The Sexiest Angel in the Garrison is currently not available. I'm probably having sex with your crush or having fun doing the things you always wanted to do but never had the balls to try. Leave a message.
And they know they can ship him off to another city if they really get sick of him.
[ About a minute, maybe two, after that message is sent, Gabriel appears in the empty seat at Andy's desk. No doubt he's off sunbathing again. It's probably for the best, especially when Greg is stressed. As promised, he has coffee, in one of their cups from home, none the less, and he gets up to put it on a paperwork-free area of Greg's desk. ]
[ When Gabriel pops into the office, Greg isn't at his desk working on those reports. He's pacing behind it, attention focused on his phone. He shouldn't really be wound up as tight as he still is, but he was really not prepared for all of this.
Andy literally vanished into thin air the moment he was no longer expected to follow Greg down to talk with Lucifer. Greg's not expecting him to be back anytime soon. He's probably in a bar on the opposite side of town by now.
A drink sounds like a good idea, actually.
There's genuine relief in his face when he looks at Gabriel that seems to relax the tight muscles in his shoulders somewhat. He shakes his head at the question and tosses his phone into his desk before leaning back against the wall behind him with a heavy sigh.
He's angry. Disappointed. Frustrated. Overall he's far more shaken up than he can allow anyone else to see. Especially not the likes of Brimstone, and even more so the people that expect him to be stable. He can't afford to break.
But he's in over his head. He has been from the very first day, but times like this shove that reality into focus. ]
Thank you for coming down. I know you'd probably rather not talk to me right now.
[ It sounded good in principle. All he was doing was his job, with the usual amount of dry sarcasm, and in the end he didn't do anything but object to the flagrant display of casual cruelty that means nothing to Lucifer. But he can't pretend that Gabriel's callous response to it didn't sting, make him more outspoken about his annoyance with the whole thing. It was hardly the only factor, but it was there.
Brimstone would have stuck their nose into this whether or not the police had, he's fairly certain. Brimstone didn't like anything that looked so much like torture, and the fact that Lucifer would likely have turned his attention to the police afterward only motivated them to step in sooner. Brimstone's enforcers didn't want their favourite 'show' to get completely flattened.
Lucifer probably wouldn't be interested in what was fair, though, even less so than Brimstone. He'd be angry, and looking for a convenient target to take that out on. And if that target happens to be Greg's fellow police officers...
It happens. Criminals don't play fair. They hold grudges. Greg's not new to that concept, but that doesn't make it easy to handle when it gets ugly. ]
[ Gabriel really shouldn't be surprised. He knew Greg was stressed, he could feel it through his phone, every message Greg sent proved how much strain he was under, how much worry coursed through him. Gabriel was well aware that a small amount of that was at least his fault- he'd reacted to Lucifer without thinking about consequences, about who would read what he'd said and be hurt by it.
He'd hurt Greg before by being stupid, by not thinking, and he'd done it again. Now at least he could fix it before it got too bad. Greg is so tense you can taste it in the air, the room is filled with it. It's probable that anyone with a better sense of smell than a regular human could smell it down the hall.
That's not fair. Greg works so hard. Most of the time, he's actually got a great handle on this, the paperwork is always there, there are always a torrent of cases to investigate, but he could never claim to be bored. But Greg doesn't see how successful he's been, he only sees where improvements still have to be made. It hurts him, and Gabriel can see that. He wishes he could do something, pour soothing oils somehow, but it's not as easy as that.]
I always want to talk to you. I'm sorry, what I said to Luci was... wrong.
[Callous, cold, inhumane. Any of those work too. But he's not upset about Greg. Greg has a job to do, he feels the heavy weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He has a moral compass that might be even more finely tuned than anyone Gabriel has ever met before. It's certainly better than Gabriel's, which is as battered and beaten as it can get, without being completely bent out of shape.
He shifts, moving around Greg's desk, standing in front of him, a few inches between them, and after a moment of uncertainty, reaches out to touch Greg's arms. The tension in his muscles is horrible.]
You did what you had to do, Greg. I won't be upset about that, you know that. Brimstone have dealt with... a version of him in the past, they'll have to deal with him again. It probably won't be the last time. He's... broken. The Cage broke him, and expecting him to behave like a human would...
