Accruing Debts

[Ehcorn]

((Continued from The Gene Files))

Their walk to purchase a phone was a long one, though they likely would've made it in half the time if it hadn't been for Remi's inability to stay on task. Anything from the glint of headlights reflecting off windows to the sound of heels clicking on concrete was enough to compel him to wander off so he could continue observing it. More than once, Sam had to backtrack and redirect the angel, only to lose Remi to the floral scent of perfume or his desire to find out if a dog was as soft as it appeared.

In contrast, their time spent in the store was short. The employee that’d helped them, a bespectacled man wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants, had asked a few pointed questions about what they needed and suggested a phone that would suit.

Before Remi could do more than venture off to poke at a screen that beeped happily at him, the man had returned with a machine and a bag — the former he held out to Sam to slide his card through when the vampire asserted that he’d be the one to pay, the latter he gave to Remi with a smile.

His newest distraction in hand, Remi walked out, but only made it as far as the bench that was situated across from the brightly lit store. As soon as he sat down, he began to dig through the bag’s contents to extract and open a rectangular box. Remi pulled out the sleek white-backed phone, then cradled it in his hands like he might’ve held a bird’s egg and leaned over to stare quizzically at it.

The screen remained blank.

“What now?” he asked, brows furrowed.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel sat down close to Remi, watching him impartially - until he asked his question, then his confidence in the angel's abilities completely disappeared. With a girding breath, he guided Remi through the process of initialising his phone, doing his best to keep his hands off and give verbal directions so that Remi understood how to do things for himself.

He gritted his teeth through the process of adding Dominic as a contact in the phone, wishing he had the guts to adjust one digit in order to prevent Remi from contacting the mortal (because he held the card in order to read it out to Remi, so he could've). As soon as he thought it, however, guilt flooded through him and he found it difficult to make eye contact for a time. He didn't think Remi noticed, especially since he made it a point to add Dominic's address into the contact as well and show Remi how he could touch it and bring up a map with directions to find him, which seemed to delight the angel. Sam added Remi's number into his own phone and vice versa so they could practise sending texts and making phone calls to one another.

Once they'd gone through everything enough times that Remi seemed confident he could use the phone independently (though some of the apps were a mystery Sam advised he'd do well to play around with in his own time, to get familiar with them), Sam had a suggestion. "If you think you'll be right with all that, do you want to get some groceries? Or are you growing your own food in this mysterious garden of yours?" he teased, smiling at the angel he was sitting shoulder to shoulder with. He wondered if making Remi self-sufficient was such a good idea. At the rate he was going, he was unlikely to see the angel again; Sam was rendering himself obsolete.

It set his mind churning, pondering what sort of relationship he wanted to have with Remi, how much contact he was interested in having with him in the future. He wasn't Gene... but he was sweet and innocent and Sam worried for him. He aroused a mixture of emotions - the desire to protect him, humour because he was boldly confident in his misinformation, awe because he was powerful and determined... and lust, too, because he was still beautiful and sometimes the way he looked at Sam shot straight through him and left him wanting in ways that would likely never be requited. Did he want to torture himself, though?

Sam pulled out of his thoughts as Remi spoke.

[Ehcorn]

"Mysterious?" He looked up from his phone and blinked at the vampire. How was it mysterious? He hadn’t kept anything about his garden a secret from Sam. His lips twitched and his eyebrows dipped as he considered that he had kept it secret from most everyone else, especially the people who might force him to find another place to live.

"I guess you are the only one I’ve told I'm staying there, aside from Vretil," he said, voicing his realization. "If you want, I can show you. I’d have to fly you up, though. I tried getting into the front of the building once, but I need a card like yours." He raised his free hand, pinched his fingers together, and motioned downwards like Sam had when he’d scanned his card at the store and back at the Ward office.

Remi still hadn’t answered Sam’s question when he settled back into his original forward-facing position and swiped open his phone. Sam had been a good teacher, emphasizing easy-to-remember steps that Remi could use to access its most important features. First step: Find the green button. Second step: Find the right green button. After a couple of failed attempts and backtracking, he landed in the message area and tapped Sam’s name.

It took him some time to locate and poke at each of the letters he needed, but eventually, he was able to send Sam two separate messages.

I think I have this

and

We can go now

A few seconds later and a third and final message arrived in the form of a winking face emoji.

Remi waited for Sam’s response, glancing his way and biting back a grin.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel was startled by the offer to be shown Remi's garden. He wasn't sure whether it was because of the unexpectedness of it or the method of conveyance he was offered. He could 'fly him up'? As in... hang on to the angel and hope he didn't get dropped from a staggering height and plummet to his death? Sure, the idea of pressing close to Remi and actually flying was tantalising but he wasn't sure that it was worth the courtship with his ultimate death.

He got a little extra time to consider his response as Remi hunted down some keys and typed messages to him. He welcomed it. By the time it was his turn to respond, he was resolved to take a chance, despite how much the thought terrified him. The self-satisfied look on Remi's face as he got his two messages successfully sent only added certainty to his resolution because he looked adorably proud of himself and there was no way Sam could pass up an opportunity to get closer to him.

Sure, I'd love to see your garden. Just promise you won't drop me! Let's go get you some groceries and then we'll head there? he queried, smiling thoughtfully at Remi as he stood up to leave. He wasn't sure where there were grocery stores around here but figured they couldn't be too far away.

