𝑤𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑.

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

Truth be told, Abel really didn’t want to have the conversation about why he had done a stint in prison, but admittedly, Romy was making it much easier on him. He didn’t feel good about keeping it from her, especially since they were friends, but he also couldn’t risk her looking at him differently because of it. “Yeah well, I wasn’t always like this…” He said quietly. He had gone through a transformation after prison. Cleaning up his act had made him realize what was truly important, like family. However, he knew his past wasn’t something he could ever permanently erase and he’d have to make peace with that sooner or later. “Gentle isn’t something people associate with me,” After all, what kind of fighter wanted to be known as a gentle giant? However, he wasn’t fighting anymore and perhaps it had been more of a compliment these days. “I would never intentionally kill a plant. Sometimes I just don’t always know what they need, but I’m trying,” His snake plant had been doing well the last several months, and although he had a few die on him, he was trying to stay positive. “It’s like you said, we haven’t known each other that long, so if there’s anything you do wanna know, I’ll try and be an open book.” 

-

It crossed Romy’s mind that maybe she should be more alarmed by this news, but she couldn’t find it in her to really care all the much. Everyone had a past and not all of them were boring like hers. In fact, she figured most people’s lives were as uninspired as hers had been. It was part of the reason she had moved to Eureka in the first place--to meet new people and experience different things. Abel himself had been a big part of bringing her out of her comfort zone and not once had he given her any reason to fear him. “Well, I do. Honestly, most of the time, I don’t really understand why you keep hanging out with me. We don’t have much in common and I know I can be pretty single-minded when it comes to hobbies and interests... I have other friends, but you’ve made my move here a lot easier. Just so you know.” She took her hand back, setting them down on her knees. This was a much deeper conversation than she thought they would have tonight. “Thanks, I appreciate that. Same here, but I’m afraid that one time I stole a Kit-Kat from a grocery store doesn’t even come close to what you just shared.”

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

“Yeah… eventually,” Abel repeated quietly. He wasn’t quite sure when he would have brought it up but he was sure that he would have. After all, prison might not have been something he was proud of but it was part of who he was now, and Romy was someone he wanted to know all of him. Not just the parts that seemed safe. When she asked what happened, Abel hesitated for a moment. It wasn’t something he enjoyed talking about with other people, and even though therapy helped him cope with being open about the things he had done, it still didn’t come naturally for him. But he tried. “Bad bar fight. Got taken too far,” he said fairly simply with the shrug of his shoulders, indicating he wasn’t quite ready to share more about the details, especially before dinner with his family. Feeling the gentle squeeze of Romy’s hand, Abel immediately began to feel a little better about the situation. “Who says you can’t be intimidating and talk about Barbies?” Abel said, lip upturning slightly into a faint grin. 

-

“Don’t sound so convincing, Abel Becker,” Romy said playfully, hoping to lighten the mood. She could tell this wasn’t how he had wanted her to find out, that he wished he had been able to tell her on his own terms. That had to be a bummer. “Maybe it’s better this way. Easier. Bandaid’s off and you don’t have to do the whole ‘Romy, I need you to sit down for this’ thing.” She couldn’t imagine having to gather the courage to explain something like this, especially if he still felt ashamed of what had happened. “Well, we haven’t know each other for too long, but the Abel I know wouldn’t get in a bar fight, so... you must be doing something right.” Romy was a firm believer in people being able to change and it seemed like Abel had done just that. He had a family that loved him, a good job and hadn’t done one single thing to make her scared of him. “I mean, I guess Barbie fans can be scary, but you strike me as the gentle kind. Kill my plant and I’ll run away screaming, though.”

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

Abel should have given Romy more credit. After all, based on everything he knew about her, she didn’t seem the type to abandon a friend just because of one bad thing they did. However, the one bad thing wasn’t something as silly as forgetting plans or disagreeing. Abel was hesitant to explain further, if only because he couldn’t help but think Romy would look at him differently if he told her everything. “I would have told you when I was ready,” He stated fairly simply. He hadn’t had many new friendships after getting out of prison so there wasn’t really a rulebook on timing but he figured he’d tell her when it felt right, not because his sister had given her a crumb. “It was homicide,” He said before quickly adding, “I wasn’t charged. But it was still manslaughter. So yeah, maybe it is something I should be ashamed of,” And he certainly did feel that shame since it happened, “It’s something I don’t tell people because I don’t want them to be scared of me.” His mother had done a fairly good job of vouching for him around town, so while there were whispers about her estranged son’s past, nothing specific ever got out about him. That combined with he fact that he was staying out of trouble and under the radar meant he could live peacefully without too many judgements.