[He shrugs, and looks up at Greg's face, trying to read something more than just his expression. Something deeper, something in his soul. If he sees it, he doesn't show it.]
[ Greg's view of how much he's accomplished since arriving here is somewhat skewed by looking at the larger picture. He's made progress with his work, clawed his way into gaining some respect from his fellow cops, helped straighten a few of them out into being better policemen, and he's definitely had a hand in paving the way for more Heaven transfers to work here. Chloe has taken up the task with just as much stubborn determination as he has, and they might be getting a third before too long in the way of Jim Kirk.
But he knows how many cases still goes unsolved. He's vaguely aware of how many bribes are taken, how much paperwork is 'lost,' and the sheer volume of crime that isn't even reported for various reasons. For every idiot that's too open with their illegal endeavours, there's probably a dozen more that have the sense to keep it underground.
Greg knows that Lucifer isn't stupid. He's just not used to anyone standing up to him, telling him no, and actually being able to enforce that. It's Greg's job to address it if he catches wind of such things, but as far as enforcing anything, that's something that only Brimstone is truly capable of doing in this case. The logical thing to do would be just to report it directly to Brimstone, which he can do. He hadn't. He knows that the effort to diffuse the situation rather than escalate it probably won't make any difference to Lucifer himself, though.
He doubts that he's made anyone happy in how he's handled this. It was unavoidable, no matter what he did, but it's still somewhat frustrating to know that he's putting himself through this grief mostly for the sake of his own conscience.
When Gabriel moves in close, Greg looks down at him, taking in a deep breath and slowly exhaling while he takes in those words and tries to think of the right thing to say in response. There's the starkly honest truth that he's disappointed that Gabriel would set aside the empathy that Greg knows he's capable of, and for what? To get on Lucifer's good side? Not that he would have expected, or wanted, Gabriel to start a disagreement with his brother over it, but his reply had been somewhat far removed from neutral. And now Brimstone knows it, too. He can't take back those words now.
'Don't publicly involve yourself any more than you already have,' he'd said. Practical. True. Brimstone will have taken note of his apparent willingness to enable Lucifer's behaviour. Will Greg really feel better about this personally, knowing that he's basically just told Gabriel to keep it to private channels? Not as much as he would like to.
But he loves Gabriel. He knows he's better than that. Gabriel may not share his standards of morality, Greg doesn't expect him to, but he's not heartless. Cold, cruel and detached don't suit him, Greg feels very strongly about that, but that's a mask that Greg knows he can wear.
Maybe he doesn't really need to say anything about it at all. Gabriel knows where he stands. ]
I know he's not human, and I don't expect him to necessarily act like one, but there are rules around here that we all have to follow. Or at least put on a reasonable appearance of doing so.
[ His arms have relaxed slightly under Gabriel's hands, but it'll be a while yet before he's anything like truly at ease. Still, he needs Gabriel here, and even that light touch might as well be physically propping him up right now. If he was alone, he would probably let himself quietly collapse until he had to pull himself back together and carry on. It means so much to him that he's not alone. ]
I could do with something stronger, I'd have to admit, but... [ He shifts his arms to catch Gabriel's hands in his, gently tugging them closer until they're resting against his chest. ] I just want you right now. More than anything.
[ It's a deeper, quieter need for intimacy than usual, but that was the driving force behind asking Gabriel to come here, rather than just asking him to stay away from a potentially difficult situation with Brimstone. ]
[ You can look at the big picture all you like, there's always a bigger picture than that. Even here. They're just dealing with Brimstone, in this town. What about the rest of Hell? What about Heaven, what about BlueSky? You keep thinking like that, you make yourself so small and insignificant that nothing you do matters. It burns you out and destroys you, and Gabriel is not willing to allow Greg to get that bad. Fine, fine, he can worry about what Brimstone and what Lucifer are going to do next, but frankly? All they can do is react to it. Lucifer is not going to be happy, they can plan for that. Brimstone though? For the time being, they have more important things on their minds.
