Reconnection

[Existentially Odd]

"Brat Prince?" Kerr echoed, his nose wrinkling. He hadn't heard Jake refer to himself like that - the Black Prince, yes, and even the notion of royalty was enough to make Kerr scoff - but it didn't surprise him.

"Jake's preposterous. And immature. I don't need a command buried in my brain to feel naturally terrified of ancients, yet he taunts them and demands respect when he's done nothing but prance around looking pretty and swinging his sword. He deserves to be ignored. I... what if they think we're a joke now?" Kerr asked worriedly, relieved that Ben's hand was back in his to stabilise him. The thought had only just occurred.

"I mean, the ley lines make the city powerful and it draws all kinds of supernaturals. It's a nexus too strong to overlook. The councils sent Halen and the Sacramentum once, if they're truly not happy they could do it again. As much as I want to see Jake suffer and order restored, I'm more worried about our greeting here and now. I don't want us to be regarded as failures or accomplices in what the city's become," he mused, his shoulders slumping as the doubts invaded his mind.

[Trillian]

Ben was surprised that Kerr had turned his praise into something bleak. Was it a leftover from visiting the manor? Kerr's insistence on focussing on the negative wasn't like him; he usually bolstered Ben's confidence.

Ben attempted to do the same. "No, Halen was sent because the city was plunged in violence and chaos. Sacramentum was asked to come because Lazarus killed Halen. After you took over, nobody else came. I'm sure Charon sent back word that you were doing a good job. He was connected to a lot of groups, so news about your good work went everywhere." Ben listed them off by popping up fingers on his free hand. "The Circle. The Brotherhood. Sovereigns. The Patricians of Rome. Das Geschlecht. I can't remember all their names right now." He smiled at Kerr. "And those other, multiple, smaller councils with the pretentious Latin names."

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr laughed, the sound full-throated and appreciative. He resisted the urge to say something along the lines of 'so as long as Jake hasn't sparked destruction and chaos in our absence, we're golden' because he thought it would only upset Ben again.

Jake was still not an easy topic to discuss and Kerr much preferred his love teasing him and making him feel better about fronting up to some councils and hoping for a good response. With ancients, things could go so very, very wrong so quickly.

"Alright, so we're back to my other questions that you didn't answer. When do you want to go and where should we stay if your friends are in our place?" He swung Ben's hand a little, feeling lighter.

[Trillian]

"We're not leaving Ireland just yet. There are a lot of things I'd like to see and do first. After we leave your Irish roots we can still check out other places, like Dublin and Belfast. I want to drink from someone who's drunk on Guinness. I know I can do that at Venture but it feels more authentic to do it here. And to kiss the Blarney Stone and cross the rope bridge at Carrick-a-Rede and visit Newgrange and see the Cliffs of Moher. There's a list on my laptop," he admitted with a sly grin.

The grin turned into a sexy albeit tiny smile when Ben thought about Harm. "Then we can go to the London apartment and visit Harm and his boyfriend, see if they're still there." He was pretty sure they would be because London had the job thing that would earn them extra money for expenses. Harm had blurted out all his Euro plans during their museum date that wasn't a date. "There are a lot of bedrooms in your London apartment, aren't there? We could share for a bit before moving on. It'll be fun."

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr's humour only grew as Ben listed off his Irish goals. He smiled and nodded along as Ben listed them off, pleased that they wouldn't be rushing towards any of the London councils just yet. It seemed they might have to negotiate a few Irish ones, though; Kerr suppressed his wince.

"I think there are four bedrooms, yes, but should we really intrude on their time together? I know how you like to toy with him, you won't get carried away and ruin their relationship, will you?" Kerr drawled, his tone playfully challenging.

He couldn't imagine the three of them - plus anyone else Ben decided he liked the look of and dragged home with them whenever he liked - would put Harm and his boyfriend at ease, especially if Ben's blatant attraction for the nurse was on display. They were probably monogamous. Merely the concept of Cain might be too much for them. Plus, it would feel more than a little disingenuous to have offered them a lovely place to stay only for them to crash the party when it was just beginning.

The whole concept made Kerr uneasy and he was looking for Ben to reassure him.

[Trillian]

"It'll be fine," Ben said with an eyeroll and a smirk. He contained his laughter because he knew what Kerr was getting at and it was very likely that Ben would focus on Harm and cause tension between him and his boyfriend. "I won't let it get to a breakup."

[Existentially Odd]

At Ben's reassurance, Kerr quirked a skeptical eyebrow but when the (potential-but-totally-unlikely) breakup was mentioned, Kerr's expression became disapproving. "Don't even let it get close," he warned. "If they're monogamous and happy, you need to stay away."

Smirking, he stepped in front of Ben and cupped his cheek, threading his fingers through his hair. "Find some new playthings. Preferably not a council member that can take your head, though. I'm very attached to this head." He gave Ben's hair a tug for emphasis and leant down to press a soft kiss to his lips.

[Trillian]

Kerr's words had a more sobering effect than he likely intended. After speaking about violent sires and thinking about New York so much, the taking of a head was too close to the reality Ben had faced. The seriousness leant into the kiss where he captured Kerr's lips to create something more than a light dalliance into a deeper and more fulfilling passion.

When they pulled back from one another, Ben's eyelids fluttered momentarily before he returned to walking. "We should get home soon so I can have a baggie."

The pushing down of his thirst was becoming less effective. Not because of time but because of the peculiar mix of stress and lust.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr smiled, pleased that Ben was listening to him. "Let's go," he agreed, turning them both and hurrying towards home.