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embodyingchaos · 10 months

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❥ heart to heart | chapter one

pairing: abner krill x oc genre: best friends to lovers! warnings: mention of experimentation, murder, abuse, manipulation, ABNER'S MOTHER, a bit suggestive around the end, implications of a boner word count: 7.5k masterlist: heart to heart next chapter: chapter two

the sound of rain slapping against the rough roads filled her ears. strong winds blew through her hair, but she still ran as fast as she could. barely escaping the cameras and light, and if she was seen, she'd use her powers. the facility was heavily secured, heavily armed, but with her killing everyone in sight, she would get away with ease. "come on!" she yelled at the only four test subjects left alive whom she was helping escape. all of them were younger than her, merely children around the ages of 5 to 13.

suddenly, multiple bangs rang throughout the entire area. shaking, the woman turned around and stared in horror as all four of them were dead on the ground. she couldn't do anything, nor did she have the time to cry. with no choice, she had to leave them all there and flee, only looking back when she was miles away. she was finally free, but at a price.

the walk through the woods felt like nothing compared to the things she faced at the lab. even if her feet were blistered by splinters or she was soaked by the rain, this was a thousand times better. she looked down at her wrist, the numbers '037' were permanently etched onto her skin. the girl clenched her fist before continuing to walk through the muddy forest. it took a while but eventually, she stumbled upon a gas station.

037 limped her way towards the entrance. the store clerk didn't even look at her, too busy mindlessly typing away on her nokia. there was only one other customer there, a middle-aged man wearing a grey t-shirt and a dark red flannel. when he saw her, his eyes widened. "darlin', are you alright?" the man asked with a southern drawl, she looked up and said nothing before immediately passing out. the man stared at her limp body and took shallow breaths. "what happened to you?" he muttered under his breath, before picking her up and walking back to his car.

"wy?" his wife called, "did they have the peanuts- dear lord!" she exclaimed, her hands flailing to her chest.

"wyatt, what happened?!" she got out of the car to help him open up the backseat door. wyatt placed 037 in the car, "i don't know." he grunted, holding his back. "she walked into the convenience store and the moment i asked if she was all right, she blacked out in the blink of an eye." his wife stared at her, concerned. "she's bruised all over and wearing a hospital gown. do you think she escaped from an asylum?" she wondered as they got into the car, "i have no idea. either way, i think we should bring her home and ask her when she wakes up. we don't have the money for a hospital visit, and by the looks of it, she doesn't either." he said, putting the car in reverse to get out of the parking spot.

it was the next morning when 037 woke up. she was surprised that the first thing she saw was pink walls and the first thing she smelled was eggs. she rubbed her head as she sat up, feeling her surroundings. a comfy bed, a tiny room, and the door's open. the girl got herself out of the tangled blanket and cautiously walked out the door. she saw a couple. a woman with bright yellow hair and dark green eyes was wearing a blue dress as she cooked up breakfast, while a man wearing a fisherman vest and slacks was sat at the table, reading the daily newspaper. 037 recognised that man, he was the last person she saw before her exhaustion entirely kicked in.

"oh, goody! you're awake!" the woman exclaimed, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "was starting to get worried! you'd been out for an entire day." she walked closer to the young girl and she backed away with suspicion. the blonde woman realised this and stopped in her tracks. "we're not trying to hurt you, pumpkin." she softly reassured, wyatt placed the newspaper down. "let her get comfortable, nellie." he told her and then gestured for 037 to come sit down and eat.

she looked around and slowly headed to the table. they were living in an apartment and it was a tiny one, but it was homey and comfortable. 037 got startled when she saw a black cat jump onto the square dinner table. "lola, you want some water?" nellie cooed, pouring some water into a bowl and placing it in front of the black feline. 037 sat on the chair opposite of wyatt and next to nellie. "w-what happened?" her voice was so coarse and quiet, they almost didn't understand her. "oh! well, first, let us introduce ourselves." nellie said excitedly, "i'm nellie and this is my husband, wyatt, and this is lola, our cat." lola mewed in response, purring rather loudly as she sat on the table in loaf position.