Besides, they can't sanction something like the Initiation Day with all it's gleeful torture, pain and property damage, and then object to one little demon losing one little pair of feet. Oscar lost an eye, and they didn't care. Gabriel is as much a trickster as he is an angel, and encouraging that sort of thing is something he's done before, and might well do again. They've never cared before. Of course, he worked for them then. Maybe now that he doesn't, their favour is harder to win.
Still, Gabriel knows you can't make everyone happy. It's impossible. Not even Dad could do it, so what hope does anyone have? The truth of the matter is that sometimes doing the right thing makes no one happy, but it's still the right thing to do and you can't escape from that. Greg might not have made Brimstone happy or Lucifer happy and he's clearly not made himself very happy either but he did what he had to do. What else can anyone ask from him? Gabriel certainly wouldn't ask for anything else.
Gabriel could be a lot better than he is. He could give Greg less to worry about for a start. He could focus on thinking before he speaks, or types. Or does anything really. But as far as Gabriel sees it, he's between a rock and a hard place. He wants to help Lucifer settle, to stop him pulling crap like that on the network. He's not a demon who gets off on this stuff, he just wants to stamp his authority onto Little Hades and it's occupants. There are better ways to do that, but he won't listen to Gabriel's suggestions unless he thinks Gabriel is on his side. Which means no lectures. Unfortunately winning Lucifers trust is not going to be quick or easy.
The comment about feet wasn't that bad though. They were already off, hiding them want going to relieve anyone's suffering. He could have suggested taking off his hands so he couldn't pick them up, surely that would have been worse. But... but maybe suggesting that he should feed Bob his own feet was a little too much. He can admit that, especially considering how badly Greg reacted to that one particular dare Gabriel had carried out live on the Hellnet. Yeah. He really should have left that bit about eating feet out completely if he wanted Greg to eat anything for the rest of the month.]
I don't think he knows what reasonable means. If Brimstone manage to teach him, I'll be surprised.
[But maybe they can. After all, the Heaven he's from had a way of reprograming angels if it was required. Maybe it's not possible on the four of them, maybe Brimstone don't have the ability to do it, and it is, well, repulsive. Part of Gabriel can't help wonder if it might be a good idea though, in Lucifer's case. Not that he's ever going to say that to anyone.
Instead he focuses on his hands over Greg's chest, feeling the breath fill his lungs and his heart beat and the tension in every single sinew, in the grip of Greg's hands on his.]
I'm not going anywhere, you know that. I'm right here. You can't get rid of me, I know where you live.
[It's not a great attempt to get a tiny smile from Greg, but it's a start, and Gabriel shifts a little closer, so he can lean up and gently press a kiss to Greg's mouth. No one outside the office will bother them, no one is going to come and dump more work on Greg's desk this afternoon, or want to speak to him about the Hive Incident. Gabriel is making sure of that. Greg just needs a little while, some time to breath and collect himself. A few stiff drinks and sleep. Sleep was probably not going to be an easy goal, but Greg needed it, he needed time, time for all that tension to unwind.
Gabriel should, really, be going to Silks. He knew that, it was his business, his responsibility. But there were a few people there he could trust to run the place without him, and being with Greg was more important.]
[ As Gabriel has undoubtedly realised by now, there are few things that Greg can immerse himself in that help him so thoroughly let go of all the worries, stresses, and frustrations of the day like a warm, affectionate touch. Two years of being single, with only the occasional date or two here and there, had caused him to withdraw somewhat and adjust to not having someone to come home to. It was never how he wanted to live, but he learned how to be single again.
Having someone to come home to again is another adjustment, but it's one that makes him feel stable, loved, and wanted. It's all too easy to let his guard down around Gabriel and share the doubts and insecurities with him that he wouldn't let anyone else see. Gabriel doesn't have to do anything to fix his problems, he doesn't even have to say anything, really, just the kisses and embraces, the heat of Gabriel's body against his, puts him at ease. Even if his muscles haven't quite caught up with that.
He does smile slightly at Gabriel's attempt at humour, already reaching to slip his fingers through Gabriel's hair to pull him into another soft kiss before he can even think about pulling away from the last one. He's braced himself against the wall in such a way that it's relatively comfortable to have Gabriel all but straddling his legs.
