd be fine."

 
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