Of Wings And Wishes

[Ehcorn]

Sam excluded, no one usually did more than run their fingers over his long, stiff flight feathers before they backed away, their curiosity about his wings satisfied. But not Ben. Remi's eyes shot open and he went rigid as the vampire plunged both hands into his feathers with an eagerness that he hadn't been prepared for.

Before he could fully regret not giving Ben ground rules for handling his wings, Ben's hands grew still and all Remi could feel was pressure centered where he'd gathered a single feather to inspect. His shoulders fell and he released the breath he'd been hanging onto, just in time to register and respond to Ben's question.

"Not... I can't feel the feathers themselves, but the—" He broke off when Ben ground his hand into the joint of his wing, sending a jolt through him that pulled a shiver from the base of his spine and covered his body in goosebumps.

"Uhng," was all the rest that he could manage as he dropped his head and arched towards Ben.

Remi was no more in control of himself than a dog being scritched in the sweet spot that sent his leg kicking.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel had noticed Remi dim slightly after the healing had finished and, thinking of the way the dryad had drained him, he'd stiffened in his seat, ready to swoop in and catch him if it became necessary. It didn't appear to be. Although the angel was obviously tired, his stance was steady and he seemed cognisant enough when he turned around. Sam returned his smile reflexively, having enjoyed watching him heal as always, vicarious pride flowing through him that he knew such a wondrous being.

Ben working his hands into Remi's feathers summoned a frown, however. Sam studied his boss' face, trying to decide if there was anything untoward going through his head while he felt up his... Remi but could only detect fascination. He sure was being thorough with his examination, though. Like Sam himself had been, he supposed begrudgingly. Angel's wings were fascinating. He bet Ben would like flying with Remi, too, hearing the heavy thwoomp of them beating the air into submission as he was lifted into the world that hovered in plain sight above them.

Sam's eyes widened when Remi made a distinctly sexy noise and arched liquidly towards Ben. What the hell? He didn't remember getting up but in a blink he was in front of Remi, hands hovering as he tried to gauge the situation and decide where they should land. He thought Ben's hands were near Remi's shoulders but he didn't dare smack them aside. Instead, his fingers swooped in either side of Remi's head and lifted it so he could get a look at his face. "You okay, darlin'?" he asked worriedly, bending his knees to get a better look into Remi's eyes.

~*~

Once Remi announced the mark was gone, Kerr puddled in his armchair, his body pooling in a generally leftward lean so that his elbow on the arm and his lifted hand were all that supported his head and kept him in a mostly upright position. He felt such a strong sense of relief and overwhelming gratitude towards Remi that it was all he could do to stay in his seat and get his emotions to calm down; they were swirling chaotically through him in a dizzying tornado of unbridled sensation.

He was happy, so happy that the filthy blight had been removed from Ben's flesh. He'd wanted it gone regardless of what it might mean for Ben's political future. Its absence held greater significance for their relationship's future, hence the giddy, near-liquid reaction overtaking him. Everything inside him felt ten times lighter and tingled distinctly.

Ben's exploration of Remi's wings soon captured his attention and then the entertainment factor of his love's wing thing skyrocketed when Remi made a delicious noise and Sam jumped up to make it a trio. What the... ? Kerr's eyebrows lifted and he sat up straighter. He had no real idea what was going on but he watched avidly. Had Ben inadvertently (or purposely, let's be real) touched some sort of sexy spot on Remi's wings and got him stirred up? Sam was not going to like that! He was asking if he was okay, though... surely angels didn't sound like that when something was wrong?

This was better than a movie. Kerr stopped blinking, so he didn't miss anything.

[Trillian]

When Remi made that odd sexy noise and arched towards him, Ben pulled a face of surprise and then suppressed amusement, his lips twisting before glancing momentarily at Kerr. His sire's expression matched a little of the surprise Ben had felt, but Kerr looked more interested than amused.

Ben wanted to explore it but there had been something very intimate in that sound that had inclined him to remove his hands and step back.

"Sorry, you must be, uh, sensitive."

The fact that part of the wing had given him the impression of holding a handful of someone's feathery-covered cock only strengthened. He wiped the offending hand on his chest over his shirt, as though wiping away the intrusion.

His mind immediately went to what he could do for Saraekiel before he shoved it away, hard.

[Ehcorn]

"Yeah," Remi said, answering both Sam and Ben with one muttered reply. It was one thing to have his moaning, eyes-rolling-into-the-back-of-his-head reactions to being touched in sensitive places when he was in private with Sam, but there were another two pairs of eyes in the room, searing holes into his feathers with their stares. And it hadn’t been Sam who’d triggered it, either. It was Sam’s boss.

Remi tightened his wings against his back and curled his fingers into his fists and would’ve dropped his head again, but there were cool fingers on his face and intensely concerned eyes on his that wouldn’t let him look away.

All he wanted to do was disappear.

"Can we go home now?" he whispered, not realizing that his plaintive request would be heard by everyone in the room, too.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel smiled sincerely at Remi, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he poured effort into looking as reassuring as possible. He understood that Remi was embarrassed but he didn't want him to be. If anyone, Ben should be ashamed of causing Remi to be uncomfortable right now. There wasn't much chance of that happening, though.

He nodded and leant forward to press his lips to Remi's, smiling even more broadly when he pulled back. "We can," he said quietly, grasping Remi's fisted hand and tugging him to stand beside him. Sam slid his arm around Remi's waist as they stood together to face the other two vampires.

Sensing what was coming, Kerr stood at Ben's back, the front of his shoulder pressed to the rear of Ben's.

"Thank y'all for hosting us," Sam told Kerr, his gazing flicking to Ben briefly but he found it difficult to look him in the eye. It was easier to look into Kerr's soft brown orbs and avoid thinking about Ben getting handsy with his lover. It hadn't been anything worth getting jealous over but it was still mighty awkward. "And for listening to our concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about-"

"Could I get your numbers?" Kerr cut in, stepping around Ben and pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Sam blinked, looking shocked that someone like Kerr Galvin was asking for his phone number. He obviously stared too long without moving because it prompted Kerr to keep talking.

"Uh, I know you're probably thinking that we have access to your number through the employee files - a-and we do," he explained with a sheepish laugh, "but this is just easier?" he finished with an affable shrug.

Sam was momentarily transfixed by the ex-Luminary asking him - rather shyly?! - for his number but then it occurred to him that he was leaving the guy hanging and he snapped out of it. "Oh, sure, sure!" he said brightly, unwinding his arm from Remi and getting his own phone from his pocket. He unlocked it and handed it over to Kerr so he could put his number in while he took Kerr's phone and did the same.

Of course, he didn't know Remi's number off by heart so he had to wait to get his phone back and check his number before he could give it to Kerr, feeling a little silly juggling two phones and dragging the process out but eventually it was done. "There you go," he smiled again and gave Kerr's phone back to him.

"Thank you," Kerr said, with a dip of his head. He lifted his phone for emphasis. "I'll be in touch and let you know what Charon says once we've spoken to him."

Sam nodded. "Thank you both, again," he said, leaning around Kerr to smile at Ben. Understanding he was blocking, Kerr stepped back out of the way so that Sam and Remi once again had line of sight to his partner. "We'll keep you updated if anything else comes up with Jake," Sam promised Ben, wanting to make it clear that he was aware of the friction between he and Ben - they were opponents, of course there was friction - but that his loyalties were definitely with Ben. He didn't trust Jake at all.