He could be working. He's fairly sure that Gabriel has work that he could be doing, too, and he wouldn't try to stop him from going back to it - he's not going to have a breakdown, not today - but as long as Gabriel's here, Greg's arms are going to be tightly wound around him, pulling him closer. It's all unspoken, but he wants Gabriel's hands, his mouth, everything really, on him. It's not entirely sexual, but that's all tangled up with the rest of it, too, and it doesn't feel like such a bad thing. ]
You do know. [ He murmurs softly against Gabriel's lips in between those kisses. ] I live right here.
[ There's a little tremble that runs through Gabriel at those words, a flush of pleasure that isn't sexual in the slightest, but one that makes him as purely happy as it's possible to get. It flows through his Grace, into the brightness of his smile against Greg's lips, and into that kiss. Those words were possibly one of the purest forms of love he'd ever experienced, and it clearly has a very profound effect.
His own hands are still on Greg's chest, fingers closed in his shirt through another series of a little kisses, before Gabriel presses them closer and the kiss becomes deeper. It's slow, and gentle, and full of devotion. Gabriel well knows that Greg doesn't expect him to fix whatever problems they face. But he can damn well try, because if he didn't try, if he could fix something and he didn't, then there's something wrong. He's meant to be there for Greg, Greg is there for him. That's how this works. And it has to work that way- down here, you need someone looking out of you. Gabriel is so lucky that he has Greg.
It feels so right to be with him now, to be holding onto him, to feel his heartbeat begin to find a less panicked rhythm, his breathing even out. If just being with Greg does that, then Gabriel will sacrifice his work for that, or time with his friends. He'll give up anything and everything, in actual fact, if Greg needs him. Silks can manage without him.
Besides, this closeness is something Gabriel has never really enjoyed before. Not the physical closeness, but something more fundamental than that. He doesn't want it to stop, he wants to curl himself around Greg and around his soul and bask in it.]
Can I persuade you to come home early? This place doesn't need you right now.
[ Greg feels that it's nothing but appropriate to put his feelings into precise words on the rare occasions when he can find the right ones to express how he's feeling. They might both be dead, but he doesn't feel that when Gabriel is pressed up against him like this, when their mouths meet and when they're tangled up in bed together. It makes him feel alive, and in the very best way. Honestly, even the stressful moments with Gabriel still make him... feel, so intensely that it's easy to forget that he's in Hell for a few moments.
He'll lean into that deeper kiss with just as much loving affection. Unlike with some people that he's been intimate with in the past, even people he's cared very deeply for, he never feels as if he needs to hold any of that back with Gabriel. Yes, he can be so very much the old romantic, even to the point of being cliche, but it seems to all be new and wonderful to Gabriel. He takes all of it so happily, and it just makes Greg happier to give it to him. He doesn't have to bend over backwards to come up with new and inventive gestures to hold Gabriel's attention when the simplest, heartfelt things mean so much.
That's not to say that he doesn't like going to extra effort now and again. The date night that he more or less surprised Gabriel with recently went over very well with both of them.
He seems to share Gabriel's intrinsic desire to remain close. His hands have reluctantly slipped from Gabriel's hair only to slide down, settling on his hips to pull those even closer. He can't be bothered to pretend that he doesn't want this, more of this, right now. Obviously there's work, but not so much that he can't catch up with it later. And if there's ever been a good day to call it early, this would be it. Any day that he has to deal with Brimstone is already one of 'those' days by default. ]
You can. [ He tilts his head to brush his lips across Gabriel's cheek, tilting his head down until he can gently nudge at Gabriel's jaw so that he'll tilt his own head back a bit further and allow Greg's lips to trail down to his throat, too. ] I'll come in early and finish the rest of this.
[ Andy won't be coming back today, either, so it's not like he would be going out anywhere at this point. ]
[If anything, Gabriel feels more alive down here sometimes than he did in the last hundred or so years of his existence in the living world. He wasn't often happy then, knowing what was going to happen had sucked most of the fun out of what he did. He hadn't lacked company, but none of it had meant as much as Greg's company did. Like this, when they're curled around each other during sex, when Gabriel comes to sit with him in the morning before Greg has to head out to work. All of it makes him happy, even the day-to-day stuff.