[Ehcorn]

Remi’s ability to suppress his grin disappeared as he read Sam’s response. He’d put a lot of effort into revitalizing the place he’d claimed as his own, but so far, the only person he’d been able to share it with was quick to point out any of its remaining flaws. Vretil wouldn’t stop, he knew, until everything was perfect, no matter how much Remi argued that he couldn’t control every variable that might affect his plants. Judging by what Remi had seen of Sam’s home at the Luminary before he’d fled outside, there was a chance the vampire wouldn’t expect perfection, that he’d be able to enjoy the space for what it was, not what it should be.

If it’d been up to him, he would’ve scooped Sam up then and there and flown him to the Capital Building, but his stomach chose that moment to grumble a reminder that he’d neglected it for too long. What food he’d shared with Dom earlier that night had been a snack, not a meal. Grocery store first, and then he could see what Sam thought of his garden.

Remi nodded, his eyes alight with unfettered excitement.

"I know a place," he announced, but when he stood and looked down both sides of the street, he realized he didn’t know where he was anymore. "Somewhere… around…" He craned his neck back and rubbed at his chin while he inspected the buildings that towered above them, trying to make sense of landmarks that weren’t rooftops.

An unhappy grunt marked the end of his fruitless attempt at navigation, but his frustration wasn’t long-lived. Sam had shown him another trick. Remi pulled up the map that still had Dom’s home address displayed and dragged his fingers over the screen until he brightened and held his phone out to Sam, pointing at a location not two blocks away.

"Aerial view. I recognize buildings better from this angle. That’s the store I go to," he said.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel was fascinated by watching Remi's problem solving abilities in action. He watched curiously as the angel worked out where he wanted to go using the resources available. He was oddly proud when Remi was able to show him his goal on a digital map - usually, that was the kind of thing most people had trouble doing. His confidence navigating aerially also reinforced just how much time Remi spent in the air; Sam had an idea about a way to keep his feet on the ground more often, believing it was in Remi's best interests to do so.

"Let's go," he smiled as they headed off towards the place Remi apparently liked to shop. Sam walked abreast of him, keen to make his offer while there weren't too many people around to split them up. "You know, I was thinking," he began, his voice airy like this thought had only just occurred to him, "if you'd like an opportunity to earn some money of your own - without relying on others - I don't have a reliable Enochian translator and I've got at least three texts that I need translated into English. It's long and tiring work but I'm not in a rush and I have a sizeable budget at my disposal. I can pay you well for your services... if you're interested, of course," he finished casually, shrugging like it was no big deal if Remi didn't want to do it.

Of course it was, though.

Sam was already imagining endless hours spent sitting alongside Remi, typing while he translated (until he trained the angel to use a computer by himself, anyway... or perhaps it was more like if he trained him to be self-sufficient) and them bonding over work and what was read. It sent a thrill of excitement through him just contemplating it. Dominic might get Remi in the day time but for how long, when the mortal worked? Sam would potentially get Remi's focus all night long, for as many nights as the angel could handle it. It would be the chance he needed for them to grow close like he'd wanted, to see what might have been if circumstances had been kinder to them both in the past.

[Ehcorn]

To Remi’s astonishment, there was a blue dot on his map that moved along with them, and when they slowed, the blue dot slowed, too. It was fascinating, and if Sam hadn’t interrupted him, he might’ve spent the entirety of their walk with his nose in his phone, only glancing up occasionally to ensure he didn’t smash into anyone or anything. Instead, the vampire’s voice coaxed him into lowering his phone and admiring Sam's profile. His cheekbones looked like they’d been chiseled out of marble and—

Wait.

What?

Sam needed an Enochian translator?

Remi blinked and refocused on what else Sam had to say just in time to hear an offer that he’d be a fool to pass up. Even Vretil would be hard-pressed to find anything wrong with Sam's proposition. His mentor was always on about how Remi needed to speak his native tongue, even if he didn’t have anyone to practice with. If he worked with Sam, he’d be able to both speak and read it, all while earning money.

"I’m interested," he said, laughing a touch disbelievingly. Sam had offered to take care of his fine, buy him a phone, pay for his groceries, and now this? The vampire really was beginning to cement himself in Remi's mind as kind and generous despite the predispositions of his species and his behavior earlier with Dom. "I’d like to be able to buy my own food and anything else I might need, plus have enough left over to help out others the same way you’ve helped me. Do you think I'd earn enough to do that?"

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel looked ironically at Remi, noting that he didn't offer to pay him back for helping him out but thought immediately of the homeless and destitute. It was true he was neither of those things but he had just dropped over a thousand dollars on the angel. He just didn't understand the value of money enough to know that that was a substantial amount. Once he started earning his own money, Sam hoped it would become clearer.

"I suppose you might, since you have so few living expenses," Sam smirked, marvelling at the bubble of ignorance Remi existed in. "If you were actually paying for your residence, you wouldn't. I generally pay my translators a hundred to two hundred dollars for an hour of work. Sometimes I pay by the page or even the word, depending on the intricacy and extent of the job. If I offered you, say, a hundred and fifty dollars for every hour you work, you should end up with a decent amount of money, because there are a lot of hours of work in the three books I have. Are you happy with that amount?"

He wasn't sure why he bothered asking, really; because those were the rules of such an engagement? Remi had demonstrated he had no concept of time or money, so offering him an amount by the hour wouldn't have a great deal of meaning until he sat down to actually do the work. Sam foresaw a trip to a bank and a whole lot of lessons about using ATMs to get cash or using a card (debit would do Remi, so he'd understand when he ran out of money that he needed to earn more to be able to spend it) in his future. That could wait for another night.