"i saw you at the gas station store before you passed out. we brought you back to our place and nellie cleaned your bruises." wyatt explained as he folded up the newspaper and placed it behind him on another table. "i didn't shower you though! didn't wanna invade your privacy like that." the blonde quickly added, laughing nervously. 037 smiled, "explains why i smell like rotten fish." she joked, "thank you. i'm grateful for your hospitality but i don't believe i should burden you two any longer." her british accent broke here and there, signifying she needed water. nellie frowned and pushed a glass of water towards her, "you aren't burdening us in any way, sweetheart. have some breakfast and water, and if you feel uncomfortable, you can leave any time." she smiled and 037 felt like crying, tears were threatening to spill from her eyes. she grabbed the glass and downed the water in one gulp.

after breakfast, nellie insisted she shower and change into more comfortable clothing. when she did, she felt so much better. "hey." wyatt knocked on her door before he came in, "how're you doin'?" 037 smiled at him, "much better. thank you." he nodded, "it's nothing. though, we'd like to have your name." now, the girl was at a loss for words. what was she suppose to say? that she had no name?

she thought about it for a while before something struck her. somewhere she'd always wanted to go. "eden. my name's eden." she simply said, "well, eden, you're welcome to stay as long as you want." eden nodded, but as the dark haired man was about to leave the room she called out to him. "wait!" he turned around, "i could help with anything, to return the favour for letting me stay in your home." he smiled, "seems fair. you can help out with the cafe." she looked at him weirdly, getting up from her bed. "cafe?" he gestured for her to follow him out of the room.

they headed out the apartment door and headed down the stairs and it immediately led to a row of shop lots. "this is the cafe we own." eden looked to her left and saw a simple, sweet and feminine styled cafe, she realised they lived above their cafe. "it looks lovely." she whispered, wyatt snorted. "well, nells is going to be happy to hear that." he commented, walking through the glass doors.

nellie was currently working in the kitchen, rushing around as other employees got the display case, brewing machine and tables ready for opening time. by other employees, i really mean other employee. "viola! where on god's green earth did you put the salt?" nellie asked the girl working at the display case, placing pastries and cake at their proper spots. "i d-don't kn-know! i-i-it's suppose to be th-there!" she stuttered out, her anxiety building up.

when nellie spotted wyatt and eden, she smiled. "wyatt! and..." she remembered she had no idea what to call her, "eden." eden completed her sentence and nellie smiled. "what a pretty name!" she complimented and the black-haired girl blushed. things were definitely going to look up for her now.

it'd been ten years since eden had escaped that hell hole of a place and found her new home, but it still wasn't quite home.

"eden? can you take care of table 12?" nellie yelled out from the kitchen. eden was on her break but she was always willing to help out even so. she got up from her chair with a scrape, heading to table numbered 12. "hi, welcome to nellie's nostalgia, what can i get for you?" she wore her usual tired smile as she looked up from her notepad only to be faced with the sight of the same man she’d seen since the start of the week. he carried a medium-sized sketch book, had black hair with bangs that covered his eyes as he was always looking down. "c-could i have a coffee? black?" his voice was low and trembling, he didn't seem to be confident with his answer despite ordering the same thing every time he came into the cafe. eden had noticed his cheeks had looked a bit hollowed, realising he'd only been ordering coffee. her mind started to wander, wondering if he had eaten at all for the past week. "alright. anything else? maybe a pastry? we have some real good ones." he looked up for the first time, not expecting to be faced with a soft, comforting smile from the same woman who had been looking like she wanted nothing to do with him for the last six days. he stared at her features, admiring her black, shiny, wavy hair and kind, yet empty, matching black eyes. they reminded him of himself.

the man gulped, fiddling with his hands. "what do you like?" he asked quietly, eden was surprised he'd want to know, no customer's ever asked her what she preferred. "oh! uh, i like the chocolate chip muffins-" "i'll take that!" he piped up before hunching back into his seat again, "s-sorry. that was probably creepy, i'm sorry." she was confused why he was apologising so much, the dejection so evident in his voice. "it's alright, sir. i like your enthusiasm." her words make him lift his head up again with a glint of hope in his sorrow-filled eyes. "i'll be back with your order, yeah?" eden headed back behind the counter and began reheating up a muffin as she started brewing a cup of coffee.

nellie came out of the kitchen with a heavy sigh, "what did table 12 order this time?" she asked eden, "black coffee, as usual. i convinced him to order a chocolate chip muffin though." she simply answered, yawning as she took the muffin out of the microwave and placed it on a plate. "sure he don't want any more food? he looks like he'd been starved by his mother or sum'in." eden glared at her, "don't assume things." she told her, nellie held her hands up. "well, i'm sorry, i'm just worried!" it's such a nellie thing to be worried about a complete stranger. then, she would say, 'but he isn't a stranger! he's a regular customer!' in her strong southern drawl.

