The Gene Files

[Ehcorn]

When Sam clamped his hands around his arm, Remi sucked in a startled breath. He could feel Sam’s cool fingers through the thin material of his dress shirt, and focusing on the sensation effectively anchored him to the vampire. Each breath that followed came more easily than the last, because the walls weren’t collapsing on him anymore, crushing his chest and making it impossible to fill his lungs properly.

Eventually, he licked his lips and used some of the air he’d gathered to speak, but the words hung in his throat when he met Sam’s gaze. In the semidarkness on the balcony, Remi hadn’t paid attention to the color of his eyes. Now, underneath the impossibly bright lights in the elevator, he was struck by how much they resembled the sky at twilight. Remi would've continued staring, but his reverie was interrupted when something made a clanking noise, causing him to blink and jerk his head back to eye the inside of the box warily while his heart tried to jump through his chest.

But Sam was still there, wasn’t he?

Remi untucked one of his hands to rest it on top of the vampire’s, using the additional contact to lower the anchor until it dragged sand.

He sighed and shook his head, then gave answering Sam another shot. “No, it’s not my wings,” he admitted. “They’re not… They’re caught between here and there when I hide them.” He chuckled wryly. “I wish it was that, ‘cause that’d make sense. This… This doesn’t make sense. I get in these spaces, and I know there’s air, and I know those doors are going to open again, but it doesn’t feel like it. I feel trapped, like I’m getting crushed. I can’t breathe.”

Remi tightened his fingers around Sam’s briefly and smiled crookedly at him. “It’s easier now, though. Thank you.”

[Existentially Odd]

Remi's heart beating a tattoo of distress was the most prevalent sound, to Sam; the angel's words were almost hard to hear over it. When his hand was covered by warm, worried fingers, Samuel turned his over and arranged it so that their hands were entwined. That way, he could give Remi's a reassuring (he hoped) squeeze. His other hand dropped to Remi's waist, his thumb rubbing and kneading reflexively.

The idea of Remi's wings being trapped in a netherworld between 'here and there' fascinated the vampire but he forced himself to focus on the story about his fear instead. Confined spaces was quite a common one, though not something Sam had experienced himself. It didn't make him any less sympathetic, though.

"Ah, I see. Claustrophobia. Just... I'm trying t- oh! How about 'tell me something you've discovered about yourself that would be interesting for me to know'? This trip won't take long and we can use the stairs when we go back-"

No sooner had the words left Sam's mouth than the elevator slowed and stopped on the fourth floor. So close. A young mortal got on, giving them a curious look and a friendly smile before he turned and pressed the button that would take him to the ground floor. One beyond their destination. He didn't look back at them once he'd hit the button, content to let them do whatever they were doing in the corner while he stared at the lights beside the door.

"Not far to go," Sam whispered to Remi as he focussed his attention back on him. His hand slid from his waist and wound around the angel's back, pulling the front of his body into contact with Remi's. He smiled again as the elevator whirred to life and continued its downward journey to the first floor.

[Ehcorn]

The doors slid shut, but as panic bubbled in Remi’s chest and made his throat tight, Sam brought him close enough that if Vretil had been there, the angel would’ve pulled them apart and scolded Remi for being so careless. Hadn’t he made it clear what vampires were? What they could do? When Sam flashed his fangs, though, it wasn’t to tear open his throat — it was to comfort him with a reminder and a smile. They were almost there. Remi nodded and his smile grew in strength.

It didn’t hurt that the nearby mortal seemed as unconcerned that he was locked in a small metal box as Sam was. His aura radiated a steady calmness that drew Remi’s eye until he looked past it to the flickering numbers above the doorway. 3… 2… 1… and the doors opened again. Uncertain if it was their time to go or if another person would be joining them on the elevator, Remi was frozen until Sam gently urged him to move.