Dinner out have been wonderful, and something that Gabriel had never ever done before. The memories of it still made his tummy turn over in joyous cartwheels.
Greg just ticks his boxes, there's nothing more to it than that. He doesn't need to try to impress Gabriel, he doesn't have to do anything special or spend weeks planning something. He can, if he wants to, and no doubt Gabriel would be bowled over, but it's all the little things that make him so happy.
And just to prove it, as Greg's hands smooth over Gabriel's side to rest at his hips, he makes a very happy little noise, before the next kiss muffles it. He wants to keep as close as he can to Greg, to be his support even if Greg seems to be better now than he was, Gabriel is not letting go until he feels sure. Of course, they're going to topple into bed, there's no doubt about that. But that's another sort of comfort they need.
Gabriel lets Greg nudge his head back, gasping as lips brush down his skin, and he can't help but lean a little heavily against Greg, hips rubbing up against him.]
You want me to get us back?
[Because he doesn't want to detangle them, not when it was so nice to cling to him like that. He doesn't much want to have to wait to get Greg home either.]
[ There isn't much for Greg that settles him like being close and intimate with someone he loves. It's not going to change the fact that he's still going to have to deal with all of this tomorrow. There's no avoiding it, not for long, but he can allow himself to let it go for a few hours. Some rest will help calm his nerves, and right now the last thing he needs is to get more wound up by all of this. He's still human, of course, but letting himself get too emotional while trying to do his job never works out well. He needs to be as level-headed as possible to deal with things like this.
In the meantime, his undivided attention is settling on Gabriel, seemingly completely forgetting about exactly where they are in the process. All he's paying attention to right now is the warm friction of Gabriel's body against his, and those muffled noises that Gabriel makes. It only encourages Greg to lavish more attention on Gabriel's throat with his lips and tongue, soft and deliberate, clearly with the intention of slowly winding Gabriel up.
Often it's about holding back and drawing out the build up to other things, but this time it's just about drawing into the intimacy that they share, that's continued to deepen over time much faster than Greg ever would have expected it to. ]
Yes. Please.
[ He's still wearing a lot in the way of clothes, but he actually rather likes letting Gabriel work those off one button at a time, when he's not so impatient that he just wills them elsewhere. Greg doesn't actually have any complaints about that method, either.
Right now, though? He wants Gabriel's hands working over these tense muscles with all of the sensual, practised touches that make him melt so effectively. He can stretch out on his back on the bed, and actually let his wings relax for the first time today, with Gabriel straddling his lap... Yes, that is a nice mental image, actually. ]
[ Gabriel isn't going to stick around here any longer than they have to. He's no objections to being even more intimate here, as Greg well knows, but not after a day like Greg's had. He needs time away from here. So the blinds go down, the door is locked (firmly, Greg does not need any curious colleagues going through his paperwork, or Brimstone inviting themselves in) and then they are gone. A moment after they've disappeared, the light switches off too.
Gabriel could have just zapped them right into bed. He has done that before, but normally things are a little more intense by that point, and there's normally the threat of Gabriel removing clothes in public when that happens. He's being a tiny little bit selfish at this point, keeping them together against the bedroom wall, just so Greg can continue biting and kissing at his throat. Greg likes it too, of course, or at least he likes the whimpering, squirming mess Gabriel becomes after a few moments of that attention.
They're both still dressed, despite the wriggling Gabriel is doing, clearly desperate to be less dressed as soon as possible. He'll cope, for the moment, because all that squirming and wriggling just brings the length of his body against Greg's in a very pleasant way. Just like being in his lap, working out the knots in all those muscles, is going to be extremely enjoyable too.]
If you're on your front, I can get all the kinks out...
[Okay, he didn't mean to groan that, but the offer still stands. If Greg wants to, Gabriel will happily take his time over every single inch of sinew and tense muscle in those gorgeous shoulders and back. It might leave Greg a very happily puddle of goo, but that's a sacrifice Gabriel is willing to make.]