eden shook her head as she made her way back to mr. table twelve with his coffee and muffin on a tray. "here you are." she placed it in front of him, "enjoy." this time he smiled back, but it was a mix of a smile and a frown, his lips trembled in between both expressions. eden found it an adorable quality. she'd always seen him sitting at the same table, sipping on his coffee as he drew in his book or stared out the window. staring out at the world like he was afraid of it.

after he'd finish his meal, he asked for the bill. when eden had brought it to him, he rummaged his pockets for his wallet. his eyes widened, "oh, fiddlesticks. i'm so sorry." he muttered, holding his head in his hands. "i think i left my wallet at home, i'm so sorry." eden shook her head, "it's fine. you can come back and pay whenever, but i'm taking your word for it." she joked but the man didn't laugh, looking absolutely distraught and on the verge of a panic attack. "hey, hey." she softly cooed, kneeling to his level. "it's honestly fine. you can come back tomorrow and pay, or it could be on the house. i can pay for you, and then you can pay me back. no pressure." her words of reassurance seemed to calm him down as he took a deep breath before letting it go. he nodded silently, "yeah? you're all good, darling." the nickname caught him off guard, and he looked at her with big, doe eyes.

when eden realised what she'd said, she stood up. "oh, sorry. that was unprofessional of me." she nervously laughed, "anyway, don't worry about it..." she trailed off, realising she didn't know his name. "a-abner." he quietly said, "abner." eden repeated with a soft smile on her face making abner turn extremely red. there was something about abner that just pulled eden towards him, a quality of some sort, or maybe it was the way he carried himself, the way his face looked like he'd gone through something indescribable. it reminded her of herself.

eden had hoped to see him the next day, which she did. he showed up, paid her back and she invited him to join her for lunch so they could talk a bit more. "d'you live far from here?" she asked him, taking a bite of her cake. "uh, not really. just a few blocks away." abner told her, sipping on his tea with both hands holding the cup. he had asked her what she liked to drink and she unironically answered tea, earl grey to be more precise. abner immediately ordered that, along with the same cake she was eating. "what do you like to do for fun?" abner's meek voice asked, "hm, stargaze." her answer made him curious, "and read. i love reading." his eyes widened at the opportunity, "i-i sorta like that too!" his sudden outburst startles eden before the two of them chuckle, abner's more sheepish. "sorry. i mean i mostly like drawing, or maybe doodling, or y’know what? i’ll shut up. i’m sorry." his constant apologising made eden curious, "why do you keep apologising?" she asked, she was honestly quite surprised at her own question.

she had never been one to be a busy body or ask personal questions, but judging from abner's behaviour so far, she would be the one asking the questions majority of the time. abner starts squirming in his seat, "i don't know. i just feel the need to." his face suddenly started turning into different shades of colours, eden tilted her head to the side. "are you alright?" she asked, he looked confused. "your face is turning different colours." abner immediately looked alarmed, "u-uh, i-i-i need to go." he quickly said before placing a twenty dollar bill on the table, "keep the change." he yelped, getting out of the chair and running out of the cafe with his arm covering his face.

eden stared at the place he was just sat at, "huh." she muttered to herself, sipping her tea with confusion. "what was he in a rush for?" nellie asked from behind the counter, "i haven't the slightest clue." eden answered, getting up from her seat and stretching. "you looked like you were having the time of your life talking to him." nellie wiggled her eyebrows and the black-haired woman only rolled her eyes. "don't even think about it." she told her friend, nellie pouted. "but you've literally been here for ten years and not once have i seen you gone out with someone!" she whined, placing her hands on eden's shoulders and shaking her back and forth. "nells, please stop." eden was starting to get nauseous, she grabbed nellie's hands with her own gloved ones.

"i don't need to go out with anyone. i'm fine on my own." nellie gave her a look, "you act like i don't see the romance novels you buy and read, you cheesy romantic." eden rolled her eyes, "doesn't mean anything." "yeah, it does. means you want to, at least, experience it." eden looked at her, "what?" the older woman giggled and shook her head, "love, silly!" she exclaimed as she started organising the utensils.

eden scoffed, "i don't need love. i see it on a daily basis between you and wyatt." she gagged at the thought, seeing them kiss each other daily, hearing them on certain nights and having to drown it out with headphones, blasting lana del rey on full volume.

