endure and survive. | tlou

abby ( cherry wine. )

Abby often wondered just how she let you talk her into these chaotic situations. She would like to blame it on your persuasive tone but in reality, it was probably just the way your eyes seemed to light up and how your lips always curved into a smile when she agreed. She really needed to work on saying no to you, this was absolutely bizarre. How in the hell had she allowed you to get her on the top of an abandoned bridge?

"Is it your plan to make me have a stroke?" She questioned after you, shaking hands gripping the support rail firmly next to her. She had somehow almost made it to the viewing platform of the bridge but you still had another row of some not-so-sturdy looking steps to get up.

You tossed a glance over your shoulder at her, the Firefly tag around your neck making small chimes as you did so. A sympathetic smile curved over your lips, one that Abby caught notice of, and you slowed your pace to allow her to climb next to you. With a small nudge you offered her your hand, enclosing it around her own and squeezing for support. "I promise it'll be worth the climb, you can do this."

Abby swallowed the lump in her throat, shaking off whatever nerves were plaguing her and slowly followed you up the remainder of steps. She'd been working on conquering this fear of heights for awhile now, little by little of course, and slowly but surely she was getting there. Lev would always be credited for the head start by making her cross the Seraphite bridge back in Seattle but you were a pretty close second. Sometimes you'd gradually introduce her to higher places and let her adjust to the setting for a few minutes before allowing her to go down. Though, you never forced her into doing something she couldn't handle. You'd only been up to the operation room once in the entire time you'd been with the Fireflies so far, that was one you wouldn't be pushing on her to do.

After a few more steps Abby finally felt solid concrete underneath her boots and sighed in relief. She'd made the climb, the hardest part was over. At least until it was time to go back down, she damned you for talking her into this. Despite that, Abby still followed you over to a pair of chairs seated beside the overlook and took the open one, facing away from the view below. She took notice of the stray plastic pumpkins decorating the setup, some straw scattered around them in attempts of making a pumpkin patch.

"So, what's so cool up here?" She questioned, drawing in a breath of fresh air. It was cool and clean from the high point you were currently sitting at, not smoggy and dusty from the collapsing buildings.

You stood, crossing to the overlook and resting your upper body on the railing. You came here often, for peace, for quiet and whenever you needed a break from the world you'd grown up in. A waterway laid some distance in front of you, train tracks weaving over it in different sections. The trees were slowly losing their leaves, those that remained were painted in bright orange and red. Fall was absolutely dreamy, you could only imagine how it was before the outbreak when people, so you'd read, carved pumpkins and gave out candy one night of the year while kids dressed in costumes.

"It's a nice view, you gotta admit that."

Abby hesitated for a moment, shortly after standing up to lean next to you. It took a moment to adjust to the sight below, it seemed so high, but she did see your point. It was a nice view, she could see why you snuck off here so much. Maybe she should've taken up your offer to join sooner, this was her first time accompanying you to your spot.

"Yeah, it's pretty nice," She agreed, though her eyes were trailing to look at your features from the side. Your hair gently moving about in the wisps of Autumn air, the Firefly jacket securely wrapped around your shoulders and the peaceful expression on your face. In Abby's opinion, you shouldn't ever look any other way than the way you did then. Of course, she'd only ever told you such a flirty comment once prior and you thought she was joking. Abby sighed, tucking a strand of her hair-which had finally grown out to her shoulders-behind her ear.