Roleplay City
Infusco => INFUSCO: Enter The Shadows => Galvin Academy => Topic started by: Existentially Odd on April 06, 2020, 01:26:49 AM
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Sitting at his desk in the library, Samuel glanced up and away from his screen, his gaze flicking forward to his glass office door - unopened - to the desk beyond, then towards the entry through another window. It had to be the thousandth glance in the last few minutes. No white wings yet. Nothing was changed out there, all was quiet, his colleague Oliver manning the circulation desk, just in case. With Remi going hunting for a dark angel today, Sam hadn't known whether he'd make it to work or not, so he'd brought Oliver in.
In the end, he'd come in just to distract himself. And to save his carpet from being worn in by pacing.
He glanced down at his phone, on the desk beside his keyboard, near his right hand. If his heart beat, it would be racing right about now. He touched the screen, re-reading his and Remi's text chain - the final act in his nervous scanning ritual. All was well - Remi had said so himself - but it didn't make him feel much better. He'd texted that he'd found the dark angel and was okay. The relief that had seeped through Sam's system when he'd read those words had left him momentarily weak.
After a few quick messages were exchanged, Remi had said he was on his way to the library. He'd be here any minute but... Sam's gaze flicked, flicked, flicked, flicked... no white wings yet. He needed to see for himself. Doing nothing had been one of the most difficult things he'd ever done, ironically. Knowing Remi was hunting out a confrontation and potential attack worried him sick but he also couldn't afford to let doubt undermine his belief in Remi's strength and ability. He believed in Remi, believed he was awesome and would definitely triumph... but what if he didn't?
Hence the pacing.
Thankfully, he didn't have details but he knew that Remi was at least alive and on his way to him. That was his favourite part. The message had come sixteen minutes and forty-one seconds ago, though. What was keeping him? With a sigh, Sam put his phone to sleep and looked around once again, his fingers tapping agitatedly on the surface of his desk. He couldn't even pretend to work in this state. He couldn't predict how Remi would be feeling, how the fight had gone and whether Remi had killed again or not. So much would only be revealed once he saw his beautiful angel again.
Sam's phone vibrated obnoxiously on the wood of his desk, drawing his gaze to the locked screen. Part of a message flashed up, allowing him to see that Dreki was texting him. It was not urgent, judging by the way his message casually led in with 'Hey Sam, sorry if this is a bother, but I have a question for you. I'm assuming... 'more and Sam immediately dismissed it, guessing that Dreki was only texting to find out what had gone on with Remi and the dark angel. Since he didn't have any definite answers for the hybrid angel (yet), Sam was predisposed to hold off on answering him for now...
Movement in the periphery of his vision had him looking up and he forgot about the phone entirely as he spied Remiel striding through the library's automatic doors. Everything inside him went haywire as Sam leapt to his feet, celerity propelling him out of his office and towards Remi in the blink of an eye. He intended to throw himself into the angel's arms, so overwhelmingly relieved to see him that all he could think about was getting his hands on him and examining him so that he could finally believe Remi was okay. He also intended to keep his claustrophobic darling out of the compact office and in the lofty, open space of the library proper so that he would feel more comfortable.
First things first, though; launching himself into Remi's arms as quickly as possible.
-
If he hadn’t been looking towards Sam’s office already, Remi might’ve missed the blur that streaked towards him until it was too late to do anything about it. As it was, he barely got his arms open in time to catch Sam. Their bodies thudded together hard enough that he was sent stumbling backward before he rebalanced himself with a flap of his wings, drawing a sharp protest from someone who’d been trying to squeak by him in the doorway.
"Sorry," he managed between laughs, which resulted in a scoff and rolled eyes, but he didn’t notice. He was too caught up in Sam, hugging him close and reaffirming that yes, it felt as wonderful to be held in return as he’d remembered.
Remi eventually pulled back enough to take Sam’s face in one of his hands, swiping his thumb over the vampire’s pronounced cheekbone as he searched eyes the color of the ocean he’d just flown over.
"I missed you," he said, then chuckled and lowered his gaze sheepishly. "I know it’s only been what, part of a night and a day, but… talking on the phone isn’t the same. I can’t—" And he broke off because he'd leaned forward to press a firm kiss to Sam’s lips. "Can’t do that," he finished, grinning, and leaned back again.
That’s when he realized people were watching them. A lot of people.
"Why're they staring?" he whispered, eyebrows lowered in his confusion.
-
Samuel's chest felt full and warm in the wake of Remi's declaration, his lips tingling from his kiss. He wanted more, though he doubted very much that he'd be able to successfully kiss the angel with how widely he was grinning. Seeing him settled some very aggressive worry butterflies he'd barely been keeping caged. He was alright, though, the dark angel hadn't killed him... not that that was Remi's priority.
When Remi glanced around, so did Sam, his Remi-only daze broken momentarily as he logged the audience they'd garnered. Remi wasn't wrong; they were being looked at with open curiosity. His baffled question was endearing and made Sam chuckle as he turned back to face the handsome angel. He reached past Remi's shoulder and skimmed the tips of his fingers lightly down a section on the inside of Remi's wings, knowing it would draw his attention to the fact that they were out, too.
Just because the campus was a safe zone and natural forms were approved indoors didn't mean that students and staff got to see an angel in all his glory with any regularity. Especially one that seemed to be lit up with so much joy that he was practically glowing. Maybe he was. Sam couldn't tell the difference; Remi was always blindingly beautiful to him. His smile was captivating at the best of times, right now it was downright hypnotic but his huge white wings... they were something else alright. The vampire felt like he was glowing, knowing he was the cause of Remi's happiness.
"Because you're just too beautiful to look away from," he grinned, unwinding his arms from Remi's torso in order to snag one of his hands in his own. "Come on," he urged, not giving Remi a chance to argue as he spun away from him and dragged him through the library. He wove a path away from the circulation desk and the bookshelves nearby, past study tables and a row of corrals towards the comfortable lounging section. It held clusters of couches and armchairs screened by strategic potted plants and book displays. It wasn't as private as Sam's office but it was beneath the void, the only thing above them was a distant ceiling dotted with skylights. Sam believed Remi would appreciate staying out here more than being locked into his office fishbowl.
There was only one other person in this section and they'd chosen to curl up and sleep in their armchair. Still, Sam didn't stop til he'd reached a distant two-seater tucked between a fern and a palm. He fell into it and pulled Remi down after him, becoming a flurry of words, hungry kisses and reaching arms as he unleashed his bottled-up anxieties in a rush.
"Ohhh, I'm so glad you're okay. And you found him? The dark angel? Him? Or her? Did everything go okay? Ohmystars I've missed you, too, last night feels forever ago and we should probably just go back to your place but-- are you okay? You're not hurt? You can fly and everything still, right?" he fretted, pulling back to squeeze every bit of Remi he could get his hands on, again, l to reassure himself that Remiel was of sound body and health.
-
"Yes, I can. I flew all the way here," he said, unfurling a wing for Sam when the vampire’s pale fingers sought it out. Remi smiled gently as he inspected and traced the edges of his feathers, determining for himself that he was, in fact, uninjured and capable of flying.
He couldn’t see vampire’s auras — Sam’s or otherwise — but as soon as they’d sat down and he’d been inundated with questions and peppered with kisses and touches, he’d understood well enough that his venture to the beach had left Sam feeling unsettled. He indulged Sam a while longer, first spreading his other wing for Sam to examine, then pointing out that his clothing was absent any holes or bloodstains.
When it became clear that it wouldn’t be enough to show Sam that he’d made it out of the meeting unscathed, Remi pinned his wings against his back, tucked a leg underneath him, and scooted over until he could wrap his arms around the vampire.
"I can tell you what happened if you want," he said quietly, and when Sam prompted him to begin his tale, he did. He described the night's events: how he’d used his father’s ring to camouflage himself and ambushed the dark angel, sending one of the arrows he’d fletched with his own feathers through his chest; how he’d been surprised by Adagio throwing aside his daggers and begging for mercy; how he'd removed the arrow, then healed him; and that after some tense discussion, he’d found out that the dark angel didn’t want to be dark any longer.