[Ehcorn]

Like Sam had imagined, his question was greeted by a blank look, then Remi's expression contorted with growing alarm and confusion as he tried to wrap his mind around the amounts of money being discussed. When Vretil had delivered a wallet and told him it contained plenty to buy food with, Remi had taken his mentor at his word. He’d thumbed through the weathered green bills, but only to find out what they looked like, not to count them. Still, by his estimate, there’d been at least ten of the dollars, so one hundred and fifty had to be a lot, and Sam said he’d be able to earn that every hour he worked. He knew for a fact there was more than one hour in a day. By the end of it all, he’d probably have more money than he’d know what to do with.

"I— I think so?" he finally stammered, shoving his hands — phone and all — into his pockets and staring ahead for the next few steps. Tendrils of fear inched their way up his chest when he considered that Sam might rescind his offer if he didn’t make himself clear, causing Remi to clear his throat and add what he hoped was a more confident response, "Er. Yes. I’ll translate what you need. I’m… happy with that amount." But to be fair, he would’ve been happy with anything as long as it meant he wouldn’t have to depend on the generosity of near-strangers the next time he went to the grocery store.

"¿Qué onda, güey?" Remi blinked at the grinning man that’d called out to him from the entryway of a storefront lit up with neon signage written in both English and Spanish, declaring it a grocery store and open. He was a bit shorter than Remi, with olive-toned skin and a mop of dark brown curls and equally dark eyes. A white apron covered his clothes and as they drew closer, he shifted his broom to one hand and pushed his hair from his brow.

"Necesito algo de comida, por favor," Remi said, pulling a face and clutching at his stomach. It rumbled on cue.

"Starving, huh? You’re in luck," Javier said. After glancing at Sam, he’d swapped to lightly accented English. "I just unloaded a shipment of fresh produce. Come on in! I’ll get mi abuelita. She’ll want to see you."

He moved to hold the door open and waited for Remi and Sam to step inside, but before the bell hanging from the handle had stopped jingling, Javier had disappeared farther into the store, leaving them alone to explore. Though small, the place was packed with things meant to be experienced by all the senses. Foods and decorations came in every color of the rainbow, lively music played from the speakers overhead, and the warm smells of cinnamon and chilis made him lift his nose and inhale deeply.

Remi turned to Sam, smiling widely. "I really like it here." His smile wavered when he recalled something else Vretil had mentioned about vampires. Because they relied on them to hunt, their senses were far more sensitive than an angel's. "If it's too much for you, though, I can get what I need while you wait outside and call for you when I'm ready?"

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel was intrigued by the store and the young man that greeted them. His familiarity with Remi was surprising - as was the fact that Remi spoke Spanish, yet the young human assumed Sam didn't (he did but they didn't need to know that) and switched to English for him. He wasn't going anywhere until the grandmother turned up and this little scenario played out.

"It's not too much," he replied casually, smiling at Remi. The store was certainly an assault on his senses but he was able to mute his processing of all the scents to a great enough degree that it didn't bother him too much. "So you come here quite a lot, huh? And you speak Spanish?" Sam hinted, hoping Remi would elaborate.

[Ehcorn]

Remi smiled back at Sam, relieved that he hadn’t unintentionally dragged the vampire to a place he couldn’t be comfortable in. One of them experiencing what he had in the elevator was enough excitement for the night.

"When I run out of food, yes," Remi answered, breaking eye contact with Sam to move over to a stack of cardboard boxes balanced precariously on top of one another. He grabbed one decorated with cartoon bananas, bright and colorful as the streamers that were strung through the store’s rafters. Keeping the vampire in his peripheral, Remi walked a few steps away to a long row of refrigerated produce and began choosing fruits and vegetables that he gently placed into the box he’d tucked underneath one arm.

"I speak a lot of languages," he added, turning to look at Sam fully. He had a small watermelon in his palm. "Did Gene?"

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel trailed after the angel, watching what he was doing, curious about the selection process. What made one piece of fruit better than the other? There were subtle variances in their colour that indicated advanced age to his extreme vision but he didn’t think Remi used those as indicators.

The choices he made were sometimes made on smell, sometimes on the way they felt in his hand, sometimes the way they looked, from what Sam could tell. It all seemed arbitrary but fascinated him anyway. There was something lovely about the way Remi made his choices, too - his gentle hands, eloquent fingers, delicate nose.

Sam found himself examining the watermelon enviously, admiring the way Remi’s hand curved around its smooth skin. That casual, gentle touch, those manly but soft hands had once been bold enough to touch him in such a way and it’d been wonderful. Just that one time. And he had been too blind to really appreciate how it felt, which he regretted now. If he could have Remi’s hands on him again, holding his, their fingers intertwined, moving up his arm to his shoulder, his face, his lips...

His gaze had travelled the path he’d imagined and he found himself being looked at expectantly. He blinked and recalled a question. How long ago had that come? “Oh. Uh, no. I don’t believe he spoke any languages besides English. Unless you count ‘Southern’,” he murmured, chuckling at his own joke. Remi looked nonplussed so his laughter stopped rather abruptly and he cleared his throat.

