prohibitions | When love became an act of defiance

Abel doesn't seem too bothered by Beau attacking the silver cuff on his wrist. It was pretty scratched up already as is. He also knows that there's nothing she can do anything to it other than scratch up the surface, so it matters little to him what she does to it.

Jonathan might be too keen for Beau to possibly damage it though.

He glances at the other for a moment, but he doesn't comment on it passed that. Abel merely returns his attention back to Kiwi, since Beau was easily entertaining herself at the moment. He gives Kiwi a few pets with his index finger.

"Naturally, yes. Similar minds and wavelengths as my own make it easier. If I were to try and listen to them, I probably could parse some thoughts out." He pauses for a moment. His hand stills. "I don't make an effort to do it."

Jonathan does give Beau a little poke after awhile, thinking she's spent enough time trying to figure out Abel's cuff. She, of course, chirps loudly and turns to look at her owner before she immediately goes back to what she was doing.

Instead of tugging on it, she hits it with her beak a few times and tilts her head from side to side, deciding it really wasn't an interesting toy and moves on entirely. She walks up Abel's arm, gripping his shirt with her beak along the way.

Jonathan gives a small nod in understanding, it was starting to make more sense to him. It made sense that trying to read a non-human's mind would take more effort. If it was possible, at all.

In the file he was given, Abel's abilities were listed in bullet points with little, if any, information under it. He felt this was one of those rare moments where he could actually learn more about the other, "To read in general?"

Kiwi gives a series of soft chirps, completely content with the attention and very much not wanting it to stop. When Abel's hand stills, she finally opens her eyes, shifting in her spot.

Abel scoffs with an amused expression when Beau seems to find that they aren't fun toys at all. "Sorry darling, but that isn't much of a toy. Nothing fun about it." Even if they were, he thinks the birds would bore of them quite quickly.

He returns his attention to Kiwi and resumes giving her gentle pets and scratching her neck gently. "It's what people would call it being a natural at it or perhaps a prodigy," he says sourly. It didn't matter what one would call it because it didn't change anything. The fact that it was innate and that it was strong and that it meant he naturally just picked it all up.

That he wasn't particularly fond of it at all. "I can hear every one of your thoughts perfectly, just so you know. Better to be honest, since I'll know what's on your mind anyways." It isn't really said as a threat.

Jonathan's expression softens as he watches Abel's. The longer he spends time with the pair, the more he sees just how different the other tends to fluctuate in a day. Compared to the morning, the way he was at the social events to now, all of them seem very different.

"She has an affinity for the shiny. Kiwi, not so much." Had he not poked her, she likely would have spent longer tugging and pecking the cuffs until she abandoned them on her own.

Once Beau reaches Abel's shoulder, she sits there for a few moments, ruffling her feathers before deciding to fly over to the top of Jonathan's head, nearly getting lost in his hair.

"Oh no, you don't. I don't need you deciding to poop in my hair, Beau." Jonathan says as he reaches up to coax her onto his finger, which Beau is very displeased about and chirps loudly before reluctantly stepping up onto his finger.

He's quiet for a moment as Abel talks, "Do you wish that sometimes you could turn it off?" Being naturally gifted with such a strong manifestation of an ability must put some sort of toll on the other.

He gives Beau a few scratches along her neck before he reaches over to see if she'd hop off to join Kiwi on Abel's hand instead.

"You're quite welcome to read me like an open book. Though, I can't promise it would be entertaining since I'm just a dumb dog." He comments back with no real bite but he hasn't forgotten that particular insult. While he'll try to be mindful of his thoughts, he really doesn't mind if the other hears them since a vast majority is him making notes about something in some form or another unless he finds something interesting or if he gets flustered, in which case that is a completely different story.

The man is quiet as he observes the way that Jonathan interacts with his birds. It's curious to him.

He's quiet for a little longer when Jonathan asks that question and he seems to consider how he wants to answer it. There was a lot that he could say about it and none of them good. There was nothing about it that he enjoyed. Having to constantly parse through thoughts that weren't his own. Memories even. The feeling that his mind wasn't his own.

Even if he ignored that; they've only ever brought him misery. He doesn't think there has ever been anything positive about them. "I wished I never had it, really." It answers the question, but it probably just raises more questions if anything.

"It's better if we don't get along," Abel simply replies with. He doesn't intend to apologize for it because it wouldn't really be genuine. His intentions were to rile the other up. To make them dislike him. He holds Kiwi out to the other. "It really is better that way."

Jonathan's gaze drops at Abel's answer, "Oh..." It answered one of his lingering questions that he had yet to ask. It also spoke a lot of Abel's feelings on the matter and he can only imagine what being around anyone must be like especially at socials.

This was their first real day together and he feels like any new information he learns about the other is completely turned on its head when Abel speaks or acts. He was an enigma that he couldn't solve or getting any sort of footing with.

It was rather frustrating the confusion he felt.

But then all he feels next is this twinge of guilt and sadness at Abel's words.

"I think what you need is a friend, Abel." He starts off with, turning his hand over slowly to get Beau to walk onto his palm so there was somewhere for Kiwi to walk onto, "It doesn't have to be me, if you don't want it to be but, at least, choose them."

Kiwi looks up at Abel before turning to spot Beau and patters her way over to Jonathan's hand.

"My offer still stands. That you can visit and spend time with them whenever you want to. Maybe they'll help like they did during this visit." He says as he looks up at the other, his features a bit sad.

He watches as Kiwi waddles over to join Beau on their owner's hand. He idly thinks the hilarious irony that these birds have more freedom than he does.

Abel merely gets to his feet and heads back over to the door that adjoins their room. He pauses for a moment when he turns the doorknob and pushes the door open a tad. The Brit turns for a moment to look at the other.

"Friends are a luxury, Jonathan. You don't easily find it in a world of shallow socialites," he says. His gaze lingers for a moment longer before he turns away. "It's a luxury that I cannot afford." Eventually Jonathan will leave, but Abel will continue to be trapped in this life.

"Good night, Jonathan." He walks through the door and shuts it behind him; letting the other mule over his thoughts.

Jonathan shifts in his spot as Abel moves to leave, having his body turned to face the other while he offers the birds one of the treats to occupy themselves for the moment.

He opens his mouth as if to reply to that but instead he's quiet. He's seen the world Abel is forced to interact in and the other might be right on that note. He honestly wouldn't be sure who to trust in a circle like that since he's sure most make friendships to only get ahead and won't hesitate to drop you at the slightest inconvenience.

"Good night, Abel." His voice is soft as he watches the other leave into their room.

Jonathan stares at the door, sadly, for a few long moments before he drags his attention to his birds. He flops back against the bed, an arm tucked behind his head as he places Beau and Kiwi on his chest, lightly scratching Beau's neck.

"Guess we'll be staying for the long haul then, ladies." He mutters to himself. Friends may be hard to make for the other but if he stays, maybe that would chance things. Only time would really tell though.

When love became an act of defiance

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