"We’re supposed to meet at Huggamug, with two Gs, tomorrow to talk about it some more. There will be coffee and chocolate. I haven't had either before."
-
Samuel listened to Remi's recount of his night with the dark angel - one that he was now on a first name basis with (?!!) - and barely closed his mouth the entire time. It kept dropping open in shock. He'd been preparing himself to hear a tail of bloodlust, hatred and murder. Instead, he got apologies, heals and... coffee dates? It was surreal.
"Do you even trust him?" Sam asked, frowning worriedly. It all sounded like a convenient excuse to not have another arrow put through him, to Sam. "I mean... he's a dark angel. They're inherently corrupt and looking to corrupt, right? This sounds like a ploy to gain your sympathy right before he betrays you." He had a feeling he was saying nothing Remi wouldn't have already thought of and his lack of originality was, frankly, embarrassing but it was also motivational
He was compelled to point out all the ways this would end badly and hurt Remi because all he wanted to do was protect him.
-
Midway through his retelling, Remi had encircled his hands around Sam’s arm and rested the side of his head on his shoulder, but the question made him sit up and frown at the vampire.
"Not the way I trust you," he answered. "But—" and here, he broke eye contact to look anywhere except at Sam. He examined the spines of shelved books, eyed nearby potted plants that looked healthy enough to have come from his rooftop garden, and gazed the long way up at a ceiling that still allowed him a view of the night sky. The library was open and beautiful and with Sam at his side, it should’ve been perfect, but all his conflicted feelings about Adagio rushed up like water from a geyser.
"When he said he wanted to become fallen again, there was something... It was more than what he said. There was something in his eyes. Desperation. Misery, too. He’s miserable like he is. He doesn’t like how he has to keep power." Remi sighed and stared at his hand as he plucked and pulled at the dark fabric of his jeans. "I never asked what he’s done, though. How he’s corrupted. If he’s killed. He said he wanted to do better and that was enough for me."
He fell silent for several heartbeats, his mouth twisting like the thick fabric between his fingers, then shrugged and breathed out a huff of a sigh. "I don’t like killing them. I know it’s what I’m supposed to do, I just... I don’t like it. I'm not even sure if dark angels can fall, but if they can, I want to help him try."
-
Remiel's words caused an unwanted sourness in Samuel's heart. He tried very hard to squash it down but it wormed its way back into his thoughts anyway. Remi really had a soft spot for guys that wanted to be better. He knew it was overly dramatic and out of context but the bitterness didn't fade because he saw far too many parallels between himself and this Adagio creature.
Was Remi even attracted to him for him or was it really just that he couldn't resist a lost cause?
Sam wasn't used to feeling this way. Insecurity wasn't attractive and doubt had never had a place in any healthy relationship he'd been part of, yet here it was, rising around him like a rip on a tide. He hadn't been aware until this very moment that he and Remi weren't on an equal footing but he was very aware of it now. Remi was an angel, it was in his nature to help, to show compassion and nurture.
Remi was a fixer and Sam was a work in progress, just like Adagio was. Could that be all there was to his and Remi's relationship? He tried to remind himself of the insane physical attraction they shared, the way they'd always gravitate towards one another whenever they were in proximity - even when they were upset with each other, they couldn't help touching and when they weren't, their lips couldn't stay apart - but the doubt remained. Like a film of filth after a bathtub had been emptied, the thoughts coated Sam's mind as he forced himself to focus on Remi's final statement.
"And... what then?" Sam frowned, imagining Remi gaining himself a fallen angel puppy out of this whole business.
If Remi could help Adagio repent for his corruption and fall, Sam could only imagine that it would spark the dark angel's loyalty and he'd continue to rely on Remi for guidance. His question was evidence of the bitterness he was feeling, he could hear it in his own voice but not stop it. In that moment, he was too consumed by his own fears and an unhealthy dose of jealousy. It was selfish but he wanted to know how this might affect them and whether Remi had even bothered to put any thought into that.
-
At first, all Remi managed to do was frown in return at Sam. He’d felt the change in the vampire’s demeanor the same way he could feel an oncoming storm, right when the air grew heavy and the hair on his neck and arms would rise, warning him that lightning was about to strike. The main difference was that while he understood weather — and that when two opposing fronts collided, storms usually resulted — he didn’t understand where Sam’s dark mood had come from.
"I..." he began, then released all his stored air in a puffy breath of frustration. He had a feeling that a lot rested on how he answered Sam’s question, but he wasn’t sure what Sam wanted him to say. All he could do was tell him the truth. "I don’t know, exactly. He’ll be free to choose his own path. He can’t return to the light fully, but he could still do good for the world. I could help him make the right choices if he wanted. Keep him from returning to the dark. But if he doesn’t want to, then I'd put the arrow back in his chest."
He let his declaration hang in the air for a span of a few heartbeats before he continued, shaking his head.
"Is that what you wanted to hear? That I'd be willing to kill him if I needed to?"
-
Sam frowned lightly, knowing his unease was less about the dark angel than it was about his own stupid feelings but he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel better for hearing that Adagio didn't matter enough to fight for. That, if it came down to it, Remi would kill him if he was beyond redemption. It was ridiculous because he understood very well that he was important to Remi but having the angel coming in fresh from a night that had shot Sam's nerves all to hell with worry had him a little irrational.
First, there was Dreki starting this whole business by getting accosted by Adagio - after he'd wormed his way between Sam and Remiel by convincing Remi to mentor him - and now there was Adagio. Both of them were intent on draining Remiel's time and focus so where did that leave Sam? At work waiting for Remi to find a spare moment to see him in between changing angels' lives and sleeping? They already got so little time together, one of them being a creature of light and the other darkness. Maybe it was stupid but, in his current headspace, Samuel couldn't help but feel like it was some sort of sign that they shouldn't be together.
"No," he sighed, lifting a hand to cup Remi's cheek as he stared into his eyes seriously. "Well, yes, that's good to know," he added honestly, "but I'm worried about you. You're committing yourself to helping an untrustworthy creature that's your sworn enemy after you committed to helping Dreki train... I'm worried you're over-committing yourself. I guess... that's kind of like your job though, right?" he queried uncertainly. "Helping people?"
Like me. All in a night's work...
STOP IT. You're being petulant and insecure
I need to get over myself because this is what Remi does... right? It's his purpose on this plane?
-
He leaned into Sam’s hand, relishing the cooling quality of the vampire’s skin against his. After the long flight from the beach to the academy, it felt as good as sticking his head in one of the cold boxes at Maria and Javier’s grocery store on a hot summer day. Really, it was an improvement, because Maria wasn’t in the background chiding him for leaving the door open and letting all the cold air out.
Ay, Dios mío, she'd said, hadn’t his mother taught him better? She’d been dismayed when he told her that he didn’t know his mother, then insisted that she would take on the role since he clearly needed the guidance. Someone should make sure he behaved like a gentleman and had he eaten recently? He needed to eat.
Remi imagined she’d be delighted by Sam’s efforts to ensure he was looking out for himself, even if he didn’t think it was necessary.
"I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do for either of them," he admitted. "I can try to help Adagio, but what can I do except tell him what’s right and hope he chooses to do it? I can’t make him do anything he doesn’t want to. I can’t be with him all the time, either. And Dreki? I wasn't on the heavenly plane long. What do I teach him when I'm still learning?"
Remi pulled on Sam's hand gently, dragging it down so he could twine their fingers together. As he examined their joined hands, his brow furrowed. "It’s not my job to help people. Not exactly. I do it because I want to. Because it feels right. The only mission my father gave me was to stay safe." Remi looked up and met Sam’s gaze, determination settling into the mixed green and brown and gold of his hazel eyes. "If helping had been my mission, they would've given me better tools to do it with. I've just got to do the best with what I have. I’ll figure something out.” He paused to smile and squeezed Sam's hand. "Maybe with a little of your help?"