A grin split his face and he burst out of the elevator, dragging Sam past the blinking human and into a gloriously empty hallway. The ceiling rose well above his head and if he wanted, he could reach both arms out and not touch a wall. He could breathe. He inhaled deeply and exhaled, lips flapping like the business end of a whoopee cushion, but before he took in another breath, the weight in his hand registered and he untangled his fingers from Sam’s.

He winced and shook his hand, then rubbed it on the side of his pants. Sam hadn’t stolen any of his blood, but he’d had no qualms about stealing his warmth.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel was surprised by the sudden burst of enthusiasm that had Remi yanking him out of the elevator but he caught up quickly, smiling at Remi’s obvious relief. It was understandable and he felt vicarious relief on the angel’s behalf. That faded as soon as Remi shook him off, pulled a face and wiped Sam’s touch onto his pants. It sent a clear message; he was still distasteful, on the whole. In times of wild panic, he was tolerable - and useful for things like money - but he oughtn’t let those marginal benefits go to his head.

He was a mildly convenient stranger and a vampire. He didn’t rank far above a slavering dog, in Remi’s opinion.

Gathering his dignity, Sam turned from watching Remi and headed down the hall instead. Passing a set of stairs, they turned right where, a few metres along, the wall around the corner was broken by a large opening. It featured a belly-height counter and a broad view into a large room filled with desks, computers and a hive of activity generated by the numerous folks in their black Security-labelled uniforms. Behind Sam, expansive floor to ceiling windows (The Luminary’s standard on every floor possible) gave a view out to the street and the entry to the building, a long line of chairs was placed in front of them for people to sit on while they waited to be attended to. They were all empty.

Switching into his more confident public persona, Sam took charge of the situation, stepping up to the counter and greeting City Warden Jardine (according to her badge), who stood behind the reception desk. He adopted a pleasant enough smile, though he knew it didn’t reach his eyes; his positive feelings had been left at the top of that elevator ride. Sam stated his business and pulled out his wallet, extracting a credit card efficiently. There was some fussing when it was discovered Remi didn’t have his fine with him (which Sam had expected) but it was resolved pretty easily with some tapping of keys on their computer and Remiel supplying his full name. He couldn’t confirm the date, place or timing of the infringement, which somewhat frustrated the warden, but she let Sam pay the fine anyway.

“Not bad timing,” she remarked casually as she returned to the counter with the printed copy of Sam’s receipt and handed it over to him. “You only had a week left to pay. You folks have a nice evening now,” she bade with a smile.

“Thanks. You too,” Sam replied, his tone too grim to match her pleasantry. He examined the paper as he turned and walked towards the sweeping set of stairs that led down to the lobby (they let out just beyond the hotel reception desk - most people rarely looked at the nondescript entrance, even though it was clearly signed as an approach to the City Ward offices, because they were too taken aback by the statue or they headed straight for the elevator bank). “You got this fine almost two months ago,” he accused Remi as he went, looking at the details listed on the sheet.

It wasn’t his business but he figured he’d earnt the right to snoop since he’d just paid three hundred and sixty dollars for the privilege.

[Ehcorn]

At the corner of Jardine’s desk resided a single potted plant. What time Remi hadn’t spent answering her questions he’d spent eyeing dried brown leaves and waiting for an opportunity to bring her attention to it. He’d thought his chance would be after she’d wished them a nice evening and before they left, but Sam moved on faster than he anticipated. Remi looked after Sam and back to Jardine with widened eyes.

Jardine lifted her eyebrows at him. "Was there something else?"

"Yes. Yes, actually. Your plant? It’s dying. You should water it."

He caught up with Sam just in time to be admonished. Remi huffed. If the vampire restarted his heart, grew a pair of wings, and dyed his hair, he could take over Vretil’s job as his mentor. The angel used that same tone with him, usually when he was frustrated by Remi’s occasional inability to retain some fragment of a lesson. Remi remained in step with the vampire, trying to steal looks at the paper, but a string of passersby on their way up the stairs forced him to fall behind temporarily.

