Big Ass File… Dear Lord. Absolem is loosely based off of Alan Rickman mentally and completely physically. Also his last name is Latin for butterfly, in case any of you were wondering.
I own nothing, talk to Mr. Burton.
Taste
Alice is dragged to the hookah bar by the Twins, who are both claiming that she needs to get out and get a taste of the party scene but she quits paying attention when she sees the gentlemen in the lovely blue scarf smoking by himself.
Temperature
Alice could have sworn that the temperature dropped about fifty degrees whenever she asked if she could join the man, but he does sigh and then proceed to lecture how to properly smoke.
Dream
Absolem was mildly sure he'd inhaled too much smoke (or that Chess had slipped him something) when the (rather pretty in an odd sort of way) blonde comes through the haze of the bar asks to use HIS hookah.
Twelve
They end up talking, with some encouragement needed on Absolem's part, he finds out she's a business (minor in creative writing) major at the college where he teaches philosophy; it strikes midnight and he offers to escort her home.
Weeks
It takes him five weeks since they first meet for him to introduce her to Chess, the two hit it off. It takes her twenty weeks for her to introduce him to her mother and they mentally size up each other almost immediately.
Serious
Absolem does have some of his less serious moments, like the time he threw flour all over her in the kitchen while baking, and Alice keeps them like charms in a jewelry box.
Some
Chess remarks that some won't get their lovely May/December romance right in front of Alice, and Absolem has never wanted to punch his best friend so much before and settles for throwing him out.
Sing
She walks in on him singing and is stunned on how good he sounds, and doesn't let him know she's there till the very end of the song.
Share
He doesn't share very well, not even with Alice, but she remedies that with big eyes and a very sneaky hand.
Rock
Everybody knows that he's her emotional rock, but nobody knows that she is his in the dead of night after a few drinks and tears and memories come back to haunt him.
Greatest
Out of all the people Alice has ever met, Professor Absolem Brucus was probably the greatest at sarcasm.
Sold
He's sold on her the moment he realizes she stocks all of his favorite teas and that she not only understands his sarcasm but counters it and that life without an Alice isn't much of a life at all.
Hero
He'd jump into a burning building to rescue her, but she's her own heroine so he settles for bringing her tea at work.
Tribute
He finds an old shoebox in the back of her closet marked 'Tarrant', and he understands; she finds the old picture album underneath his bed with 'Mirana', and she understands.
Gap
Chess swears that there was no happiness between childhood and adulthood for Absolem, and that Alice is filling the gap, but it's a full year before she knew what he meant.
Hard
The fights they have are legendary and everybody know that when two people that hard-headed clash it's bound to be magnificent.
Manual
After attempting to put the damn bed frame together for the tenth damn time, it's Alice who suggests that they just put the mattress on the floor and sleep there.
Excess
There's never an excess of Alice- he can't get enough.
Cold
She's never quite cold with him, and that's just the way she likes it. Especially in winter, when it's not at all odd to see them in their respectively dark blue and light blue coats.
Pool
She'd never figured for him to be much of a swimmer but when he does get the hang of it, she swears he's part fish.
Here
They don't know how they got there, but they're here and now and that's all that really matters.
Palace
Alice's tiny apartment barely has heating or air-conditioning, and thanks to him, smells constantly like hookah smoke, but it's her palace complete with a cantankerous old sultan.
Soul
The night that she screams at him that he's soulless; he leaves the apartment in a rage. He's back before dawn, but she's gone out looking for him.
Half
She's more than half his age, and he feels it until he looks into her eyes and finds an equal in everything possible except physical age and snarkiest.
Active
Alice never seems to stop moving- that wouldn't be a problem if her side of the bed wasn't cold and she was off doing anything except morning cuddling with him.
Voice
She tells him he was the voice of a villain, and that she absolutely loves it. He gives her a blank stare and then smiles evilly.
Hate
She hates very little, he hates so much, and somehow they balance each out quite nicely.
Battery
When's Alice seemingly never-ending energy does run out, he rents a couple of movies and they spend the next few hours on the couch just being there.
Toxic
His smoking never affected him, but when it's Alice who gets the medical report back he immediately throws every form of tobacco out of the apartment.
Dollars
They never really need money, he makes a good salary and she is just starting at her new job, but occasionally he wishes he could give her all the jewels (and anything else) in the world.
Insane
Alice flinches at being called insane and he holds her bit tighter that night. He knows her pain and soothes it, the same way she is soothing his old wounds.
Mess
Alice adores a bit of chaos every now and then, but when she can no longer see their coffee table she starts organizing.
Names
He explains his is an old family name, and she thinks it fits him perfectly.
Sleep
Sometimes when he's asleep she runs a finger across the tattoo on his shoulder. He's possibly the only man on the planet who can have an intricate blue and gold butterfly and make it look manly.
Complex
When Lowell suggests that Alice might have a daddy complex, Alice stopped Absolem from strangling him. She then gave Lowell the best black eye of his life and dragged Absolem home.
Old
Whenever he mentions feeling old, she secretly wishes she'd been born just a while earlier. It's not quite fair they were robbed of so much time.
Cream
He takes cream in his coffee and she takes sugar in her tea. The morning ritual is quite sacred and they value the time they have before they have to face the world.
Alone
He used to love being completely and utterly alone, but now the moment she leaves his side he starts counting the seconds.
Light
The light in her smile and eyes when she is happy is enough to make him wish for an eternity with her.
Stretch
To imagine that a cranky philosophy professor and an imaginative business student would complete each other would take some stretch of the mind- but Alice has always been good with coming up with impossible things.
Black
She runs her hands through his hair (which is slowly picking up gray) and comments on how it feels so soft. He relishes in the touch.
Eye
She likes the way glasses look on him: he likes the way his stolen glasses fit on her nose.
Piano
The moment she found out he could play the piano; she immediately starts looking for what would soon be the newest piece of décor in their apartment.
Sting
He rarely loses his temper with anyone, but when he does he can cut anyone down to size and it stings like alcohol poured in a wound.
Lips
Absolem loves the way she doesn't wear anything but the occasional chap stick- it's nice to feel actual skin and not cosmetics. Alice loves the way his lips still taste like the hookah bar the first time they met.
Emotion
To the outsider, he rarely shows emotion. To her, he wears his soul in his expressions. It's just a matter of getting past his stone exterior.
Wedding
He's the first person to mention a wedding in the future. She gives him a look that makes him love her ten times over.
Boots
They walk everywhere as usual, and her newest shoe purchase ends up hurting her feet she limps, he carries her home. Anybody else he would have dismissed with a scathing look but Alice would only admit defeat if her feet fell off first.
Apologize
By the time they find each other on the street, no apologies are really needed. They embrace and just hold each for a minute.
Apples
He's buying apples the second time she meets him. She recommends her favorite type, and he wordlessly shows her the exact type of fruit in the bag. He looks her up and down, and when she doesn't back down from his stare he invites her to continue shopping with him.