-
Oddly, Remiel's admissions of doubt soothed Sam's nerves more rapidly than hollow reassurances would have. The litany of self doubt flowing through his mind eased and he looked down at his hand entwined with Remi's, feeling the warmth of his skin and pulse flow into him like electricity. The angel of light was correct. He could only offer haphazard support to the angels he'd committed himself to. He was still learning. Samuel understood then that Remi wasn't making any of his decisions from a logical or rational place; he was just doing his best. He was following his heart.
"With as much of it as you need and a little more besides," Sam smiled through his promise, nodding then leaning forward to press his lips to Remi's. It was a gentle kiss; though his mouth opened to lightly taste each of Remi's lips in turn, he kept his tongue to himself for the time being. His twisted insides began to detangle throughout the kiss, his knotted thoughts unravelling before the resentment and bitterness could take hold. Requesting his help was a sign - a sign that Remiel trusted him and his judgement and that he needed him. He wasn't the same helpless cause as the others. He was different. Special.
Whatever they were to each other, Sam's role was still that of a position of privilege because, even though he still had a lot to learn to make him a better person, Remi saw him differently. He wasn't here just so Remi could work miracles with him.
-
"Thank you," Remi said, though the two words didn’t quite cover the extent of his gratitude. He closed the short distance between them and recaptured Sam’s lips with his own, aiming to show him what he hadn’t been able to say. It was a slow kiss, with lots of lingering lip contact broken up by brief periods of Remi pulling back to make eye contact and smile before he dove back in again. He’d slid his hand to the back of Sam’s neck and flicked his tongue out in an effort to dive deeper when there was a thud and a muted curse.
Remi broke away in time to witness a bespectacled and flustered looking woman stumble past the table she’d thudded into. There was another curse when she also lost her hold on a manilla folder and every bit of paper within slid out and fluttered to the ground.
"Er," she said, glancing at them and then away again like she’d been scalded, "I didn’t realize you were… I just— I didn’t mean to interrupt." She crouched down and scooped up the sheets to stuff them haphazardly into her arms. When she'd finished, she stood and turned to face them, clutching her papers to her chest.
"It’s only… I overheard someone say an angel had come this way. I didn’t believe them, though. I mean, when you stop and think about it, it makes sense, right? There are dark angels, so naturally, there'd be light ones, too, but,” she shook her head, "I’d never seen one. Until now. I think. I’m assuming. That’s probably rude, but there's the wings and you’re so—" She trailed off to stare at him and smile.
Remi cocked his head at her as he waited for her to elaborate, but the silence stretched and stretched until he turned to Sam, giving him the same look of confusion he had when he’d realized everyone in the library lobby was staring at them.
-
Completely reassured and relaxing more with every brush of Remi's lips, Samuel lost himself in the kissing, enjoying the loving nature of it... until they were rudely interrupted. By an angel superfan, apparently. Sam frowned at her as she began to gush her explanation, resenting her presence because she was interrupting their reunion. He watched her pick up all her papers critically, feeling too little motivation to help her or act in any way.
"And yet you have," he muttered under his breath in response to her saying she didn't mean to interrupt. Whether she did or not was irrelevant when she kept doing it without remorse. When she elaborated and then left her sentence about what Remi was 'so', Sam was torn between falling off the chair to relieve the tension and supplying his own adjective. He went with the latter option.
"Beautiful! The word you're looking for is beautiful," he told the girl in annoyance, frowning at her. "Will that be all? Do you need an autograph or a picture with him or are you done?" he insisted, impatient to continue his alone time with Remi and not appreciating her blocking him in the slightest.
-
Remi had turned to Sam to dispel his confusion, but with each hurtful thing he said to the woman, he only grew more confused. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Why was he acting as if she had? Because she’d interrupted them? He pursed his lips and slid his hand from Sam’s neck so he could face forward and lace his fingers in his lap.
After he’d retreated from the vampire, creating distance between them that hadn’t existed since he’d entered the library, he focused all his attention on the woman. She was staring at Sam, her mouth hanging open and working like she wanted to say something but couldn’t quite get it out, and her face had turned a shade of red that reminded him of the peppers Maria had convinced him to try once, but never again.
He didn’t have to read her aura to know Sam had embarrassed her.
"It’s alright," he said, smiling when she looked over. "I don’t mind."
She shook her head rapidly enough her long blonde ponytail swayed and her thick and black-framed glasses slid down the bridge of her nose. She squinted at him over the tops of them.
"I-I don’t want a picture." She gathered all her paperwork into one arm as well as she could and pushed her glasses up, finishing just in time to snap her arm back down to trap a piece of paper that’d tried to escape. "Or an autograph. I just wanted to see if they were right. And maybe ask if…" She trailed off and shook her head again. When her glasses slid down her nose this time, she didn’t move to fix them — she started backing away. "But that’s okay. I um... I’m gonna..."
Before Remi could warn her she was on a collision course with the table, she knocked into it and yelped. He’d half-risen to check on her, but she announced that she was okay, totally okay, and limped off.
Remi sat back down and frowned at Sam.
"You weren't kind to her," he said, gesturing at the spot the woman had stood. "What if she needed help?"
-
Samuel's jaw set as Remi withdrew from him physically, the distance between them palpable after the touches they'd been sharing. The angel's disappointment and disapproval was obvious long before he said anything. Sam tried to feel bad about it, knowing he'd spoken abruptly, his impatience taken out on the girl (some form of fae, he'd bet), but the only thing he felt regret about was the absence of Remi's touch. He was sorry that happened.
Losing Remi's warmth and attention was the exact opposite of what he wanted.
"Sounds exactly like that was what she was about to ask you for," Sam answered coolly, his eyebrows raised and his hands brushing agitatedly up and down his thighs. It was difficult keeping the petulant tone out of his voice when the thing that he'd only just talked himself out of worrying about was back; yet another person needed Remi's help. It was becoming tediously common. "Maybe you should follow after her and check?" he suggested, his tone airy in its challenge.
He didn't want Remi to go. He expected Remi to go. He encouraged Remi to go because he expected he would and he didn't want him to. It was all far too confusing and emotional, Sam wasn't used to such ridiculous levels of emotion so early on in a relationship. He and Remi didn't even officially have a relationship yet! He held no claim over him or his time so he knew this was a losing battle... and he was bitter because he didn't want to lose but he also had no idea how to win.
Remi would be angry at him for thinking in terms of winning and losing too, probably. He was in trouble.
-
"Maybe I should follow her?" Remi repeated, disbelief pitching his voice higher than his usual baritone. He reached over to push at Sam’s shoulder, mindful as always that he should only use a fraction of his strength else he risked shoving the vampire off the couch and onto the floor. "You’re the one who made her feel unwelcome! I could’ve found out what she needed already. And you know what? It might not’ve been anything. Did you think about that? We might've been able to go right back to what we were doing, but not now."
His eyebrows jerked upwards and he shook his head, pulling the same sort of disapproving face Vretil, his mentor, would’ve if he’d found out he’d wasted more time avoiding work than buckling down and just doing it. "Now we need to follow her and figure out if there’s anything we can do to help."
Remi levered himself to his feet and far enough from the couch that he could turn without smacking Sam in the face with his wings, then held his hand out to the vampire.
"Come on," he said, beckoning him with a quick flick of his fingers towards his palm, "before we lose her."
-
Samuel blinked as Remi got sassy and pushed him; he looked at the angel in surprise. It was possibly the wrong reaction but Remi's sternness made his heart swell with happiness - even though he was told they wouldn't be going back to what they'd been doing. Sam knew he had absolutely no clue how to deal with all the stupid emotions Remi roused within him but he'd definitely expected his pettiness to result in abandonment.
He got completely the opposite and he couldn't have been happier that Remi called him on his bullshit and demanded more of him. Demanded he atone for his wilful actions by approaching the woman he'd chased away. It was only in the wake of the wave of relief that washed over him - as Remi clapped his fingers at him - that he acknowledged the guilt he felt about the way he'd treated the stranger. He'd been territorial over Remi and hadn't been interested in allowing yet another distraction in between them but it had gone somewhat against the grain to provoke her into leaving.