“B-but that’s more of a dialect, I know. Gene would’ve found that funny,” he offered defensively, lifting his hand to gesture at nothing in particular. He brushed one through his hair in consternation and then tucked them both in the pockets of his jeans then, so he didn’t embarrass himself further. He stuck his lower lip out and blew upward as strands of his brown hair curled into his eye uncomfortably. It did the trick.

[Ehcorn]

His eyebrows rose from their lowered position as he swiped his thumb over the side of his watermelon, collecting and redistributing condensation across its cool surface. He’d been so adamant about Sam acknowledging that he wasn’t Gene that he hadn’t stopped to consider how difficult that might’ve been for him.

Whether or not he had started out as a guardian angel and made a transition to full angel, Sam believed he had. In his eyes, Gene had died and Remi had taken his place. Surely he reminded the vampire of the fact every time he didn’t laugh at the same jokes or spoke in a language the human wouldn’t have understood. Even as he watched him, Sam withdrew into himself.

Remi frowned and shifted the watermelon in his hand, coaxing it across his chest and easing it into the far end of the box so it didn’t crush anything it landed on. “I’m sorry,” he began, stepping towards Sam with the intention of consoling him, but with all the bad timing of unexpected turbulence during a landing, Javier's abuelita arrived.

“Mi ángel está aquí,” Maria laughed, her long patterned skirt swishing around her legs as she strode up to Remi and grabbed his face between her liver-spotted hands to pull him down and plant a kiss on each cheek. The old woman let go of his face, but she didn’t release him completely — she gathered his free hand between both of hers and squeezed it as she gushed in Spanish about everything he’d done for her.

She told them that she had barely been able to walk without Javier’s help, but after Remi had passed his glowing hands over her, she’d been healed. She could walk by herself. She could dance. With the bright laugh of a woman decades her junior, Maria let go of Remi and gathered her skirt, lifting it just enough to reveal her ankles and the quick-stepped jig she performed. When she’d finished, she hugged Remi’s arm.

God had sent him to her, she said, grinning.

“Yeah, that’s what she’s been telling everyone.” Remi looked at Javier sharply. The human raised his hands and shook his head. “Hey, I tried to tell her not to. The only ones that believe her are at church, at least.”

Remi shifted to stare at Sam, his eyes widening in his growing panic.

“The Ward… They— is that bad? That she’s letting everyone know I healed her?”

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel watched Remi's treatment of the watermelon wistfully, blinking at the angel as the fruit was carefully deposited and he stepped closer to him. His expression opened up at the sight of the one on Remi's face, anticipating something meaningful was about to be said. He had time to take in the concern in Remi's lovely eyes, the slight frown marring his forehead and to feel surprised that he'd become so serious after Sam's awkward little joke when they were interrupted by a Spanish tornado.

What she had to say was far from reassuring. It became Samuel's turn to frown as the truth unfolded. Even before Remi said anything, he'd figured out that the viejita had been healed, revealing his angelic nature to her. Sam's hands came out of his pockets to sweep through his hair, locking onto the strands and holding them as tendrils of panic worked through him. His arms framed his head, banging on it lightly, elbows extended towards Remi as he finally had the sense to start freaking out about what he'd done.

He dropped his arms to his hips with a heavy sigh, looking directly at Remi. "It's not good," he said seriously, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He navigated to a page he'd visited rarely (but had a sinking feeling he'd be looking at more often with Remi around) and focused on the first rule. He zoomed in on it and held it out to Remi to look at. "You've violated the first rule of the current district laws. The Ward is the least of your worries, as you can see by the punishments listed there," he gestured to his phone now in Remi's free hand. He scowled at the happy woman thoughtfully, wondering if he could influence this situation (without scaring her to death).

"Señora," Sam said to get her attention, grasping the hands she had wrapped around Remi's arm and gently unwinding her from around him. She looked surprised but complied as he took both her hands in his and turned her to face him, bending down so that he was eye to eye with her. He spoke to her in fluent, traditional Spanish - a language he'd learnt in Spain itself almost sixty years before, so some of his phrasing was no doubt a little odd to her - hoping she took his message to heart.

"You necessarily will stop telling people that Remi healed your body. If you do not desist from this behaviour, it will cause untold damage to Remi. He will be evicted from the city and never allowed to return. You may be punished, too. Your mind may be attacked. You necessarily will keep Remi's secret," he insisted gravely, noting that his words were having an effect on her. Her eyes were very wide and her lips were trembling. "No more telling people at church about the angel. If persons ask you how you are feeling so young, lie to them. Tell them you are drinking a new tea or some other lie. You necessarily will stop talking about Remi, yes?" he asked earnestly, giving her hands a gentle squeeze to reinforce the brevity of the situation.

[Ehcorn]

After Sam peeled Maria off him like moss from a rock, Remi was free to crouch and stow his box of produce next to his feet, giving him full use of his hands again. He manipulated the document Sam had brought up on his phone in the same way he’d moved his map around, dragging and pinching at it to get a better view of… many, many rules pertaining to something called a Masquerade. Further reading didn’t reveal what exactly a Masquerade was, but he gathered it had something to do with keeping his heavenly attributes a secret from anyone who didn’t already know that he wasn’t earthborn.

The Wardens he’d encountered had put it in simpler terms: No wings, no halo. The goal was to appear as human as possible. They hadn’t said a word about not healing anyone, but the more he considered it, the more he understood that the implication had always been there. He wasn’t supposed to bring attention to himself. According to the laws of both the Ward and McCloud, he shouldn’t have chased the inflammation from Maria’s joints, making it so she could walk independently and without pain.