When he was next able to walk abreast of Sam, they’d entered the foyer. He reached over and pulled on Sam’s arm to bring the paper closer to him. What glimpses he caught while they continued walking didn’t tell him much, though.

"She said it got taken care of in time," Remi protested. "What would’ve happened if you hadn’t paid it, anyway? You said I’d get into more trouble but you never said what kind."

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel's mouth twisted and he frowned as Remi grabbed at his arm. He resisted him on principle but when he was challenged verbally, Sam came to a stop and presented the receipt to the angel with an impatient flap and an exasperated sigh. "Here. And yes, she did, but if you hadn't paid it I imagine you'd have accrued another fine. I don't really know all the intricacies of breaking the law," he declared but then paused, realising impatience was raising his voice a little louder than it should've been, considering the delicate nature of the topic.

With a furtive glance around them to ascertain how much attention they'd garnered, Sam cleared his throat, stepped closer to Remi and spoke at a much quieter volume. "I don't know how it goes, exactly," he repeated softly, holding eye contact with Remi in an effort to convey how serious he thought the matter was, "but I imagine, at some point, they'd get sick of your flagrant disobedience, stop fining you and punish you by locking you up for a while. If you think an elevator is a cage, imagine how you'd feel trapped in a real one until they're happy you've learnt your lesson."

Sam's expression was punctuated with raised eyebrows and a stern mouth. He doubted it would get that far - he certainly would do his best to stop Remi facing serious punishment - but he wanted the angel to understand that he couldn't be so flippant about his behaviour in the city. There were authorities who would strenuously object to his civil disobedience and their consequences wouldn't be light. He'd do better to fear the process than to flout it.

[Ehcorn]

Throughout the majority of Sam’s lecture, Remi’s face was scrunched up like he’d taken a bite of a lemon. His thoughts were just as sour. He hadn’t deliberately broken the law. It’d been an accident. He’d told that to the Ward officials, too. And apologized. A lot. Sam had seemed surprised that he hadn’t gotten into more trouble with them, but Remi suspected that if he hadn’t tripped over himself to accept responsibility for messing up, he would’ve been shoved into the cage Sam mentioned before the vampire fell silent and looked at him reproachfully.

Remi sighed and stared at the paper that’d been thrust at him, but he could no more make sense of it than he could a tablet written in ancient Sumerian. That didn’t stop him from using it as an excuse to keep his head down, though. Most everyone he’d encountered that night, from the lady Warden to Sam, had been frustrated by something he’d done or said or hadn’t known, and it was beginning to wear on him.

When enough time had passed that he felt Sam might’ve changed expressions, Remi glanced up at him and hazarded a smile.

"I’ve already learned my lesson. The elevator was enough punishment for me,” he said, carefully folding the paper in half before he offered it back to Sam. "And ah… the fine. Thank you for making sure I didn’t get another one."

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel relented in the face of Remi's contrition, his expression softening into a reflective smile when the angel finally looked up. Sam nodded at the fact that Remi had learnt his lesson, agreeing that the elevator was punishment enough. He took the proffered piece of paper after he was thanked, brushing a finger across Remi's in a gesture that was meant to be part reassurance, part apology for being so harsh.

"You're welcome. Just don't get any more. I'd get into fifteen times the trouble busting you out if they locked you up, I couldn't handle it - knowing you couldn't handle it," he laughed softly, his gaze roving over Remi's beautiful face. "Do you want to go shopping and I'll buy you a phone now?"

[Ehcorn]

Remi didn’t try to argue. If it hadn’t been for Sam, he wasn’t sure he would’ve been standing when the elevator had stopped. He’d cracked, but the vampire had been there to help hold him together. What would happen to him if he was placed in solitary confinement? It wasn’t something he wanted to think about, and thankfully, Sam offered something else for him to focus on.

“Yes,” he agreed, slipping his hand into his pocket to confirm that he still had Dom’s card: The catalyst for his adventure with Sam. He kept his fingers wrapped around it as they made their way through the foyer and stepped out into the cool night air.

((Continued in Accruing Debts))