Witnessing Remi's resolute expression, Sam rose to his feet and slid his hand into Remi's, relishing the warmth of his palm and fingers as he slipped his cool hand around them. "We won't lose her," he mumbled sheepishly. "I can still smell her." The woman had been pale like a vampire but she'd smelt of foliage and nature. She'd also had a heartbeat that'd told him she was alive despite her ethereal appearance.
Wanting to make amends, he hastened past Remiel and tugged the angel in the direction he could smell the woman had gone. As he followed her scent trail out of the library and along the walkways of the Academy, he revised his theory about her being fae. When they caught up to her on the outskirts of the courtyard, heading in the direction of Meadowcrest Woods itself, he knew he'd been wrong at first and had a whole new idea about what they were dealing with.
"Miss!" he called as she was about to step off the tidy, organised path and into the brawny wilderness beyond, causing her to spin around in startlement. Her silvery blonde ponytail swung in a fluttery arc as she turned to face them with wide eyes, pushing her glasses up on her nose. She stood her ground, though, giving he and Remi time to catch up and Sam the opportunity he needed to begin his penance. As he came to a halt before her, still hanging onto Remi's hand, Sam noticed that her eyes were an enchanting mix of green with silvery flecks radiating away from her pupils, confirming his theory.
"I'm sorry," he said without preamble, his gaze taking in her willowy figure before returning to her face with a smile. "I was rude in dismissing you," he explained, pausing to gauge the effect of his apology.
The girl glanced skittishly from Sam to Remi, her gaze widening and her throat bobbing as she swallowed when gazing upon the angel. The corners of her mouth twitched, like she couldn't help but want to smile at him but the urge faded immediately as her gaze shifted back to Sam's earnest one. "I... i-it's okay, I guess," she conceded, her tone wary. "I know I surprised you."
"Yes, but you had a reason for talking to Remi and I didn't give you a chance to say what it was," Sam prompted, running his free hand through his hair, which seemed determined to swoop into his eyes after his rushed journey across the campus.
The girl's mouth worked soundlessly for a few moments as she looked from Sam, down to his hand joined with Remi's and then back up into the angel's eyes. The smile broke through this time as Remi's aura washed over her and she visibly calmed down. "I didn't really want to bother you, it's just, I have a bit of a problem," she told him, her voice warming as if she was sharing a story with a close friend or at least someone she liked very much, rather than someone she didn't even know.
Marvelling at Remi's effect on people, Sam drew her attention back to him momentarily with a question. "With you or your trees?" he cut in.
The girl looked at him with wide eyes, a blush colouring her cheeks. "Y-you know?"
"That you're a dryad?" he smiled, drawing a solemn nod from her. "I guessed." It was a guess based on past experience and more than one factor of course, but he wasn't surprised that he was correct. There weren't that many species in the city wandering around smelling like plants and looking like they'd floated down from a tree's branches like a leaf on the wind. Besides, he'd looked at the papers she'd dropped when she'd bumped into the table; no-one did that much research on something as mundane as silver maple trees in a supernatural library of the calibre Sam maintained.
Giving Sam a nod that seemed to convey her acceptance of his guess, she looked back at Remi, appeal in her silvery green eyes. "It's one of my bonded trees. Just one of them. I-it's really weird b-but it has this horrible black mold growing over its trunk. It's been there for a while but now... it's spreading," she said worriedly, shifting her folder of papers around to tuck them into her hand while she pushed the sleeves of her clothing up. The pale skin of her forearm shone white beneath the light of the moon as she twisted it to reveal a black streak looking like a discoloured vein snaking its way along her arm, branching from her elbow towards her wrist.
"It doesn't hurt," she explained, "b-but I've started feeling weak. And a bit nauseous. It can't be good. I was wondering if you were able to h-heal trees? Not a normal tree, I'm bonded to it. Or maybe just... heal me? B-but I don't want my tree to die either, it's not very old. I don't know, this is probably silly but I figured if anyone could do it, an angel could!" she declared, her voice a ringing testament to how amazing she thought Remi was just for existing. Her gaze was wide and worshipful as she stood there before him, pinning him in place with her hope.
Sam chose to keep his mouth shut this time and let Remi do his thing.
-
Remi released Sam’s hand and took a step closer to the woman, his head tilted to the side as he gauged her reaction to him. With the way she’d reacted to Sam, he imagined that she might startle like a deer and dart off into the woods never to be seen again, but she looked up at him with a broad smile and thrust her arm out for inspection.
"Have you seen anything like it before?" she asked him as he frowned at the inky river that wound its way from the the crook of her elbow to the inside of her wrist.
"Not sure yet," he said, glancing at her. "I’m still looking."
Redness crept onto her cheeks, but he interrupted her mid-nervous giggle by sliding a hand underneath her arm to support it as he traced gently poked and prodded at the black streaks with his glowing fingertips, an inexplicable sense of unease coiling in his gut. In his peripheral, he caught when she canted her to the side to watch him with concern growing in her eyes, but he pressed his lips together and continued his surface inspection.
When it eventually became clear his heals weren't chasing the affliction away, and that he needed to go deeper, he opened his inner eye and the black streaks marring the pale smoothness of the dryad’s arm expanded and pushed at him. Remi’s face twisted and his stomach churned, but he swallowed thickly to keep his dinner down, lifted his chin, and flared his wings in defiance.
He wasn’t going anywhere.
"What about now?" She dropped her file to grab his wrist. "Y-you’ve seen something more, haven’t you?"
"Felt something. Did you?"
The dryad’s silver-blonde ponytail swung as she shook her head.
"Well, it pushed at me," Remi said. "It's still pushing. Wants me to go away. Which… Makes me think it’s not something I can heal, but I might be able to get rid of."
"Wait, what? It? Am— Are we possessed?"
"I’m not sure."
"Oh, well okay then," she said faintly. "Maybe um… Maybe if you ask it? To leave, I mean. Maybe it’ll go if you ask."
Remi winced when the darkness renewed its assault on him. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to work," He said.
She made more suggestions, but the disgust and bile rising in his throat had become too much. Flapping his wings in agitation, Remi released her arm and pulled away from her grasp, taking one step back and then another until he’d bumped into Sam. He sought out the vampire’s hand, and immediately let loose a deep sigh that released the tension from his shoulders and face.
"I’m sorry, I thought I could—" His forehead knitted and his gaze ping-ponged from the dryad to the forest beyond and back again. "Whatever that is, it's connected to something else in the woods."
"That’s my tree!" she chirped from the crouched position she'd dipped into. She'd gathered her folder and was stuffing her papers back into it. "I can take you to it. The poor thing. I think it’s been keeping the worst of it from me, and… well, you’ll see."
-
Samuel's concentration remained on Remiel throughout his interchange with the dryad, intrigued by the angel's description of the blackness. 'It pushed at me. Wants me to go away.' This was not an ordinary sickness, not if it was pressing at Remi. It had some sentience, which made Sam think about what could have injected it into the arboreal pairing.
Demonic? Sounded more like magic... but dryads were usually peaceful and this one gave that exact impression. Was this an act of vengeance or an accident? If it was magic-related - a curse or a dark ward, perhaps - then it was unlikely to be an accident. So who was this dryad that she might provoke a magical attack? What reasons did someone have for wanting to hurt her by poisoning her tree? It was common knowledge (well, common for people that even knew about dryads) that damaging a tree would hurt the dryad and vice versa, so what could prompt such an act of vengeance?
When Remiel bumped into him, Sam was catapulted out of his thoughts and back to the present. Remi's touch allowed him to focus, the hand in his warm and... and he seemed to need some help centring himself. Sam's chest swelled with pride as he looked at him because people might need the angel to help them, but the angel needed him. Only him, to keep him steady, if he was judging the current situation accurately. He was needed at Remi's side. He thought it might behoove him to also not get too far ahead of himself and inflate his own importance.