"besides, he's a customer. isn't that inappropriate?" eden's question makes nellie snort with laughter, "inappropriate? pumpkin, this isn't a hospital or a corporate company! i won't fire you for dating a customer!" she exclaimed, "plus, he's pretty cute and you look adorable together-" "alright, alright. that's enough." eden interrupted, waving her off. "i need to close up for tonight, go back to your husband." nellie gasped exaggeratedly, flipping her off. eden smiled at her as she grabbed a broom and started sweeping away.

abner didn't come back for a while after that, it actually worried eden. she wondered where'd he gone to, extremely concerned which was extremely out of character for her, nellie just had to remind her of that fact.

after three whole days, abner had returned and eden was eager to serve him to ask where he’d been. "hey, vi." she whispered to her co-worker and friend, "can you handle this table? i'll tend to table 12." viola nodded, "al-alr-alright." she stuttered, heading to the other direction. eden made her way to abner's table, "hello, there." she greeted him, giving him her usual soft smile. "hi." he smiled back, looking as sombre as ever. "i was wondering when you'd showed up." his eyes widened, "y-you were?" she nodded, "was worried about you." abner looked down, "i-i'm sorry. my mother- she-" he cut himself off, realising he shouldn't tell her what happened to him over the weekend. eden noticed his hesitation, "it's alright. you don't need to tell me anything you aren't comfortable with telling. i'm just glad you're okay." abner nodded, "i'm sorry for making you worry." "it's fine, abner. truly." she assured him, "anyways, what will it be today?" and again, he asked her what else she liked, proceeding to order exactly that.

eden's shift ended earlier today. she changed from her apron and polo shirt to a long-sleeve, casual and long, black dress. she thought back to her conversation with nellie a few days ago and sighed. it would be nice to hang out with someone new. "hey." she walked up to abner's table, "i was wondering if you'd want to hang out at the library. you could maybe show me what you like to read and i could show you what i like to read, or you could even show me what you like to ‘doodle’." she suggested, referring to his sketchbook on the table. again, a shocked expression is displayed on his face. he didn't expect her to want to hang out with him, much less do something with him, but technically hanging out is doing something so.

"o-oh! uh, yeah! of course, yes. sure. yep." his answer made her smile, "let's go, then." she gestured for him to come and follow her, "hope you don't mind walking." eden said as she rubbed her hands together, abner's attention turns to her gloves. "why do you wear gloves?" he randomly blurted out, "oh- uh, sorry. i didn't mean to ask- it was an invasive question- i di-" "it's okay, abner." she tells him, looking him in the eyes. "i have a skin sensitivity problem. i can't touch others, at least not skin-on-skin." eden explained, looking at her gloved hands as they walked. "what kind?" "hm, a sad kind." she simply answered, not saying anything furthermore. abner took it that she didn't want to talk about it anymore and so, he dropped the subject despite his raging curiosity.

when they reached the library, abner had agreed to check out a book she’d suggest. eden was almost giddy hearing his words, she didn’t have anyone to talk to about the books she reads since wyatt and nellie aren’t really bookworms. eden went straight for the classic fiction section while abner went to go find a table in the library to sit at. her eyes skimmed through the titles until eventually lingering longer on a certain book. she grabbed it and headed back to the table, seeing abner already sitting there with his sketchbook in front of him.