According to them, it would've been better if he'd left her to suffer.

“Remi?” Maria had turned her head to speak to him directly, but she hadn’t made any attempt to move away from Sam. “I don’t understand,” she said, her usual rapid-fire Spanish coming out at a trickle. “Who would punish you for helping me?”

Remi sighed and joined Sam to stand in front of the teary-eyed old woman. “People who don’t want everyone to know angels exist,” he said.

“Why not? There is so much bad, why can’t I share the good? It would give everyone hope, no?”

Their laws didn’t make sense to him either, but for Maria’s sake, she had to keep quiet. If it came down to it, he needed to bear the brunt of whatever punishment they decided his “crime” deserved, not Maria and Javier.

“Please, Maria,” Remi said. “Maybe you’ll be able to tell people about it some day, but for now, I need you to keep what I did between us.”

Maria slid her hands from Sam’s and reached up to clutch at the neckline of her blouse. She shook her head, but before Remi could draw breath to offer another plea, she smiled grimly and nodded. “I still don’t understand, but for you I will do this. I will stop talking about it.” Maria raised her eyebrows at Sam. “But I will not lie. New tea?” She flapped her hand and made a dismissive noise.

“I bet if you told them it was that mint tea you ordered too much of, we’d finally get it off the shelves,” Javier supplied helpfully, earning a frown from his grandmother. “It’s that or you need to start walking around like you used to. You know...” The human shuffled off few steps, rubbing at his back and complaining in Spanish about his tired old bones, but escaped into an aisle before Maria could do more than scoff.

Remi held Sam’s phone out to him with a rueful smile. “Thank you." He cleared his throat. "Again.”

[Existentially Odd]

Sam opened his mouth to apologise for asking the elderly woman to lie, realising only when she scorned his offer by refusing that not everyone was comfortable with such an instruction. Javier interrupted before he could find the right words to appease her, though, so all he ended up doing was closing it again, feeling chagrined. Maria promised she'd keep quiet about Remi's healing, for Remi's sake and Sam's shoulders loosened as the tension drained out of them. It wasn't exactly a smooth transition but he was pleased they got there in the end. He smiled at Javier's impression of his grandmother, turning when Remi got his attention.

"You have to be more careful. Please," he implored, all the good humour leaking out of him as he gazed upon Remi's beautiful face, his concern obvious in his expression. "You did a good thing, I get that, but they take their secrecy really seriously in the city and I don't want you banished. You just--" came back to me, I don't want to lose you again "n-need to be careful," he mumbled awkwardly to a stop, loathe to admit his thoughts. This wasn't Gene; he knew that. But it sort of was, too and he didn't want to lose the chance for... a friendship because of Remi breaking district laws.

"Anyway," he continued brusquely before Remi could say anything, breaking eye contact in order to look down at Remi's shopping a short distance away. It was a convenient thing to focus on because contemplating Remi getting punished left him feeling vulnerable and anxious. "I'll let you finish up. I'll go wait outside for you," he declared, again not waiting for an answer before he spun and headed for the exit. He offered Maria a grateful smile and a soft, "Gracias," as he passed her, stepping out of the small store and back onto the street like he was emerging from an aromatic cave.

He inhaled the night air deeply, clearing his senses of the little store's imprint along with the drama Remi had inadvertently created. Sam moved along the footpath a short distance so that he wasn't blocking the doorway and leant back against a glass window, his arms folded and his gaze speculative, even though he was doing his best not to think too hard about what had just happened. What if it was already too late, though? What if somebody at Maria's church knew enough to make this complicated and Remi got into trouble? Sam supposed he had to push it from his mind and hope for the best... but that was easier said than done.

[Ehcorn]

Remi was left blinking at Sam’s retreating figure, unsure if he would’ve been able to say anything worthwhile even if he’d been given an opportunity to speak. His desire to console Sam was stronger than it had been earlier when he’d witnessed the vampire’s reaction to his question about Gene, but how could he help? Remi frowned and rubbed at the back of his neck. The easiest thing would be to tell Sam what he wanted to hear, but like Maria — who stood nearby fretting with a display of colorful sweets when she wasn’t casting worried looks his way — Remi wasn’t willing to be dishonest just to appease him.

For the moment, all that he could do was complete his original mission.

He sighed as he gathered his box from the ground, shifting it to his side so he could fill it the rest of the way. Hopefully, by the time he’d finished his shopping, he’d have figured out a better way to reassure Sam.

***

"They uh… They wouldn’t let me give them money for anything," Remi said to Sam outside several minutes later, looking down at the box in his arms. Javier had found and secured a top to it by lashing it down with nearly a full roll of packing tape.

It might be hard to get open, the human had said, but you won’t lose anything on your way home. Then he’d slid the box across the counter and told Remi that he didn’t need to pay. Not now, not ever. Familia ate free of charge.

"I have something I want to say before we go, though," he continued, maintaining his momentum while he had it. "I don’t want to cause trouble for anyone. For you, or Maria, or Javier or anyone else but I—" He blew out a frustrated burst of air through his nose. “I can’t let people suffer when I have the power to help them." Remi looked over his shoulder through the window. Javier was still at the front counter, chewing on the end of a pen and eyeing an open notebook with disdain. "I just need to figure out how to be more careful about it, like you said."