Relishing Remi's touch, he surveyed the angel, noting the more relaxed set of his shoulders and the settling of his feathers. He'd been agitated and calmed when he touched Sam, just like in the elevator. He was useful. He turned to the dryad and smiled at her. "Take us to your tree," he prompted, tugging Remi alongside him while he fell into step beside the dryad. "I'm Sam and this is Remiel, by the way," he introduced, endeavouring to be friendlier than he had been earlier.
The dryad spared him a glance and then looked at Remi beyond him - her smile fluttered onto her lips briefly but then disappeared again when she looked back at Sam. "Cilla," she informed.
Sam nodded. "So... have you got any enemies, Cilla?" he asked as he picked his way through the increasingly-wayward grasses of the wood. They were approaching the tree line rapidly because it wasn't far beyond the Academy's manicured limits.
Cilla gave him a startled look, her eyes widening dramatically as she stammered her way around a non-answer. Samuel cringed, disliking being on the receiving end of such a thing as much as he disliked being on the output side of it. It wasn't easy to wait her out until an answer came but he gritted his teeth and did it, all the while faithfully picking his way beneath the arching branches of the ever-thickening forest.
"I-I guess. Another dryad bonded with a grove of sugar maples n-not too far away. S-some people raided them for their syrup. D-damaged the trees. She grew angry and attacked them. I helped them escape - they didn't know any better, they were greedy but innocent humans and the trees have healed - but she was livid that I interfered. She th-threatened me, said she'd see how much I liked it when my trees hurt. I d-didn't even think of that until you asked me about enemies," she told Sam quietly, looking shaken as her memory connected with past events. "It was last year. I'd forgotten all about it. I guess she's patient."
They fell silent for a few moments as Cilla changed direction and guided them to adjust their direction accordingly, then Sam spoke. "It looks and sounds like a curse, to me," he announced, squeezing Remi's hand as he glanced at him. He wondered if such magics were beyond the angel to affect but didn't want to dishearten Cilla by asking and receiving a negative answer out loud just yet. Might as well wait 'til they arrived. He smiled at the handsome angel instead, his thumb brushing encouragingly across the back of his hand. Touching him was an addiction he'd never fully satisfy.
"Here," Cilla said simply, drawing Sam's attention away from Remi as they arrived at their destination; her silver maple tree grove.
-
With the dryad leading the way instead of Sam, Remi wasn’t forced to flap his wings to give himself periodic speed boosts just to keep up. It was a good thing, because the farther they trekked into the forest, the less room there was to maneuver. He had to keep his wings clamped tightly to his back to avoid knocking into the plantlife that choked the old deer trails they followed, and there were several times both he and Sam had to duck to avoid low-hanging branches.
As soon as they reached Cilla’s grove, though, he was able to straighten fully and relax his hold on his wings, so the dove-white tops arched above his shoulders and the tips of his longest feathers fanned out behind him in their natural positions. Each of the trees — with silvery bark the same color of the dryad’s hair, and leaves the same green and silver of her eyes — towered above them and monopolized the area.
A frown grew on the angel's face as they continued past trunks so thick wouldn’t be able to wrap his arms a quarter of the way around them. The same uneasy, nauseating feeling that’d curdled his gut like old milk had returned, and it only grew stronger when they approached a tree that was significantly smaller than the rest.
"This one," Cillia said, but she hadn’t needed to. The tree’s entire trunk and all its naked, skeletal limbs were colored the same black that streaked the inside of the dryad’s arm. And as he moved closer with Sam, crunching through all the leaves that it’d shed, his face twisted and he pushed back the urge to vomit.
"I’ve never tried to cure a curse before," he finally managed. "This is the first time I’ve ever seen one."
"B-but you can try, c-ca… c-can’t you? Please?"
Remi darted a look at the dryad, who had pushed back her sleeve so she could rub fitfully at the discolored stretch of her fair skin. He inhaled and held onto his breath as he processed her request and the mingled scents of earth and decaying leaves and Sam’s now-familiar musky cologne. On his exhale, he nodded.
He would try.
Before he could second guess himself, he squeezed Sam’s hand, released it, and took a step forward to press his palms to the ailing tree’s trunk. Then he closed his eyes and focused on pushing the darkness out of the tree before it could push him away.
***
When Remi next opened his eyes, the tree’s bark had become silvery smooth again, and the dryad was prancing around, alternating between hugging her bonded tree and holding her arm out to them to show that the blackness was gone from her, too.
Remi smiled weakly and turned his shoulder into the trunk to sag against it.
"Glad… helped," he mumbled, eyes sliding shut and his head tilting forward until his chin hit his chest.
-
Samuel had been enchanted by the whole process of curing the tree and the dryad. In fact, he'd been so entertained that he was absolutely appalled by his own ignorance when he finally realised how exhausted Remiel was. He was swift to step in and rescue the angel from sliding down the trunk of the silver maple but then he was faced with a new dilemma. Remi's weight wasn't insignificant and his wings were out; getting him out of the forest wouldn't be a subtle or simple endeavour. They couldn't stay here all night, though. Remi looked like he wouldn't wake up for a long time, if Sam let him sleep now.
"Remi, darlin'," he murmured, hefting his love interest's person onto himself in an attempt to distribute his muscular frame more evenly upon him. The movement caused a susurration of activity behind him and Sam's gaze was drawn to his amazing-but-inconvenient wings. "Can you put your wings away?" he asked loudly. It was deliberate; he needed Remi's attention. Sam's heart lifted when the angel rallied and forced his eyelids up. A look of supreme concentration dominated his face for a moment and then his wings disappeared from sight.
Remi wilted against him, out cold.
~*~
By the time Sam got Remi back to his apartment in the early hours of the morning, he was also exhausted.
As he'd stood in that maple grove holding up an unconscious angel and being eyed by a giddy dryad, Sam had considered many solutions to his problem. Find a room at the Academy, hide out in his office, call a taxi to get them home, try to get get Remi up. to the Capital roof somehow. In the end, it'd all been too hard with too much public exposure and potential for revelation. Besides, Remi was completely vulnerable (and adorable) and he didn't want him to be seen by anyone in this condition.
His decision made, Sam bade Cilla farewell, hoisted Remi into his arms (he wasn't overly heavy at first, just muscular and awkward to carry) and ran them all the way back to The Luminary. He didn't use celerity until the very end, when he had to get Remi through the city streets undetected. It didn't occur to him until he stood in front of his apartment door (by which time Remi seemed to weigh a ton) that he'd left all of his belongings in his office at work. Thankfully, his room key was the one thing he hadn't removed from his pocket. The momentary guilt he felt at not getting back to Dreki and then leaving his phone at work was swiftly drowned out by the relief of entering his own home. He'd go get his stuff tomorrow night and call Dreki to apologise; he'd understand.
Propping Remi up on his bed, Sam undressed the angel. He had his phone in his pocket, it was swiftly discovered. Sam put it on his bedside table and stripped Remi down to his underwear. Sleeping in clothes was too uncomfortable for everyone. Folding his apparel neatly onto the armchair he'd had to shove a pile of his own clothes off - and positioning his shoes beneath - Sam tucked Remi into his bed on the right side of it (when laying in the bed) and left him to sleep. He warmed himself up some blood, ordered a platter of fruit to be delivered and stored in his fridge, checked in with the library - asking them to close up his office and secure his phone for him - then got ready for bed.
Sam brushed his teeth and stripped before pulling on a pair of soft pyjama pants. He wrote Remi a note telling him what happened, expecting he'd awaken through the day once he was properly rested, and telling him there was fruit in the fridge for him. He left it on his side's bedside table. As the sun began to threaten the horizon and the shutters closed down all around them, Sam turned off all the lights and climbed into bed with the man he spent most days dreaming about. It was awkward yet exciting.
He fell asleep swiftly, even with the restorative blood in his system, marvelling over the fact that he'd always thought the first time they slept together, Remi would be conscious and remember it.