-

There was no way for Romy to know if he meant what he said or not, she knew now and there was no taking that information back. “Well, as long as you would’ve said something eventually. That’s a pretty big thing to not know about your friend,” she pointed out, glancing at him as he gave her a few more details about what had happened. She would be lying if she said the word homicide wasn’t a little shocking to hear out of his mouth. She assumed it had been something non-violent, but it did kind of make sense given his hobbies and job. “What happened?” She didn’t think she could feel scared of him if she tried, not after getting to know him these past months. It felt weird and slightly uncomfortable to uncover this whole side of his life she didn’t know existed, but she definitely didn’t feel afraid of him. She reached out for his hand before she could think better of it, giving his fingers a gently squeeze. “I’ve seen you having conversations with your niece about princesses, Barbies, and unicorns. Not to mention that time you tried pushing her bead bracelets on me. I’m not scared of you.”

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

When Abel returned from washing his hands and sat down at the table, he felt a shift in Romy’s usual behavior. She had sort of an infectiously happy and positive way of thinking that seemed to lift the spirits in any room she entered, but right now that feeling had been slow to rise. Given her next question, Abel knew why. With a soft sigh, Abel was somewhat at a loss for an explanation. He wasn’t upset that his sister let something so private slip out nonchalantly to someone he didn’t want to lose in his life, but he certainly wasn’t happy about it either. “It’s usually not somethin’ I open with when I meet new people, but I got released from prison two years ago,” He said, eyes averting to his hands. “I check in with my parole officer every month, I go to meetings every week, I stay out of trouble, and I’m doing really well,” He said, feeling the need to prove he wasn’t a bad person. Over the last few months he had grown to really appreciate their friendship and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin that because Romy suddenly saw him as some sort of monster. 

-

Romy wasn’t upset. She hoped he didn’t think she was because of how quiet she suddenly got. Honestly, she understood that it wasn’t something you just blurted out during a first meeting with a new person. She was just trying to make sense of what she knew about him with this new information. He had always been sort of vague about what he was doing before Eureka, so it wasn’t too hard to fill in the blanks. “I know you are, I spend a very large amount of time with you,” she said with an attempt at a comforting smile that he most likely didn’t catch given how hard he was trying not to look at her. She didn’t doubt who he was as a person in the slightest. He had shown her who he was over these past few months. “Were you going to tell me, like, soon? I know I’m new, but I’m not new new. I feel like this is pretty major information. Honestly, I’m kind of amazed someone didn’t slip up before now. Not that I’m upset or anything. I get why you didn’t tell me before. Not that there’s anything to be ashamed of, that’s not what I— Alright, I’m going to just stop talking now.” 

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

REYNOLDS HOUSEHOLD w/ @rcmyfisher​

It seemed like Abel’s new routine lately — wake up, hit the gym, head to work, have dinner with his family. Tonight was no different other than the fact that his mother and sister had invited Romy to stay from dinner after their book club meeting had finished. So when Abel walked inside the familiar home to see Romy helping to set the table, Abel made his way toward her direction, “You tryin’ to take my job?” He joked with a faint smile as he pulled his jacket off and set it on the back of one of the chairs and headed into the kitchen to greet his mother. After a short moment, Abel came back with flowers (he assumed Romy had brought them earlier) and set them at the center of the table. His sister walked in, happy to see the table coming along before raising a brow at her brother and shooing him away to wash his hands. “I’m so glad you’re staying for dinner, it’s nice having people over. Plus I think Abel always seems like he’s in a better mood when you’re around and he’s doing so much better since he got let out of—” She cut herself off quickly, realizing her mistake. Truth be told, she didn’t think it was a big deal and if he and Romy were friends then she must have known about his prison sentence, right? “He did his time and he was let out and he’s been great ever since. That’s all that matters,” She added with a smile as Abel returned from the bathroom, holding his hands up as if for his sister’s approval. When she nodded and disappeared back into the kitchen, Abel resumed his spot next to Romy, “You trying to make my sister and my mom your best friend since I said no?” He said jokingly.