[Existentially Odd]

It was only once Remi mentioned money that Sam remembered he'd accompanied him to the grocery store ostensibly to pay for his food. And then he'd walked out after warning the owner to keep her mouth shut. Fantastic alternative. Guilt washed through him again. He'd been so caught up in moping and worrying about Remi that he'd forgotten his purpose. Thankfully, the family were as kind as they were grateful.

"I'm sorry," he sighed but fell quiet when Remi declared he had something to say. Sam heard him out, nodding when he came to a sensible conclusion. "You do," he agreed but then smiled, placing a hand on Remi's upper arm in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture (not just a good way to feel Remi's muscles). "You're new to the city and its laws and I have faith you'll make the right choices. Even if they're difficult," he intoned with sympathy.

He dropped his hand and made a point of looking around as if he expected someone to spring out of the shadows at them. He then looked back at Remi. "So. In the interest of discretion, just how will we get up to your garden without being seen?" He eyed the box in Remi's arms. "Are you sure there's room for me?" he teased, lifting his gaze to meet Remi's soulful eyes while he smiled.

[Ehcorn]

He’d steeled himself for an argument, but with Sam's response, tension began to leak from his muscles like rain from an overfull cloud. Everything from Sam’s gentle tone to the way he grasped his arm further relaxed Remi, so that by the time the vampire cracked his joke, the remaining trepidation Remi had felt dissipated.

If Vretil ever met Sam, he’d be in for a shock. According to his mentor, vampires were supposed to be rabid bloodletters incapable of anything but hunting their prey, but over the course of the night, Sam had shown time and again that he was more than capable of kindness and empathy.

He had a good sense of humor, too.

Remi schooled his features, keeping everything as serious as possible as he looked from Sam to his box and back again.

"No," he said, blinking exaggeratedly, "I don’t think you’d fit in the box. This… could be a problem."

His façade of bewilderment cracked and crumbled in the presence of the laughter that bubbled up his throat. Once he was able to contain his grin enough to speak, he expanded upon his actual plan, "Ah, there’s a park nearby I take off from. It's quiet after dark. If you can hold onto the box, I can hold you."

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel's expression registered his surprise. He'd meant fitting in Remi's arms along with the box... but he stopped mentally explaining it to himself as he realised Remi had made a joke. That was unexpected. Instead of elaborating, he appreciated Remi's humour; he smiled, which became a giggle of delight as Remi also laughed, his lovely face lit up with mischief. It was a nice end to their problematic trip to the store.

"I can do that," Sam agreed amiably, walking alongside Remi as he led the way to the park. They were quiet for a few moments as Sam thought about Remi's necessarily rapid evolution from steel-spined angel autocrat to a compassionate divinity that could make jokes. He was a big fan of the changes and admired Remi's adaptability. It was a necessary skill for survival, particularly in this city.

"So... when do you want to begin working on the translations with me? What's your schedule like? I'm at the Academy library most nights so we can either work there or my place but if it's my place, I'll need to make special arrangements," he offered with a shrug.

[Ehcorn]

"Schedule?" he repeated, his brow wrinkling as he glanced at the vampire.

Sam had provided context by mentioning where he usually was at night, so Remi understood what the word schedule meant and why he’d be asked about his. His mind was frustratingly blank when he tried to picture what he did, though — especially what he did with any sort of regularity. If it hadn’t been for the box in his hands, he would’ve rubbed at the back of his neck or jawline as he contemplated his answer, but he had to suffice with chewing on the inside of his cheek. What did he do with his days? His nights? There was plenty: tending to his garden, reading the multitude of texts Vretil brought him, exploring the city by air, helping out those he could… but never in any particular order.

"I don’t really have one," he confessed. "If I want to do something, I do it." He mimicked Sam’s shrug. "I can start whenever." He’d be a bit more picky about where he worked, however, and his next series of questions reflected that. "Does the library have big windows like your apartment? Or a balcony? How tall are the ceilings?"

When he glanced at Sam again, his mouth was tight with worry.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel had not considered Remi's panic in tight spaces when he'd discussed his employment and he was chagrined to be reminded of it now. He should've realised. He thought about what he had to offer the angel with regard to working conditions and suspected he'd be fine but he'd let Remi be the judge of the situation.

"Oh," he said, giving the architecture of his workplace some consideration. "It does have large windows and high ceilings, yes. In fact, it's positioned at the end of a double-storey wing so, in the foyer part where the loans counter and my office is, the ceilings are in a void and they're two floors high. The entryway is an entirely-glass wall with security gates just inside. The counter's on your right when you walk in. Around you - and beyond that - there are computers, lounging areas, bookstacks and then there's an upper floor - a mezzanine level - with meeting rooms, quiet study rooms, corrals, some more elite shelving and study nooks. It's a brand new building with a variety of spaces though I would likely work with you in my office." He paused to think how to describe his primary workspace.

"It's got half normal walls," he wedged his hand against his waist to show how high the solid walls in his office went, "the rest is glass," Sam explained, his arm whooshing upward to describe how high the top-most section of the three walls went. It went well above Remi's head. "I should say that the back wall is a boundary wall so that's solid but the other three are mostly glass and the doorway is wide. The office isn't huge - it's about fifteen by fifteen metres - but it feels spacious and my desk is very large, so there's ample space behind it for both of us to sit. If you're not comfortable there, we can choose somewhere else though, that would be fine," he offered hastily, looking earnestly over at Remi.