eden sat opposite of him and placed her book in front of her. "what are you drawing?" she asked curiously, "o-oh, um, it's- it’s you." he picked up the book shyly and turned it around to show her a sketch of herself sitting at a table and reading a book. “i’m sorry if it’s creepy or weird that i’m drawing you, you’re just the perfect subject for it- not that i’m thinking you’re an object or something for me to draw! that’s not it! it’s just- you’re very beautiful- not!” abner looked like he was having a battle within himself, arguing on the right words he should be saying. “no! you are very beautiful! i’m just- i’m ruining everything. what’s wrong with me?” he whispered the last bit to himself and eden was holding back a small giggle. “hey, nothing’s wrong with you.” she told him, “i’m honoured you think me a good drawing subject, and thank you. you’re the first person to ever use the word ‘beautiful’ to describe me.” abner looked at her and felt so relieved when her expression wasn’t a judgemental one. “why’d you decide to draw me?” she asked, “o-oh. well, your features are just so intriguing and they- they sort of pull me in, if i could say that? your hair is always coiffed so perfectly and your eyes are sharp when you’re reading. i like to challenge myself on conveying as much emotion as possible in my work and the thing about drawing you is that, it doesn’t have to be an emotion, it can just be a neutral feeling. a calm feeling.” as abner was rambling about eden’s features and the drawing, she had noticed his hands were moving as he talked, following the tone of his voice. “oh, and your eyebrows are just amazing. like, they are my favourite thing to draw.” abner soon realised he was talking way too much, he stopped. "i'm sorry. that answer was too long, wasn’t it? and the eyebrow thing was really unnecessary." he apologised and eden shook her head. "no, i like that you told me. i can see you enjoy drawing rather thoroughly." abner slowly nodded, looking down at the table again. “you’re very good at it too.” when she said that, his head shot up. “r-really?” his eyes shined with hope, “really. it looks exactly like me and i do feel very calm when i look at it.” she leaned a little closer to him, “and you got my eyebrows down to a tee.” eden winked, smirking. this was the first time abner saw her so… playful. he loved it.

eden then placed her book of choice on the table before pushing it towards him. abner observed the book cover and the title, "pride and prejudice. true classic. i'm assuming you've heard about it?" the man nods, "i have." he slowly looked at her, "do you like romance novels?" his question makes eden chuckle, "i guess so. it seems as though i sort of live through them, since i don't do it in real life." abner tilts his head to the side, "do what?" "live. love. any of the above." she half-joked, "i don't get out much, and i don't meet many new people." she explained, looking nonchalant. "i'd like to see what it's like to live, to love, to get hurt, etcetera." abner stared at her with his usual sad, puppy dog eyes, he thought she was great. "i'm also a sucker for the victorian era. i won't spoil anything about the book but personally, i think it's a great book that shows how what we perceive can be so different from what the next person is trying to convey." she rambled and then stopped herself, "oh, i'm talking too much, aren't i?" eden asked with a blank expression, "no! no, no, you aren't." he said as he quickly shook his head, "then, i guess you weren't talking too much before either." she flipped the situation around and abner's eyes widened before he let a smile take over his lips. "i guess not." this was the first time he wasn't putting himself down and eden was quite happy about it.

“you said you sort of like reading before. what’d you usually read?” abner pondered for a moment, “usually science books.” his answer was something eden had somewhat expected, he did seem like the non-fiction type. "my mother, she- uh- she only ever has science books in the house, so.." he trailed off, his face entirely flustered. eden noticed he didn't say the sentence with a past tense, assuming he still lived with his mother which she found sweet. "i have a complicated relationship with science. it was a... big topic in my home.” eden noticed he was starting to get worked up again and so she quickly changed the subject. “well, i hope you won’t get bored by my old, little fiction novel.” she joked, abner’s lips upturned into a small smile. “i’m sure i’ll love it.” he said with the most determination she’d ever seen from him.

her eyes averted to his sketchbook. “hey, what about while you read ‘pride and prejudice’, i’ll draw something for you in your sketchbook? if that’s alright with you, of course. i’ve never really drawn before so it may be a bit hideous.” abner stared at her with big eyes before blinking once. “oh, yeah! of course, you can! go ahead, i’m sure it won’t look hideous at all.” he said rather enthusiastically, eagerly pushing the book to her along with his pencil, eraser and pen.

soon, the two of them did their activities in peace. abner slowly flipped through pages, really taking in the words, trying his best to understand them. eden decided to draw a bunny wearing a sweater, trying her best to imagine the animal in her mind. abner's facial expression was as focused as eden's was, they were entirely absorbed in their own books, so to speak. it was something new for the both of them.

abner slowly looked up from the book after reading a few pages, curious to see what eden was drawing. when he saw the bunny, he unconsciously smiled. abner averted his eyes to her face, staring at it and appreciating every little detail. the creases in between her eyebrows as they were furrowed, her slow blinks, her nose flaring when she came across a part that was hard to draw in the right position. when he thought he was staring too much, he immediately lowered his gaze back to the book in front of him. just as he did so, eden looked up to see his reaction to her book. she couldn't even see his face, it was so close to the book that it entirely covered it.