-

Alright, so maybe it was a little weird for Romy to show up at Abel’s house when he wasn’t even there, but was she supposed to turn down an invite to book club in a useless attempt to look cool to her new friend? There was simply no way. Plus, she really did enjoy spending time with Abel’s mother and sister. They reminded her a lot of her own family and made her feel just a little less homesick. Of course, book club usually ended up leading straight to an invite for dinner and that’s how she ended up getting caught setting the table at Abel’s house by Abel himself. At least he didn’t look annoyed or weirded out. “I think I already got your job,” she replied quietly enough so her words wouldn’t carry to the next room, glancing up at him with a smile as he walked straight to the kitchen. She was finishing up with the cutlery when Abel walked back in only to be shooed right back out by his sister. She chuckled, glancing at her with a nod of approval. Romy was in the process of turning beet red because of Jessica’s excitement over her presence when confusion took over. She must’ve noticed the look on Romy’s face as she went over what she was saying again, her mouth parting as questions overwhelmed her. “Got out?” She asked her uselessly, since Jessica was already speaking over her, both clearing up her previous statement and confusing Romy even more. “I don’t—” Abel chose that moment to walk back in and she instantly closed her mouth, not wanting him to think she and Jessica were discussing him while he wasn’t even present. She sat down next to him, her eyes on the empty plate in front of her. She barely even registered what he was saying, too focused on trying to remember exactly what Abel had told her about his past. As it turned out, not much at all. “Hm? Oh. Yeah, they’re really nice. Really nice,” she said absentmindedly. “Hey, uh, your sister said something. About you getting out and doing your time? What did she mean by that?” 

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

Given her words, Abel gave Romy another once over before deciding on a verdict, “You look good but you’re nowhere near ripped,” He said with an inkling of an amused smirk making its way to his features. “I can’t afford a lawyer to sue you if that makes you feel better,” It was true enough, though he was sure his mother or sister would be willing to help him out financially if he really needed them to. “It might be questionable, but it also might save your life so the decision is yours,” he added with a simple shrug. “I haven’t tasted these pancakes so until I do I can’t comment on it,” He said grinning.

-

Romy frowned as he checked her out, looking down at herself and seeing the same thing he was probably seeing. Someone who was definitely not ripped. Muscles was something she was seriously lacking. “Don’t give me a complex,” she muttered, lifting up her arm and poking at her bicep. “Good, I can’t afford a lawyer to countersue. We’ll just have to settle this together like adults if anything goes terribly wrong.” She shrugged, considering her options. It was either get a taser or more physical activity. It wasn’t hard to figure out which one she preferred. “Fine, I’ll get a taser.” If she remembered to. “Are you trying to get yourself an invite to breakfast? Because that can be arranged.”

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

“Too late,” Abel said under his breath. Truth be told, he never considered himself a positive person by any means, but he also didn’t consider himself a negative one, not even after prison. Most days he was a realist, however, perhaps Romy’s positive attitude would rub off on him one day. “If you wanna be my best friend you’re gonna have to work for it,” he said with a grin, only joking since that title would unfortunately always belong to Judd, no matter what he did. “I’ll teach you how to use the taser so that doesn’t happen,” And he trusted she’d be capable of not hurting herself. “What other qualities? Since I’m kind of curious now.”

-

“Haven’t I been working for it? Look at me right now, Abel Becker! I’m wearing gym clothes and I can’t feel my upper arms anymore. This is dedication,” she pointed out, although she supposed to opposite was true as well. He’d been indulging her hobbies as much as she had his. “Fine, but you’re not allowed to sue if things go awry. You’ve been warned that giving me a weapon is a questionable idea.” She paused when he questioned her statement, momentarily taken aback by having to actually name some of her qualities. “Well... I’m patient and I liked to think I’m not very judgemental. Also, I make the world’s best pancakes. Tell me that doesn’t beat being able to throw a decent punch.”

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

“You’re in the plant business, isn’t that the growing business, not the crushing business?” Abel said just to press her buttons a little. Despite her words, Abel didn’t believe Romy for a second. She seemed like she was all bark and no bite but she could very well prove him wrong in the future. “I’ll let you have nicest,” They hadn’t known each other long enough to get near the favorite friend mark that seemingly belonged to Judd, although Abel knew the guy hadn’t deserved it, especially lately. “Tasers are effective,” Abel corrected. At the end of the day he just wanted to make sure she was safe and no one was trying to take advantage of her in any way. As Romy pressed a fist to his chest, Abel raised his brow at her, “Is that really all you got? Maybe you do need more than a taser,” he said with a teasing smile.

-

“Don’t call my positivity into question,” she said with a glare she hoped was at least a little bit threatening. “Wow, way to crush a girl.” She wasn’t crushed, not really. It wasn’t that surprising that they weren’t best friends after a few weeks of knowing each other. She was forced to admit, embarrassingly enough, that he was her closest friend as far as Eureka went. She hadn’t invested in other people here quite as much as she had with Abel. “What if I accidentally shock someone? Or myself? The former is way more likely to happen, just so you know.” As she had suspected, her weak attempt at a punch didn’t so much as cause a slight flinch. “Alright, alright, laugh all you want. I have other qualities, alright?”