"I can work anywhere, really. I just need you to read to me and a computer to type what the book says. I just thought we'd work at the Academy because that's technically who you're working for so it will be more... professional, I guess," he chuckled, shrugging abashedly at his companion.

[Ehcorn]

Remi leaned forward a fraction and twisted his head as they walked, putting himself in a better position to watch Sam closely as he spun an image of the library with both his hands and words. Some of the terms he used Remi didn’t understand, but he got the gist. The library was substantial, and with any luck, it’d be like the foyer of the hotel, where the ceiling had risen so far above his head that he’d been able to forget it was there. Maybe the room would have some paintings that reminded him of clouds, too. Even if it didn't, he’d made a useful discovery on the elevator.

He smiled and bumped his shoulder into Sam’s, though not with enough force he’d send the vampire sailing off the sidewalk and into the road. "As long as you’re there, you can distract me if uh… Well, if I start to feel like the whole place is going to fall on my head." Shockingly cold hands had done wonders at helping him focus on something other than his impending doom — ridiculous as the notion was. He’d been on an elevator twice now and he hadn’t suffocated either time. Until he was able to align his brain with reality, though, having Sam nearby was a godsend.

How odd, that he’d be able to think of a vampire as a blessing, not a curse.

"Here we are," he said, coming to a stop and lifting his chin to point out the hunter green sign across the street that gave the name of the park and stated that it was closed already. "I never see many people after the sun sets, so we shouldn’t have trouble finding a spot to take off from." As they waited for the little man in the box to light up white and give them permission to cross at the intersection, he regarded Sam curiously. "Have you ever flown before?"

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel chuckled. "Only in an aeroplane. This... well, I'm a little nervous about this, truth be told," he admitted, stepping off the curb when the pedestrian light went their way and the little box on the pole started making an obnoxious beeping noise.

"You might need to distract me from my terror. The good thing is, I don't need to breathe so you can squeeze me as tight as you like and I won't mind at all," he insisted seriously as they moved off the street and into the shadowy recesses of the park. He couldn't imagine what position he needed to be in for Remi to get the best hold on him but he was reviewing possibilities mentally as a question occurred to him.

"Have you ever taken someone flying before?" He really hoped Remi's answer was yes. He already regretted asking.

[Ehcorn]

“I have,” Remi said, amusement catching at the corner of his mouth and tugging it upwards in a lopsided smile. “I’ve only dropped someone once, but I was able to catch him again before he hit the ground.”

What he could see of Sam’s reaction on the dimly lit pathway they traversed made him regret his joke and rush to elaborate. “It happened when I was in Mexico. He jumped out of airplanes as his job. A skydiver, I believe it’s called. He wanted me to let go and catch him again, but when I wouldn’t, he wiggled out of my arms and I had to. Unless you do that, I won’t drop you. I promise.”

He considered including an addendum, but it’d be rude to tell the vampire that if he succumbed to temptation and bit him, he’d let him plummet to the earth without a second thought.

And he wouldn’t dive after him.

Well.

He probably would after he’d fallen a few thousand feet. That’d give him plenty of time to think about what he’d done.

They walked farther into the park until they came to an open field of short grass and two nets at opposing ends. During the day, he’d watched people play a game where the goal was to kick a black and white checkered ball into said nets. It seemed like great fun, at least for the onlookers, who’d hooted and hollered any time someone managed to score a point.

“This is perfect,” he announced once he’d led Sam to the far end of the field. From there, he'd have plenty of room to run and get his feet off the ground with Sam’s added weight.

After he moved several steps away from Sam, Remi closed his eyes and focused on releasing his hold on the glamor that’d kept his wings hidden from all except those who had access to the heavenly planes. He breathed in deeply through his nose and released it in a happy sigh as he stretched his dove-white wings out, curled them around himself, and then settled them into their original position tucked against his back.

He was whole again.

[Existentially Odd]

Sam's expression when Remi talked about dropping and regathering someone told the angel exactly how he felt; terrified! The elaboration was mildly reassuring, although it did give Sam cause to wonder why the angel was fooling around with a skydiver in the first place. It sounded like they were playing games in the sky - and definitely like the skydiver knew Remi was an angel. Clearly, he couldn't keep his secret no matter what city he was in. What else had the skydiver learnt?

"How cute," Sam labelled Remi's wriggling skydiver story drolly. "I definitely won't be moving around," he assured the angel seriously. He wasn't afraid of heights necessarily but he was afraid of hitting the ground after a long fall that his body wouldn't recover from. He had no intention of tempting fate and it only occurred to him in that moment that he was putting an awful lot of faith in the angel not wanting to let him go in order to punish him. He'd promised, though and Sam trusted that.

When they reached the soccer field and Remi announced it as perfect, Sam squared his shoulders and took the grocery box without saying anything. The appearance of Remi's wings had him staring. They looked solid and trustworthy and Remi was beatific with them visible again. Nervously, Sam glanced around, detecting no heartbeats or creature warmth within their vicinity of the park. That made him feel better and he was more confident when he looked back at Remi.

"You're really beautiful, you know that?" he breathed, his gaze roaming from the wings down to Remi's face appreciatively. Suddenly, being in the angel's arms took on a whole different level of meaning and nervousness.

[Ehcorn]

"I appreciate the compliment," said Remi, eyes bright and dancing merrily, "but I already said I wouldn’t drop you. It’s not necessary to flatter me."