after 30 minutes or so, abner placed the book down and stretched, yawning silently as he did so. “tired?” eden asked, placing the pencil down. “a bit.” he answered, peering at the paper. she noticed he wanted to look at it and so she picked it up and handed it over. abner stared at the bunny wearing a polka-dot sweater. “it’s…” he trailed off, he was so focused on the fact it had polka-dots that he was losing his train of thought. “...bad?” eden joked, abner immediately snapped out of it. “what?! no! not at all! it’s really good! i’m sorry if it seemed that i thought it was bad, i just…” eden raised an eyebrow, “you just…?” abner looked at her, “why are there polka-dots on the bunny’s sweater?” his question made her cock her head, “well, i like polka-dots, so i decided to add them since the sweater looked plain.” abner seemed at a loss for words. “you like polka-dots?” he asked nervously, “yes. i think they’re wonderful.” some sort of warmth spreaded across the pit of abner’s stomach as his heart skipped a beat. he cleared his throat before smiling, “i see.” he fidgeted with the edges of the paper, eden smiled at him. “usually i’d use a lot of colour but well, i don’t have my colour pencils.” abner nodded, “well, then, next time, i’ll bring my colour pencils.” he said with a giddy tone, eden was happily surprised by it.

after that hang out, they began meeting up every week, every week became every day. some days abner would disappear, but never for more than three days. eden never usually questioned him about his whereabouts, only ever asked if he was doing alright and reassuring him that she's there if he needs her, even giving him her home address if he ever needed to see her. she had rather grown attached to him, as she does with people whom she forms bonds with.

however, this attachment was quite different than from the ones she had with nellie and wyatt. this attachment was much stronger. every time she wasn't with him, it felt like hell, felt like she couldn't breathe. every time abner would disappear for way too long for her own comfort, she'd fret and worry and barely even talk to anyone. eden would only pace and pray that he'd show up in no time.

one day, it was storming just as heavily as it did the night she'd escaped the lab, and abner was suddenly at her doorstep. "abner?" she asked, shocked to see him soaked from head to toe, covered in bruises around his face and neck. she couldn't tell if it was the rain or if he'd been sobbing for the past one hour. a sniffle from him confirmed her speculations. "my goodness, darling. come in, you must be terribly cold." she ushered him into the apartment, closing the door. eden rushed to go grab him a towel, starting to brew him hot tea. "nellie and wyatt are out for a while, that's why i'm alone right now." she said as she took out an ice pack from the fridge, wrapping it with a thin towel.

she made her way to abner, who was sat at the dinner table wrapped cosily in a towel and sipping on his drink. "now, let me see those bruises." she sat close to him, closer than she's ever sat. it made both of them nervous, more evident on abner than eden. she didn't want to ask what caused his injuries, she didn't want to overstep even if they'd been friends for over six months now. "i don't want to pry..." she started, placing the wrapped ice pack against one of the bigger bruises on his face. "but, with how you've turned up on my doorstep looking like you've just been through hell and back, i feel i should ask you how this happened." eden softly shifted his wet hair to the side so she could check if there were anymore dark spots indicating bruising.

abner breathed in before letting out a long, quiet sigh. "you don't have to tell me if you don't feel like it, ab." she assured, he shook his head. "no, i should. you deserve an explanation for why i keep disappearing on you countless of times, and-and why i keep running out at random times before coming back." he rambled, on the verge of crying. "you're my best friend." his voice cracked as a few tears escaped his eyes, eden frowned and placed the ice pack down on the table.

she stood up and wrapped her arms around the man slowly, embracing him wholeheartedly. abner wrapped his arms around her waist as he leaned his head against her stomach and cried into the fabric of her shirt. his hands gripped onto the back of her pyjamas, sobbing loudly. his cries stung eden's heart and made her ears ring. "shhh." she stroked his hair to soothe him, trying her best to comfort him despite never having comforted someone before. "you're okay now. you're safe here. you can tell me anything." eden whispered, hugging his head.

after he calmed down, she sat back down and held his hand. abner took another deep breath in, "my mother was a scientist at s.t.a.r. labs once." he started, looking down at the ground. "she was obsessed with turning me and my siblings into superheroes. she experimented on all of us, trying to give us powers." eden froze in her chair as she listened to his words, "she infected me with- with an inter-dimensional virus." he had a hard time saying the words out loud, trying his best to hold himself together. "it infects me with these glowing polka-dots and they turn into lumps that start to form on my face and under my skin, which is why i always run out at random times. i need to expel them by throwing them up. if i don't the virus would eat me from within." abner was so scared. he didn't dare to look up, terrified he'd be faced with a disgusted eden, or a fearful eden. she was neither, she felt sympathetic as she understood what he had went through.