~*~
Remiel never read the note. Sam didn't realise that until Remi's phone started buzzing madly on his bedside table. Disoriented, Sam answered it only to realise it wasn't his when Jake McCloud reacted poorly to him being the one to speak... on Remi's phone. Rolling over, his eyes wide with surprise, Sam was stunned to find Remi still slumbering beside him. He'd slept all day and some of the two nights around it! It took every bit of willpower he had to concentrate on appeasing Jake and he was soon glad he did. Jake wanted to meet them at the Capital penthouse because it was ready for them!
Well, Jake never once used collective pronouns or included Sam in the invitation but Sam conveniently ignored that sort of negativity coming at him so soon after waking up. Beside Remiel. He assured Jake they'd be there in an hour and hung up on Jake's protest that he wasn't welcome. That was such loser talk, man. For Remi's convenience, Sam hustled around the apartment and turned on lights before crawling back into bed and snuggling up to the handsome angel. Pressing himself to Remi's side and wrapping an arm across his waist, Sam relished the skin on skin contact their naked torsos allowed.
"Hey. Sleepy angel. You going to wake up any time soon?" he murmured after about twenty minutes of blatant staring at the beautiful celestial gracing his bed. He squeezed Remi's middle for good measure, leaning forward to nibble kisses along his square jawline.
-
All Sam’s efforts had successfully pulled Remi closer to the surface of consciousness, but there was a problem: he didn’t want to wake up. He’d been having too nice of a dream — one where he was in an actual bed, wrapped in silky soft sheets, and with a man whose voice had sounded like Sam’s when he’d spoken, just before he’d started kissing the sensitive skin near his neck. If he woke up, there’d only be a too-small couch, a blanket that didn’t quite cover his toes, and he’d be alone. He didn’t want to be alone. He wanted to go back to sleep, back to his dream, back to Sam.
But it was too late.
The fuzzy edges of sleep were solidifying as reality asserted itself. He fully expected the arm draped over him to disappear, for the kisses to stop, and the body pressed against his to become empty space, but when they didn’t, his forehead scrunched and his hand surfaced from beneath the covers. His searching fingers made brief contact with Sam’s elbow, then shifted to the back of his forearm and Remi’s eyes shot open.
Either this was the most realistic dream he’d ever had, or Sam was actually there.
He twisted and craned his neck back, inadvertently interrupting the kisses, but he needed to see. His lips parted as he raked his gaze over hair that never stayed in one place long, noble chiseled features that always made him think of the statue in The Luminary’s lobby, and a pouty mouth that he swore had been stuffed with magnets that pulled at him any time he got too close.
Amazement overtook him, and he breathed a soft laugh as he shook his head. Sam was there. Wherever there was. Being in a bed was enough to clue him in to the fact that it wasn’t his rooftop garden. That, and the lack of a garden. The windows and the view they offered of the city was yet another clue, because he recognized the skyscrapers from all the times he’d flown past them heading home, or coming to visit Sam. He’d ended up in Sam’s corner suite. Somehow.
"Hey there," he said warmly, rolling over onto his side to face Sam and intending to ask how he’d made it to Sam’s place, but in shifting closer and brushing his bare limbs against Sam's, he’d realized they were both mostly naked beneath the sheets. His expression grew perplexed again and he pivoted to ask a different question in his typically blunt manner. "Did we have sex?"
-
The smile - warm and happy - froze on Samuel's face at Remi's question. He'd pressed forward to greet the angel with a proper kiss but that halted too. His eyes widened in genuine shock, his gaze flinching down to take in their naked chests, so close together, before he looked back into Remi's hazel gaze. His hand, flat against the small of Remi's back, dug in lightly in reflex.
"What? You were passed out! What sort of monster do you think I am?" he squeaked, his voice rising with offence. Did Remi truly think so little of him? Believe that he'd take advantage of him, that he had so little self control he'd ravage him while he was unconscious?? Sam searched Remi's eyes, looking for a sign that he was joking, that he didn't really believe what he'd just asked.
Belatedly, it occurred to him that Remi hadn't sounded upset by the prospect that they'd had sex while he was unconscious, just mildly confused. What the hell??
-
"That’s not what I meant. I don’t think you’re any sort of monster!" Remi said, his voice rising as well, though it was in his defense of a question that — given Sam’s response — he should’ve found a more delicate way to ask.
He sighed.
"Look, the last thing I remember is the maple grove. Like I said, I've never worked with curses so I can't explain it exactly but... There was a point when I was fighting that I forgot where and who I was. What if it'd left some residue on me? Made it so I forgot later, too?"
He pushed his fingers upwards over Sam’s well-defined chest, not stopping until he had the side of the vampire’s face cupped in his hand. "I’m glad it didn’t, though," he said softly. "I wouldn’t want to forget you. Or us. Any of it."
If he counted his first life, he’d already forgotten Sam once. He didn’t want to do it again.
"So let me try again, please? How’d I end up here?"
-
Samuel was reassured by Remi's responding tone of indignation, even though it wasn't the best idea to be snapping at each other upon waking. The octave told him that Remi was as shocked as he was and there was nothing malicious behind his question, though. The explanation that followed made everything make sense and Remi's touch had Sam smiling crookedly at him while the heat upon his body lit him up like Remi was a match throwing sparks.
If his touch was a sparkler, then Remi's words were explosives and Sam held him tighter instinctively. It was difficult to define how they made him feel but everything inside him became a little bit soft and melty upon hearing that Remi didn't want to miss a moment of them. Sam didn't want to, either. He could understand because it'd been hard to even close his eyes and sleep when he'd had Remi's face and body so close. He'd willingly missed out on staring at the beautiful angel. He had to be crazy.
"I carried you. You passed out after I asked you to put your wings away and I... may have panicked and needed to be somewhere familiar with you. So I ran you here. I also thought it'd be best if you knew where you were when you eventually woke up and I couldn't get you up to your roof. I didn't expect you'd sleep all day as well, so that we could wake up together." He grinned at Remi, his gaze roving his face adoringly.
"Hey," he breathed after a moment of silent contemplation, like he didn't have Remi's attention and he wanted it. "Good evening, by the way. It's nice to see your eyes open, so I don't feel bad about thinking about doing this anymore." Pushing his body forward while his arm drew tighter around Remi's waist, Sam grinned as he tilted his head so that he could slot his lips against Remi's. After a few gentle swipes, his tongue crept out to slide against the angel's warm lips, wanting to delve inside, to hold him close and deepen the kiss until all he could think about was the way Remi smelt when he was newly awake.
-
While Sam recounted the events that had led him to waking up in Sam's bed clad only in his briefs, Remi returned his hand to the vampire’s chest and listened quietly. His appreciation for the man grew with every detail he learned. Not only had Sam carried him all the way to The Luminary, but he’d done it because he’d wanted to make sure he didn’t have a panic attack when he woke up. Remi broke into a grin that rivaled Sam’s, though it wavered when he mentioned how long he’d been asleep. All day? Hadn’t there been—
Then Sam clutched him tightly and his lips were on his and the nagging feeling that he’d slept through something important faded.
He let out a sigh and melted into the kiss, parting his lips at Sam’s prompting. Their tongues surged together and a delicious shiver gripped his spine. He chased the sensation, taking advantage of what little room remained between them to push his hand past Sam’s neck to dig his fingers into his hair and pull him closer, sending their kiss deeper still.
-
Samuel relaxed into Remi, enjoying the ripples of pleasure shooting through him, awakening his body in delicious ways. The realisation that he hadn't told Remi about their date with Jake was there but at the back of his mind. He wanted to enjoy his wake up kiss first, snuggling himself in so that he was more or less wedged beneath Remi, his weighted warmth feeling good atop his chest. If only he could get all of Remi on top of him... but that was probably still too much to hope for.
Shivers inched across his scalp as Remi's hands scraped through his hair and Sam's fingers did the same down Remi's back. His wings being gone was a different sensation but Sam relished the open access to his sculpted, muscular body. He also enjoyed the way Remi reacted when he lightly dragged his nails across his flesh and kneaded the taut planes with his thumbs and fingertips. His hands slid lower, behaving insofar as they remained on the outside of the scant material covering Remi's ass but cupping and squeezing his cheeks with fond vigour otherwise.
