Best Laid Plans

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr gave it a moment of thought.  "Wednesday," he answered, wondering if that meant Ben would require an extra day.

"Do you think I should just call Mandy and tell her we\'re leaving or should we invite her over?" he mumbled, pressing his lips to Ben\'s forehead affectionately.

[Trillian]

Ben gave Kerr a look beyond definition and then squeezed himself to Kerr with a hug.

"Your decision," he said, stopping himself from saying \'your call\' in case Kerr decided that it was Ben\'s way of saying either way.  He didn\'t mind Mandy, he wanted to get to know her, but not if Ichabod was around.

He knew Ichabod hadn\'t really done anything to him (prior to the last time they\'d met), but that resentment had fuelled into hatred.  Now that he\'d stopped blaming Kerr for that night he\'d caught the pair of them in bed, he could start blaming Ichabod - that wimpering snot who could be cruel enough when pressed.  True colours.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr grumbled nonsensically about Ben being a fat lot of help when he asked for advice as he shuffled position so that he could easily nip kisses along the fledgling\'s jaw and down his throat, where he sucked with more ardour.  He used his tongue very deliberately to provoke sensual memories of his drinking there, then pulled back.

"I think you should drink from me sometimes, too," he announced seriously, as if he were oblivious to any effect he might have had with his actions.  "I think, if we do that, our connection will grow stronger - but it\'s only a theory."

[Trillian]

His suggestion lit up Ben\'s eyes and he nodded, though lightly, containing himself from displaying such eager excitement.  He\'d been feeling warm and shivery at Kerr\'s licks and kisses, but the interruption hadn\'t been unwelcome, not when Kerr delivered such information.

"I think so too, over time."

He was very pleased that the bond with Kerr would be stronger, but a little bit sad about Arles, who he\'d basically used as a stepping stone to get where he was now.  It hadn\'t all been one-sided, Ben had given more than just his body, but Arles... wasn\'t really connected.  It had been difficult to bond with him when compared to the quick and easy bond he\'d had with Kerr over a matter of days.

"I want that," he admitted, not mentioning Arles and pushing the blonde from his surface thoughts to somewhere much deeper down where he didn\'t have to think about him.  He was tired of feeling guilty.

The doziness had properly left him this time.

[Existentially Odd]

"Me too," Kerr murmured, smiling beatifically at his love before leaning in to kiss him seriously.

It was fair to say that Kerr regretted not just siring Ben alone when he had the chance, but hindsight was twenty/twenty and he hadn\'t been able to take the leap of faith it took to leave Sawyl then.  Stupid, really, and a fire of angst burned brightly in him if he thought about it too long.  There was no point torturing himself... but he did, anyway.  Ben could be all his right now, if only he\'d had the guts to go for what he really wanted.  He was weak, and he knew it.

"What\'s your full name, again?" he asked with a light frown, once he ended the kiss and pulled back.  He was back to thinking about the other way he could claim Ben as his.

[Trillian]

Ben shifted his arms higher up around Kerr and mmm\'d into the kiss, grinding himself against his lover before smiling like a satisfied cream-filled cat before the question caught him by surprise and he chuckled.

"Benjamen James Samson."  He announced.  "Very plain.  What about your full name?"

They\'d both heard each other\'s full name at the court hearing with the Oligarchy, but Ben couldn\'t remember if there\'d been a middle name for Kerr either, though he remembered Galvin.

[Existentially Odd]

"Kerr Donahue Galvin," he chuckled back, revising his earlier thought about his lover having no stamina.  It just depended on the stimulation, obviously.  "My father\'s name - also rather simple."

He gave Ben\'s initials some thought while he shifted up onto his elbow, in order to lean more upon the fledgling while he delivered another kiss.  After a few moments, he pulled back with a wicked grin.  "Has anyone ever called you B.J. and does it bother you that your first two initials reference a lewd sexual act?" he asked mildly, eyebrows raised cheekily.

[Trillian]

Ben screwed his nose up again at the mention of B.J. and then commented.  "People have tried," he said wryly before his brows lifted.  "It doesn\'t bother me when my main initials are B.S." he said, then laughed.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr laughed heartily, leaning back to do so and tilting his head so he wasn\'t literally laughing in Ben\'s face - but he hadn\'t thought of that.  When he\'d finished, he looked back at the blonde, still smiling.

"I\'m gonna\' get your name tattooed on me," he announced, "and I was going to get your initials but... that could be a bit... controversial, I see now."  He winked to show that he was teasing.

[Trillian]

Ben was floored.  He gaped at Kerr for a long moment before he closed his lips but remained wide eyed.  He wasn\'t into tattoos for himself, seeing as how he wasn\'t much of a show-off-the-body person, but he liked Kerr\'s tattoos and thought they made the vampire edgy and sexy.  For his name to be there was... complimentary.