"i still live with her, my mother, she takes care of me and i take care of her. at least, that's what she always tells me." eden grabbed both of his hands, "abner, did she give you these bruises?" she asked, lifting his head by his chin with her hand, staring straight into his eyes. abner fidgeted in his seat, slowly nodding his head as his eyes glistened with tears. his lips trembled and eden wanted nothing more but to murder his mom, that wretched lady, for reducing him to tears.

eden was contemplating on whether he should tell her about her own past, about how she was experimented on as well. she decided she should in order to distract him from his feeling of dread. “you know, i should tell you the truth about my gloves.” she spoke up, holding a glove-covered hand up. abner looked at her with curiosity in his eyes, “when i was born, my mother died from giving birth to me. honestly, that was much better for her than living with my father because he was as useless as an unemployed addict could be.” she smiled bitterly thinking about the man, “as a newborn infant, he sold me off to a lab.” now, abner was fully paying attention when he heard the word ‘lab’. “he sold me off to a lab… for crack.” she laughingly scoffed, tracing circles into the table as she thought about it. “i lived in that lab, getting experimented on for 20 years. never seeing the light of day nor the darkness of the night. getting tormented and electrocuted like a mouse in a maze, like i wasn’t a human being.” she took a deep breath, “i have a condition, not as bad as yours, but i have a condition where i am unable to touch someone with my bare hands because if i do, i can see and feel their worst moments and memories, their worst emotions and the pain, and the suffering to the point it hurts me.” her voice was beginning to turn hoarse, she’d never told anyone about this ever, not even wyatt and nellie.

“i have other abilities too, since i got experimented on so much. i can change and mutilate any of my bodily fluids into some sort of toxin that can immediately melt off the skin from bones, and i have super human reflexes and regeneration.” she explained with feigned excitement, “i killed all of them ten years ago. the scientists, the guards. i tried to help the rest of the children escape but i failed.” she let out a quiet sigh, “i’m just telling you all of this to show you that, i understand what you’re going through and you aren’t alone.” eden held his hand, “i’m here for you, abner. i’ll always be here for you.” abner’s mind was empty, he had definitely forgotten all about his mother. he was in utter disbelief that she was like him, experimented on. he had calmed down and was now focused on eden’s face in front of him.

there was no way this was real. there was no way he had someone as beautiful and as kind as eden, who had went through practically the same things he did, actually cared about someone like him. someone that was not worthy of compassion.

“what?” eden asked when she noticed abner was looking at her with some sort of revelation. “despite going through all that, you’re so nice to me.” he suddenly stated, leading her to be taken aback by his words. “why wouldn’t i be, abner? you’re like one of my only friends.” the raven-haired man looked away, “i know, but i don’t think i deserve it.” she was confused again, “don’t deserve what?” “your hospitality? your friendship? what’s the point?” abner raised his voice a little bit louder, “i’m worthless! i just take up space! i’m here sitting helplessly, while you actually did something! you escaped that fucked up facility-” “i killed people, abner-” “hah! good! they fucking deserved it!” he laughed sarcastically as he interrupted her, “you did something! but i’m just here, stuck with my mother who despises me. there’s no reason for me to exist, i’m just a burden- mh!” as abner voiced out his frustrations, eden closed in the space between them and placed her lips against his making his eyes flutter close.

it was only for a few good seconds before she pulled away and abner was rendered speechless, his eyes slowly open. “you are not worthless, abner. nobody is. if you’re thinking you need to contribute to society in some sort of way in order to be worth something or useful, you’re wrong. you’ve been helping me for these past few months.” eden whispered to him, their faces only a few inches away. abner averted his eyes from her lips to her eyes, “how?” she gave him a soft smile, “you’ve spent so much time with me, you became my friend. you listened to my countless rants about books, you cheer me up when i feel empty. you’re amazing. i love-” she stopped herself, “i love that about you.” she cursed herself in her mind for almost letting out something she definitely wasn’t suppose to. they were just friends, nothing more. yes, that’s why they kissed, they’re just friends. eden, you absolute dolt.

she took a deep breath, “i love you.” she avoided looking at his reaction. she didn’t want him to leave because he felt awkward due to the possible fact he didn’t reciprocate her feelings, nor did she want to see the look of uncomfortableness on his face when he has to tell her he doesn’t like her back.