He beckoned the vampire closer and attempted to explain exactly how he planned on carrying him. In the end, he gave up trying to describe his intended hand placement and just did what he needed to, sliding an arm around Sam’s broad shoulders before he dipped down and hooked his other arm at the back of his legs so he could scoop him off the ground.

Once Sam was secure against his chest and the box had been rearranged so it wasn’t digging into his throat, the angel lifted his wings and began his running takeoff. His eyes were intent on the netted goal box as he surged forward, his wings snapping powerfully to push him even faster. Midway down the field, his feet cleared the ground and didn’t touch it again. It was all on his feathery appendages from that point forward, and he gritted his teeth as he neared the goal box and still hadn’t gained altitude to clear it. He was strong of body, enough that he carried Sam with ease, but his wings were built to carry one.

"Almost there," he ground out, and by some miracle, he flew over the netted open-faced cage, not through it. Checkered balls belonged there, not angels and their cargo.

Remi laughed triumphantly, but they weren’t in the clear yet. They needed more distance between them and the ground. There were trees and buildings to avoid, not to mention a certain anti-flying brigade that had promised to knock him out of the sky if they caught him again.

If. If they caught him.

He grinned as he climbed higher with every stroke of his massive wings, eventually beginning an upwards spiral that would take them above the clouds.

"Okay so far?" he called out loudly to be heard over the wind that rushed past their ears, tilting his head to inspect his passenger.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel's time enjoying the sensation of Remi's arms around him and the feel of their bodies pressed together was brief. Pleasure was overtaken by anxiety as Remi started running and flapping his wings. The rhythm and power of it rolled through Sam and he closed his eyes, unable to watch. If he'd been prone to breathing, it certainly would have been suspended in that moment, while he prayed for a positive outcome.

He felt it when they left the Earth, there was a disconnection from solid things and a surrender to the air that echoed through his body as weightless alarm. Remi's laughter was a mild reassurance. Their pitch and positions altered as the angel angled them upwards. Sam held onto the box and concentrated on Remi's arms around him, imagining them steely and strong, invincible. When Remi yelled, asking how he was doing, he flinched. It was windy but he wasn't deaf.

Sam opened his eyes. The first thing he saw were Remi's eyes, peering down at him. I'm fine, don't worry about me. Shouldn't you be looking where we're going? he asked mentally, feeling it was a more efficient way to communicate. Perhaps Remi had been yelling at him because he was having trouble hearing.

[Ehcorn]

Sam’s voice in his head startled Remi enough that he bobbed in the air like a drunken bumblebee until he gathered himself, flapping hard to regain the elevation he’d lost. He’d had vampires pry at his mind, shoving their sticky mental fingers into its many cracks and crevices in an attempt to influence him, but he’d never had full, intelligible words appear more clearly than they could ever be spoken — especially given their current setting. Without the wind to tear it away from his ears, there was no way he could miss the peevishness in Sam’s “tone”.

Remi snorted and looked ahead, dutifully turning his attention to where he flew rather than worrying about Sam. The vampire was tense, but he remained still like he’d promised; it was all Remi could’ve asked for as he labored to take them higher and higher until lights became specks and the city spread out beneath them. His rough, upward trajectory evened out into a soar as he soaked in luminosity of millions of souls going about their night. Cars streaked down roads, buildings were brighter than any star in the sky, and it all lent a sense of uncontaminated purity that he knew only existed from their incredible vantage point.

He inhaled deeply, freely, and shifted, banking to bring them closer to a stretch of wispy clouds that would tickle and lick their skin as they passed through it on the way to the Capital Building.

“This is my favorite part,” he told Sam, the volume of his voice lower than it had been earlier, when the air had whipped past his head like it’d been powered by a tornado. “Not something you get to experience on your airplanes, I imagine,” he added, smiling.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel regretted speaking into Remi's mind when it distracted him and caused a belly-dropping swoop that had Sam clutching the box on his abdomen a lot tighter than he should've. Once Remi began to recover altitude, Sam's heart retreated out of his throat. As they levelled out and began to soar, he loosened his grip on the protesting cardboard and relaxed in Remi's hold.

Apart from the occasional breath-catching tilt or breezy lean, their flight became enjoyable. Sam didn't want to look around so much that he unsettled Remi's hold on him but he risked little lifts and turns of his head to take in the view. The pinpoints of light far below were beautiful, the sky above an incomprehensible dome of starry darkness that his superior vision enhanced and absorbed. When he turned his head towards Remi, he was smiled at and told of his favourite part of flying but all Sam saw was the angel's mouth and his eyes, alight with joy. The sky was obviously a place he felt at home.

Sam blinked as he was hit in the face with what felt like a film of water. It was only then that he realised Remi's 'favourite part' was flying through clouds. He chuckled, noting that they were both glinting with a sheen of moisture, the light around them refracting off it, making Remi look somewhat like he was glowing. Samuel was enchanted by the angelic beauty, forgetting to look at the cloud cover between them and the city below until Remi did so in earnest. It was apparent he was looking for landmarks. After another minute or so, he seemed to have got them to a point above their destination because he gripped Sam subtly tighter and began angling them lower.

Oh, Gods. They were going to land. Sam had no idea what to expect but, judging by the take-off he'd experienced, it may not be a smooth ride. He closed his eyes and focussed on bracing for impact, remaining as statue-like in Remi's arms as possible so as not to disrupt him.