"Ben\'s three letters," he said helpfully, and a little bit quietly.  Then he moved his hand from around Kerr\'s side and touched his sire\'s lips with cool fingertips.  After a moment, he came to his senses enough to smile.

[Existentially Odd]

"Yes," Kerr agreed, still chuckling as his lips pursed to kiss Ben\'s fingers.  "I\'m going to put that right here," he announced, tilting his body away from Ben so that he could run the tip of his index finger along the line of muscle going from his left hip towards his groin. He meant his love\'s name to follow that angle, too. Once he was sure Ben had seen where he meant, he rolled back against his partner, sliding a leg between his.

"I think on the front so it\'ll stand out and there because - well, my heart\'s dead so tattooing over that would be somewhat pointless and you stimulate my mind the most but I don\'t want your name on my head so... I figure that\'s close enough to the heart of me, where you\'re concerned," he grinned, hoping Ben understood he wasn\'t saying only something lewd (because it was close to his sexual core, that was part of it) but also that his name would be inked close to Kerr\'s stomach, which Ben generally had knotted or effected in some way or other.

"Unless you find that insulting and I should go with the heart?" he added placidly.

[Trillian]

Ben wasn\'t really sure how he felt about Kerr\'s decision making for where his name would go.  The place Kerr had chosen was fine, but the reasons why gave the fledgling hesitation.  If not his mind then his groin?  Was that how Kerr perceived him?  The dead heart comment wasn\'t something Ben agreed with either, because nobody loved with their heart, they loved with their head, the heart was merely a representation.  Even after being sired Ben\'s chest had felt hollow thinking he\'d lost his chance to be with Kerr.  Wasn\'t that why the heart?

"Where you\'ve chosen is fine," he said finally, after mulling over Kerr\'s words.  Did Kerr expect him to do the same?  He didn\'t want to ask because it would seem like asking someone if they wanted a surprise gift.

[Existentially Odd]

The fact that Ben took his time to comment gave Kerr second thoughts and even though he said he agreed with his sire\'s plan, Kerr didn\'t completely believe him.  He watched the blonde with a thoughtful half smile, fingertips reaching up to brush along his forehead and down the side of his face.

"On second thought... I\'ll go with the heart," he said softly, smiling from his eyes as well as his lips.  Anything that gave his beloved that much thought was obviously not the right course of action; Ben was far from indecisive, and never without good cause.

"I just have to go to Risk and check the address of the parlour first - I\'m sure I saw one advertised there that did supernatural tattooing, so the ink will stay.  Do you want to come with me or... do your own thing?" he asked, thinking that Ben might like to just see the finished product and maintain the mystery of the process, rather than watching it unfold before him.  It was a strange offer, for they hadn\'t been apart yet... but that was silly, for it had to happen sooner or later... right?

[Trillian]

Ben blinked at Kerr\'s change and his eyes asked why but his lips didn\'t.  He didn\'t understand why after all of Kerr\'s dialogue about where and why the tattoo would be on his hip, he would suddenly change to his heart after an affirmative answer from Ben.  Instead of questioning he let it go.

"I\'d rather see it finished," Ben said, explaining the reason why he didn\'t want to go with Kerr on that particular errand instead of just saying too simple a no.  He wasn\'t thinking about what he\'d do the night Kerr was away for he wasn\'t thinking that far ahead.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr chuckled, despite wondering if he\'d read Ben\'s hesitation incorrectly, since he looked confused.  He leaned forward and kissed him soundly, before pulling back.  "Right then; I\'d better go wash you out of me and get going," he sniggered at his own cheekiness, rolling back so that he could spring off the bed and head for the shower.  He would need to be clean before he dressed to go out to Risk.

~*~

Interlude: \'Cornered\'

~*~

Kerr returned to the apartment around four in the morning.  He\'d called during his visit to the tattoo parlour to confirm the unusual spelling of Ben\'s given name and been surprised that the phone hadn\'t been picked up, meaning Ben had gone out.  Frowning, Kerr had gone ahead with the tattoo anyway - the gigantic woman who\'d performed the inking had assured him that she could weave the magic to fix any mistakes, just like she\'d magicked the tattoos to stay fixed in the first place - but he was very curious to know what his lover had got up to in his absence.

It was stupid, really; he\'d been gone hours and shouldn\'t expect Ben would stay put when he\'d gone out... it was just that he\'d assumed his fledgling would and so he wondered, as he closed the door behind him, whether he\'d walk into an empty apartment or not.  "I\'m home!" he called, focussing on placing his keys on the high kitchen bench by the door and removing his coat.  He\'d not dressed up for his little jaunt, he was only wearing his Colorado boots, a pair of dark blue jeans, a caramel-coloured turtleneck jumper and his coat.  Once the long item of clothing was off, he paused where he was (near the doorway), looking around as he draped it over his right arm and waiting to see if he would get a response before he moved into the bedroom to hang the coat up.