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

“I’ll take that challenge too,” Abel said with a smug expression across his face. When he first came to Eureka he could barely keep a snake plant alive, but with help from Romy and his mother, it seemed like his green thumb had finally come along. “You think you’re my only friend?” Abel asked with the raise of his brow. Sure he had Judd and Lena and Ren but their friendships had become so fickle and wayward that perhaps Romy was right. “Besides, you don’t have any other friends? That’s kinda hard to believe,” After all, Romy was personable and friendly, surely she must have other friends besides an ex convict turned bodyguard. “I think we can get that muscle mass up by at least 0.1″ He joked, reaching over to poke at her arm lightly. “I think in your position just carrying mace or a taser would work pretty efficiently. If you’ve gotta defend yourself with nothing but your hands, just make sure when you curl your hand into a fist that your thumb is on the outside.”

-

“Oh, please, the student has not become the master. I will crush you,” she said, a random bout of confidence overcoming her. Plants just brought out that side of her, evidently. “Alright, maybe I’m not your only friend. Your favorite maybe? What about the nicest?” Truthfully, they spent so much time together these days that she barely had time to see other people, but she supposed ti was possible that he pulled it off. “I would call them acquaintances. I don’t see why you find that so hard to believe. You have noticed how good I am at putting my foot in my mouth, right?” Romy rolled her eyes playfully as he poked her. She had to stop herself from wobbling slightly. “Tasers are intimidating,” she replied, folding her fingers to make a fist and leaving her thumb on the outside. She turned to face him, eyes narrowing in concentration before she punched him weakly right in the chest. “Not bad, huh?”

[sersh]

Victoria Pedretti on Instagram Stories, April 12th 2022

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

Being at the gym was Abel’s only real outlet, even before prison and during his sentence, lifting weights and focusing on his exercise had brought about a sense or routine that gave him stability. It was clear the same could not be said for Romy though, which was why he could barely hide his amusement. “Yeah, you’re right, I do have an advantage. How about I even the odds and say first coffee’s on me?” He offered, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the hem of his tee. “But you really gotta work on your core strength, otherwise I might have to be your bodyguard going forward,” He joked with a faint smile.

-

Romy groaned, looking down at her completely muscleless stomach and immediately knew this was one competition she wasn’t going to win. “This is like me and you competing to see who can keep a plant alive the longest,” she grumbled, shooting him a half-hearted glare. “Honestly, I assumed you were already my bodyguard given that we’re each other’s only friend and that that should be incentive for you to want to keep me around for as long as you can, but I see your point. My muscle mass is at, like, 0.2%.” She held up her arm to demonstrate, failing miserably at any kind of flexing. “Alright, show me how to take down my enemies.”

[rcmyfisher]

lgraves​:

“No worries, I get it—” Smoking was terrible; that was true. He had heard it from most of the well-rounded people in his life. But hey, at least it wasn’t coke. Though— she wasn’t going to get the background of that joke, so he’d keep it to himself. “Trust me, my mother would be clutching her chest if she knew how much I smoked.” That, and amongst other vices. 

“Unfortunately, I am very much the, uh—” Leland paused, a faint smirk curling onto the corners of his lips, “Building-shaking music listener. So, ah well— I guess I’ll create my very first unit-enemy. Might be funny.”

“I definitely will. Might have to start a small collection of plants if this—” He motioned to the one in his arms, lifting it up ever so slight, “ends up well.”

-

Romy had figured he wouldn’t be too offended by her comment since it probably wasn’t the first time he heard it. Smoking wasn’t as popular as it had once been after all. “It’s never too late to stop, just saying. Just replace it with someone healthier... like working out,” she suggested, realizing as the words left her mouth that smoking sounded more appealing. “Alright, maybe not working out, but you can just replace that with your favorite hobby.”

“I’ll show you who to watch out for in that case.” She had a feeling Leland wouldn’t be the most popular tenant in the building, but he seemed nice and she didn’t mind loud music. “As for the plant, I’d be seriously impressed if you managed to kill it, but I’m right over there if you need any tips or have any questions. Or, you know, just tap in my window, I guess.”

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

GOLD STANDARD FITNESS GYM June 21st, Tuesday w/ @rcmyfisher​

Romy had helped Abel keep the few plants in his apartment alive the last few months and in return he helped her with working out. Today, it was another routine in the gym, one that he was sure she wouldn’t have too many complaints about, however, he couldn’t help the faint amusement that covered his features when Romy began to give out after a few reps of push-ups. “Loser’s gotta buy drinks,” He stated, hoping it’d motivate her a little bit.