He did his best to keep his own hips tilted away, even though he was dying to grind into Remi. He was having too good a time and that was a bold enough move that he anticipated rejection. It was all fun and games until someone poked you with their morning wood and made it awkward. He didn't want to ruin this lovely warm greeting by tainting it with a rebuff, polite as it was likely to be. He and Remi were more than a wake up romp... even though his rampant hormones were telling him that that was a very necessary place to begin. Right then, preferably.
When things began to heat up and it felt like his skin was covered with electricity, Sam broke their kiss and pressed his forehead to Remi's, feeling the angel's panting breaths on a sympathetic level inside himself. Damn. It was getting harder and harder to stop but he felt obligated to relay the message he'd been given. "Um," he broke, off, having to clear his throat because he voice was thick with lust but then he continued quickly. "Your phone rang and I answered it, by the way. I was half asleep, I thought it was my phone until I heard who was calling. It was Jake McCloud. He wants us to meet him at the Capital so you can take possession of the penthouse. I told him we'd be there in about an hour about... ten minutes ago?" he hazarded.
Although the fact that they were running out of time to get up and ready to go see Jake was a serious matter, Samuel laughed about it. It was exciting that Remi would have his own place after tonight - one where he could access him whenever he wanted (assuming Remi gave him a key) - and he couldn't help but feel happy about that. The fact that he was in bed almost naked with Remi might also have been a heavily contributing factor to his overall good humour, too.
-
For the span of several frantic heartbeats after his access to Sam’s lips was revoked, all Remi could do was blink and try to catch his breath. He thought the vampire had intended to give him a break and then there’d be an adjustment, a change in positions, and they’d go back to kissing, but he started talking instead. His forehead still pressed against Sam’s, Remi squeezed his eyes shut and rolled his bottom lip into his mouth to dig his teeth into it, inhaling deeply through his nose only to let it all go again in as controlled of a burst as he could manage.
Sam wasn’t just talking to talk, he was talking about responsibilities that would force them from each others arms and out of bed: the last thing he wanted right now. Funny, it’d only been a couple of nights ago that he’d flatly refused to join Sam in his bedroom, but a lot had happened since then. He wasn’t worried that they’d built their relationship on something flimsy like their physical attraction to each other; it was made of more solid stuff like knowing they could work through challenges together as a team. And as a part of the team, Remi felt obligated to present a scenario where they didn’t have to get out of bed yet.
He pushed himself up onto his elbow, freeing up his opposing arm to rest it atop the vampire’s cool and unmoving chest. When he looked down at Sam from his new viewpoint, heat was quick to rekindle in his eyes.
"So I’ve learned a little about time," he began. "There’s sixty minutes in an hour. Minus ten, that leaves us fifty." He licked his lips and glanced at the window, then back at Sam, eyebrows raised. "The Capital’s just next door. We can fly, be there in a minute, maybe two."
The reason he’d wanted use of his arm and the hand attached came next.
Without breaking eye contact, he cranked his shoulder back and slid his hand behind him and over the contours of Sam’s chest and abs, catching briefly on the waistband of his soft pajama bottoms on his way to press his palm into the hardness they covered.
Remi’s nostrils flared and when he he spoke next, his words came out low and husky.
"I don’t wanna wait anymore. Do you?"
-
Samuel gulped and shook his head, hardly daring to believe he'd heard correctly - even though it was all right there in Remi's eyes to see. Very soon after, it was on his pants to feel as well and Sam's eyelids drooped at the feel of Remi's warm hand on him. His gaze shifted to Remi's lips as he nudged Remi's hand with his growing erection, unable to resist a thrust driven by the yearning blossoming inside him.
"A-as long as you're sure," he managed, finding himself strangely polite and intimidated.
It wasn't like him to feel inferior but he'd let Remiel make the decisions about how close they got - and how quickly - from the beginning. He'd messed everything with Gene up and he hadn't wanted to do the same with his reincarnation. He'd expected Remi to test his patience for a little longer but now that it appeared his probationary period was up, he wasn't about to refuse, he just... wasn't used to being in charge. Normally, he was confident bordering on cocky; with this relationship, he was still planning to take his cues from Remiel.
Sam tilted his face upwards, his lips skimming across Remi's as he forced himself to look into the angel's glassy eyes. What he read in them bolstered his courage and settled any lingering uncertainty. "I'm sure that I want you inside me," he whispered before he crushed his lips against Remi's. A familiar cocktail of lust and hedonistic desire obliterated his nerves then, sending his tongue forcefully into Remi's mouth while his hands moved.
He roughly shoved his pyjama pants downward, wriggling and shimmying until they were gone, taking most of the bedcovers with them (they'd only get in the way). He was left naked beneath Remi, shuddering when he finally stilled and Remi's hand found his bare cock again. He worked on Remi's underwear next, smiling into their kiss when the angel helped him get rid of them and left himself just as naked. His rod was like silken lava, so hot in Sam's hand as his fingers danced over his length, giddy with the ability to finally do so.
They'd spent far too many nights grinding these parts against each other, forcing restraint and pulling away from slick kisses, that it was intoxicating to know he didn't have to hold back this time. They both wanted to strike this match and see just how hot they could burn and Sam's heart soared with the knowledge. His hips rocked as he thrust sloppily into Remi's hand, breaking away one last, frustrating time - his annoyance audible as he groaned when he rolled away. He reached awkwardly into the drawer of his bedside table and extracted a bottle of lube. Rolling smoothly back, he pressed the bottle against Remi's chest, not caring that it dropped to the mattress before his hand snaked downward again.
Everything in him was tingly but empty. He couldn't get enough of Remi's tongue in his mouth, he wanted Remi's cock in there, too and he sucked on Remi's tongue to prove it. He shuffled close again, his hands roving and squeezing and stroking desperately, trying to convey the message that he was Remi's, hook line and sinker. Anything he wanted to do with him was fine by Sam. He just... needed to do it sooner, rather than later, because Sam was absolutely sick of waiting. Clearly, they both were.
-
Remi was finally able to let go of the wheel and allow his desire to drive him.
He kissed and touched Sam with abandon, and when the urge came to climb atop and rub against him with gravity working in their favor, he could act on it. But when he broke their kiss and began shifting his weight, preparing to throw his leg over the vampire’s middle, something colder and harder than Sam rolled into his hip. The grunt that resulted wasn’t the kind he'd made when Sam had sent a second hand downwards to simultaneously stroke and fondle him; it was a sound of displeasure, and it marked his face with a frown when he pulled the bottle of lube free and tossed it behind him, not seeing nor caring where it went.
Then it was back to his original mission.
After Remi pushed Sam to his back and straddled him, he slid his hand between them to stroke and rub them together as one, swiping his thumb over slickened heads. He hissed in a breath and closed his eyes, his expression growing slack. It felt amazing, but he knew it could feel better.
Remi extracted his hand so he could collapse against Sam’s chest, then hooked his arms underneath Sam’s shoulders to hold him tight. As he started rocking against the vampire, he was overtaken by his need for just a little more: a little more friction, a little more speed, a little harder, thrusting while he kissed and sucked and dragged his teeth over whatever came near his mouth — the shell of an ear, a pouty bottom lip, a strong jaw. Whenever he caught a gasp or moan from Sam, he made sure to revisit the spot, but there’d been more, hadn’t there? A whispered request, something else that Sam had wanted from him.
His thrusting became as erratic as his breathing while he focused on recapturing Sam’s lips for a deep kiss that had him chasing Sam’s tongue around his mouth and pulling away when he began to crawl slowly backwards.
As he went, he tasted and touched as much of Sam’s beautifully sculpted body as he wanted, but when he reached his destination, he paused and urged him to spread his legs. Once there was room, Remi knelt between them and wrapped his hand around Sam’s length, stroking it with a steady and firm grip before he flashed a smile and lowered his head, planning on warming it up the same way he’d warmed the vampire’s lips.