eden, however, took a chance, and looked at his face that was more than ecstatic. “y-you love me?” he muttered, sounding breathless. he thought he was dreaming, mishearing her, maybe she actually said i love glue, or something else that’s random. the look on her face made him panic, she looked dejected without hearing an actual reply from him. “i-i love you too.” he quickly said, “i do. i really do.” eden’s expression remained indifferent. “no, i’m sorry. i shouldn’t have said that. this wasn’t the time, actually, there shouldn’t be a time.” “no! i really do love you! i’ve loved you since i saw you at the cafe, since you first took my order.” abner yelled when she suddenly stood up and started pacing a bit, “i’m in love with you, eden. please believe me.” eden ran her fingers through her hair, not pacing anymore.

“actions speak louder than words.” she simply said, abner’s mouth opened but he didn’t say a thing. he hesitantly got up from his chair and strode towards her. with his height, he towered over her a good amount. abner didn’t know where to put his hands but he decided to just cup her face awkwardly, before pressing his lips against hers once more. eden tilted her head and grabbed onto his hands, bringing them down to be wrapped around her waist as she snaked her hands around his neck. they were both pretty new to the whole concept of kissing, what with the two of them being closed off to any form of intimacy. it was like two awkward, freshmen sharing their first actual real kiss.

it was bliss. being depraved of physical contact ever since the day they were born and getting it for the first time, and it wasn’t just with someone random, it was with someone they’ve been pining after for six months straight.

eden let out a soft moan into his mouth, pulling him closer and pressing her body against his. abner pulled away for a moment when he heard her small noise, when he felt her on him, “w-wait, i’m-” he panted, glancing down at his nether regions. “getting a little too excited?” eden teased, grinning at him. abner’s face was already bright red, “i’m s-” “don’t say sorry. i’m not upset about it.” she told him, caressing his cheek. she rested her forehead against his, “i honestly didn’t think you liked me back, much less loved me back. i was so scared i misread everything.” eden confessed, beaming up at him. “how could i not love you? you’re the only person that doesn’t make me feel like shit, eden. the real question is how you’re in love with me.” “well, pretty boy, you don’t make me feel like shit either.” she countered back, giggling when he rolled his eyes playfully.

finally, all the feelings were out, all the secrets, nothing was kept from one another. everything was perfect now, until it wasn’t.

the next day, abner had entered the cafe with a different type of glow - a ‘i’m dating the woman i’ve been in love with for six months’ type of glow. of course, nellie and wyatt heard all about what happened last night, which leads nellie to constantly jab at them.

“hi there, sugar! here for eden?” nellie asked, wiggling her eyebrows. abner blushed, “m-maybe.” he answered with uncertainty, unsure if he should be admitting that to the owner of the cafe when she probably wants customers to come to her establishment for food and beverages. “don’t look so terrified! i won’t pepper-spray ya.” she assured him, “she’s currently taking table six’s order but i’m sure she’ll be over here soon! can i get you anything in the mean time?” abner gave her a small smile, shaking his head. “no, ma’am.” he answered and with that, nellie went off to check on the kitchen.

abner spent the next few minutes admiring eden from afar as she spoke with the family that she was waiting on. all of a sudden, about three police cars pulled up outside of the shop. abner’s eyes flickered from the cars back to eden, who was now only able to stare at the cops through the windows before they entered the establishment.

“number 037, you are under arrest for the murder of over 47 people. you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” one of the police officers said as they pulled out handcuffs from their belt, grabbing onto eden who wasn’t resisting at all. nellie walked out of the kitchen, flabbergasted with the sight before her. “wh-what? what’s going on here?” she questioned the officers, “are you this woman’s family or guardian?” nellie scoffed, “yes.” she answered as she crossed her arms, “then you can see her at gotham’s police station, where she’s going.” just as the officer said that, abner made his way to them. “no!” he yelled, “you can’t take her!” his eyes brimmed with tears, as he tried to get to eden but they pulled him away. “sir, we’re going to have to ask you to calm down. if you don’t, we will use force.” eden looked at him with no expression, “abner, stop.” she told him and he immediately followed, confused and worried.

eden smiled at him, but it wasn’t any of her usual smiles, it was one that expressed despondent. she held no hope at that point, she knew it was only in a matter of time before they found her. despite that, abner didn’t want to accept it, he couldn’t accept it. something good was being torn away from his very hands just as he got it.

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