-

This entire idea of her tagging along during Abel’s gym time had been funny in theory, but was a lot less so now that she was actually here and failing miserably at the simplest tasks. Romy nose’s scrunched up as her arms shook dangerously every times he attempted to lift her own weight higher than a few inches. She was so focused actually that she forgot that a very fit and sweaty Abel was working out right next to her. His statement, however, snapped her right out of it and also caused her to fall face first on the mat. “Ow,” she muttered, forcing her sore body into a sitting position. “What do you mean loser? First of all, that seems completely unfair to me as you have a very obvious advantage, and, second, how would you even mesure something like that?”

[rcmyfisher]

jasonmaddox​:

“Nah, don’t be.” Jason flashed her a warm grin, misreading her embarrassed giggle. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he said he’d been remembered for worse than a little drunkenness; he and his friends had managed to get into plenty of trouble as kids, and even when they probably should’ve outgrown such antics. Still, it wasn’t anything he was ashamed to admit to, now; he was who he was because of it all. “One of my actual talents,” he said with a nod of his head, comfortable enough to admit, without feeling too much like he was bragging, “Uh, songs-in-progress. I mean, I do play actual songs, too, but right now, I’m—this song’s not done, yet.”

-

“Fine, what are you usually remembered for then?” Romy asked, knowing she was about to be expose just how tame her life was in comparison to his (she assumed). “That’s very impressive. And way cool that you come here to practice. I bet the plants love it.” Wasn’t it fact that people talking to plants helped them grow? Music had to be actual crack for them. “What’s the song about?”

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

“Yeah see, doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily, huh,” Abel said with a faint smile of amusement. Romy’s hobby of taking care of plants was built on nurturing, and his hobby of boxing seemed to be one solely on destruction. However, Abel was hoping she could teach him some healthier coping mechanisms that didn’t hurt people but rather helped people grow. Taking care of plants seemed to be a good start. “Maybe not to you but for me it is. Crazy is just another word people use on those who are passionate, that’s all,” Even Abel had been called insane and crazy back in his prime boxing and MMA days for how much time he dedicated to training. “Alright, so you like the smothering type. Good to know.”

-

“Shut up,” she muttered, her amused smile betraying her. She had a feeling he would always one up her as far as snark and humor was concerned, but she was okay with it. Maybe he would rub off on her a little bit. “Well, I definitely appreciate your spin on it. I can agree that I’m passionate. It’s a little hard to deny when I had my hands all over your poor plant a minute ago.” Just like the word crazy, smothering tended to have a negative connotation to it. “I like present people, how about that? Why would that be good to know? You intending to smother me with your friendship?”

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

“Alright, good to know,” Abel figured he’d set a reminder in his phone every two weeks to water his plant. Routine was always welcomed for him since it brought him some sanity, so this was just another thing to add to his mornings. “Did I say that?” Abel shot back with the raise of his brow and an amused look. “Besides, who says that’s a bad thing,” He added with a shrug. It just meant she was passionate about something and that was far better than coasting through life with nothing to make it worth living. “Okay, what else do you not allow your friends to have?” He asked, just a bit curious.

-

Romy glanced at him subtly, smiling happily. He actually seemed to care about what she was saying, to be taking notes. It was nice to be around someone that wasn’t just humoring her when it came to her love her all things earthy. “It was implied, crazy... boxing guy?” She chuckled to herself, realizing it didn’t exactly have the same ring to it. “Anything with the word crazy in it usually isn’t a compliment.” She stopped fussing with his plant, turning around to face him with a thoughtful expression. “I don’t know, I’ve never really thought of it. They have to like plants, obviously. They can’t be rude or boring. Above all, they mustn’t have anything going on that will stop them from spending all their time with me,” she said seriously before her grin managed to break through her composure. “Kidding.”

[rcmyfisher]

abelbecker​:

“Seems pretty low if you can forget about a plant and it’s somehow still alive,” Abel said with the shrug of his shoulders. His mother and sister were far more attentive than he was but his excuse was that if he wasn’t at work or the gym then he was sleeping and not much else. “You tryna turn me into a crazy plant guy?” Abel said jokingly, though you’d only be able to tell he was joking for the simple fact that there was a faint smile across his features. “What about fake plants? They’re pretty too and no maintenance,” He offered as a solution.

-

“I mean, you can’t forget about it forever, but it can go without water for a few weeks and still be... okay,” she said hesitantly, suddenly worried about Abel killing anything she might get him. His comments definitely didn’t inspire confidence. “Are you saying I’m a crazy plant lady?” She wanted to look offended, but it was hard to deny she wasn’t exactly that. She wore the title proudly. “Fake plants are just... not it. We’re not doing that. No friend of mine gets fake plants.”