-
Having Remi atop him, grinding and kissing on him like a blanket of shivers, had Sam in bliss. They'd kissed a lot and every single time his mind had got carried away, trying to follow his body into wanting more but he'd forced himself to keep it under such a tight rein that it hadn't got far. He knew he wanted Remi, wanted to feel him inside him and kiss him constantly but he'd also wanted Remi. In his life, long term and he'd known that he couldn't have that if he attempted to indulge his lust too soon.
Now, there were no barriers and Remiel seemed to be everywhere. His tongue, his teeth, his hands, his his lips, his dick... it was like being an instrument, used to crank out beautiful music. It was overwhelming in the best way, especially when Remi wrapped them up together in his hand. Sam suddenly realised just how long it'd been since he'd had sex and how his well primed his foreplay sessions with Remi had got him. His eyes rolled back in his head and he became a mess of moans.
Remi moving away from his lips left them pouting but Sam lifted his head, watching the angel work his magic down his body in open-mouthed wonder. He shuddered wantonly when Remi nudged his legs apart, feeling the intense burn of desire unfurl from his belly and heat up his ass as well. So close, he was so close to being inside him. It was infuriating and exhilarating, making Sam impatient.
That evaporated when Remi's hot, wet mouth closed around his length. Sam groaned loudly, falling back on the bed and writhing as delicious sensations rolled over his hyper-sensitive skin. His fingers tangled in Remi's hair and he tugged almost desperately with one hand while the other skittered down the side of Remi's face, tracing the working of his jaw and his hollowed cheeks as Remi's head bobbed.
"Oh, shit," he swore softly, biting his lip as he fought the urge to thrust hard into Remi's mouth and explode. He needed to keep himself in check, he didn't want their first time to be a let down because he couldn't hold back until Remi slid inside him. He assumed the angel was just teasing him, that this was part of some truly spectacular foreplay and that a sickened finger would be winding its way into him any second. Emotions swelled along with the anticipation and Sam groaned again, loving Remi's weight on him. It made him want to be pounded into the mattress.
With his mind focussing on restraint and his body in turmoil, it didn't take long before Sam was releasing a loud groan of frustration and attempting to pull Remi off him. He needed to feel more of him weighing him down, to have his tongue in his mouth and be able to look into his beautiful eyes while he rammed into him. He couldn't remember needing anything this badly in a very long time.
"Please, Remi," he begged, his voice raspy with lust. "I need you inside me, c'mon darlin', please," he whined, clutching at Remi's hair, his face, his shoulders and trying not to think too hard about just how heavenly that mouth felt or it would all be for nothing.
-
At first, Remi interpreted all the tugging and sounds Sam made as encouragement to continue licking and sucking while stroking where his mouth couldn’t be. It wasn’t the original plan, but he was adaptable. If Sam wanted to be worked until he bucked and spasmed, filling his mouth with salty spurts that he’d happily swallow, then so be it. But when his pushing became more urgent and was paired with a request to move onto other things, Remi lifted his head to blink at the vampire.
Oh.
He sat back on his haunches and darted his tongue out to lick his lips, but he did as requested and kept his mouth to himself. Not his hands, though. He tunneled his fingers over Sam’s velvety hardness without any real rhythm, maintaining only enough pressure and speed to keep him aloft as he scanned the bed for the bottle of lube. When his eyes didn’t land on it, Remi leaned over as far as he could without breaking contact with Sam to fan his free hand over the bed’s surface.
Still no lube.
Just as he was about to admit defeat and ask for a spare, he spied it from the corner of his eye. His shoulders fell. Bottles, it turned out, rolled. It'd ended up all the way on the other side of the room.
"I’ll be right back," he sighed, finally releasing Sam to slide off the bed.
When he returned to bed and to Sam, he held the bottle up triumphantly: the hero had returned bearing gifts. The confusion that'd lined Sam's brow cleared, leaving room for lust to settle into his twilight blue eyes again. How he'd ever refused Sam when he could look at him like that, making his insides all twisty and getting him hard without a touch, was beyond him.
His heart pounding, Remi crawled back to his spot between Sam’s legs, stealing a moment to massage and knead the firm muscle he found there until the sounds Sam made prickled at his skin like lightning before a storm searching for a place to ground itself. He needed to be inside of Sam. That's where he'd find his relief. The weight of it was at his back, pushing him into moving faster than his fingers able and making him fumble and squeeze out more than he'd meant to when he turned the bottle over his awaiting palm. Silken liquid dripped off his fingers and dribbled down his wrist and arm, followed by Remi's gasp of dismay because it kept gushing out until he managed to snap the lid closed again.
"Too much is better than not enough, right?" he said, laughing until he realized it was dribbling off him and onto the bed. He cupped his other hand beneath the first, rescuing what he could while he begged Sam to bend his knees and lift his hips so he could get the lube where it was supposed to be. Then he was coaxing a finger in, searching for the bump that would have Sam turn into a moaning puddle if he hit it right, and adding a second and third when Remi felt him relax enough.
The next time they locked eyes, the heat he saw there had him abandon his task of stretching to rub what remained of the lube onto himself and rise to his knees, grabbing Sam by his hips and dragging and lifting him close enough that he was pressed against his entrance. His heart raced, anticipation building until it felt like he might burst as he pushed past the ring of resistance and was slowly enveloped by noticeably cooler tightness. A low groan escaped from Remi's throat and a shiver traveled from the base of his skull down to the base of his spine.
He held himself still until he was sure he could go slow and watch and feel for signs of tension that said he needed to give Sam more time to adjust, but when none came, he collapsed forward and met Sam's lips. Remi kissed him deeply as he increased the pace, losing himself to the sensations and sounds that swirled around him until he wasn't sure where Sam began and he ended.
-
Samuel blinked and lifted his head to look groggily down his body as Remi told him he'd be right back. From where? he wanted to scream but rolled his lips into his mouth instead, feeling empty and alone as the angel's warmth was denied him. He tried to force down the urge to squirm as he watched Remi move to retrieve... oh, the lube. He watched Remi return with eager eyes, his skin on fire with want. He chuckled when the bottle was held aloft but his voice soon degenerated into a series of moans and whimpers as Remi returned to him with gusto.
Even though he didn't need to breathe, Sam felt like he was holding his breath. Everything in him was coiled as Remi fingered him, hiking his legs up so that he could wrap them around the angel's waist, stroking and priming him in unspeakably good ways. When Remi finally slid into him it was like every cell in his body exhaled, the pressure in his chest shifting to other, much more intensely pleasurable places.
When Remi's lips closed over his, their circuit closed and Sam was pretty sure he understood what being on the Heavenly Plane was truly like. Remi was silken heat and sheathed muscle and Sam clung to him as his body sang. They worked together, their bodies moving synchronistically. It happened faster than usual; Sam was surprised. There was clearly something to be said for heated, repeated lead up sessions because he felt more connected to Remi than he'd felt to anyone since his sire. Even before Remi found the perfect angle to send his mind reeling into the stars, he felt like a wire, live and thrumming with electricity.
The downside to all that rapid, amazing connecting was that it burnt hard and hot but couldn't last. Sam clutched Remi close, his limbs twined around his heat while he pounded into him, igniting his prostate and stroking his cock, their tongues able to do little more than loll in their gaping mouths, pressed sloppily together in the shape of a silent scream. The build was relentless, carrying him higher than Remi's wings ever could, spiralling upwards and upwards until he exploded into a billion scattered fragments of lust and pleasure and joy.
"Remi!" he cried, head driving back into the pillow, neck tendons straining, awareness filtering back to him slowly. He was holding the angel too tight, he realised, his body held rigid as his orgasm ripped through him. Wave after wave of ecstasy ebbed but he forced himself to loosen up, to unclench and lessen the pressure he was bringing to bear on... well, on every part of Remi's body. It was a good thing he was strong enough to withstand him. "Holy shit, darlin'," Sam breathed, threading his fingers through Remi's hair, drunkenly grabbing at him as he belatedly started paying attention to what the angel was doing.