[ It's all too easy to get caught up in things, despite all the tension and lingering unease, when they're in a much more comfortable and private room and Gabriel is squirming against him in all the right ways. It doesn't take much effort or thought to start tugging at Gabriel's clothes, helping him to wiggle his way out of at least those top layers over his chest as he's so clearly eager to do. In any other situation Greg wouldn't mind stripping the rest off along with it, but whether it's the stress or just his mental state, he's feeling somewhat more subdued than usual.
He still wants all of these clothes out of the way, he still craves that intimacy, it's just more of a slow, sensual desire than the hot intensity that they're often prone to. It's still hard to pull back from kissing Gabriel's throat to start working on shrugging out of his own jacket, and then sliding his hands back up to start unbuttoning his shirt. Of course he can still kiss and nip at Gabriel's jaw while he does that. ]
I doubt you'll work them all out like that. But that sounds good.
[ His expression is fairly dead-pan, but there's obvious amusement gleaming in his eyes. Usually Gabriel is the one to make 'observations' like that, but Greg does get one in himself every once in a while.
As soon as he's able to slide his shirt off of his shoulders he stretches his wings out, and the sigh of relief at that is so heavy that he almost slumps back against the wall with it. He really should have expected that, given that his wings are often tense from being cramped up all day quite often, but this tension is worse than usual and it's just as evident there as it is in his shoulders. ]
[They've both had a lot of practice with this now, unbuttoning, unfastening, peeling clothes off while they kiss or while Greg's mouth teases over Gabriel's overly sensitive skin. The shiver as each layer is removed has nothing to do with cold air- there isn't any, not here- but all about anticipation.
And if Greg is going to start on his shirt, Gabriel is more than capable of undoing those at the bottom as Greg starts from the top, meet in the middle and then push it off his shoulders. And from Greg's shoulder's, it's only a slight reach to those wings. Gabriel seems to have a magic touch where they are concerns, and even if Greg wants to lean backwards, just for a little while, Gabriel has no problems pressing up to him and letting his fingers work into muscle and between feathers and try and get some of that surface tension out.]
Hmmm, you can let a boy try though, can't you?
[Gabriel probably shouldn't be allowed to smirk like that, suggestive and so self-satisfied. Greg might not melt as quickly or as easily as Gabriel does, but a few minutes under the archangel's hands has a very surprising effect. Or at least, surprising to those who don't think of Greg as anything but serious, starchy policeman. There's something very pleasant about working Greg into a relaxed, contented, boneless creature. Especially not when the raging desire remains.]
[ There's certainly nothing wrong with Gabriel's talent for working over tense muscles, Greg just carries around a lot more stress than Gabriel does, at least in a physical sense. It would take some serious manipulation to ease all of that away with just a brief touch, and he wouldn't be necessarily surprised if Gabriel could do that, but they both like the process of getting there. Drawing things out is almost always a good idea.
He can't even answer that rhetorical question when Gabriel's fingers slip through those soft feathers and against the muscle underneath, all he can do is groan, a pleased shudder echoing through that wing all the way down to the tips of his feathers. That feels insanely good even when he's not tense, and releasing some of that pent up ache like this is even a step beyond that. Staying upright against the wall is definitely going to be out of the question if Gabriel is going to continue that, and Greg definitely wants him to.
So he's pulling Gabriel with him over to the bed, only finally somewhat reluctantly letting him go in order to slip out of the rest of his clothes before carefully stretching out on his stomach on the bed. It's all too easy to sigh and let his face sink into a pillow, at least for a minute. It's comfortable, no one is chastising him over what he did or didn't do, and Gabriel is here with him. Things could definitely be worse. ]
I'll let you do whatever you want if you keep that up. [ It's muffled into that pillow, but his words are probably clear enough. ]
[It's said in a laugh, before Greg pulls him towards their bed and Gabriel helps him shed those last few pesky clothes. He should strip out of his own, but actually, it's so much nicer just to stop, for a moment, and watch Greg laid out like that, wings spread, every line of his back exposed, skin taut and beautiful in the low light of the room.
It is just a moment before Gabriel follows, but in that moment all his thoughts turn to how handsome Greg is, how perfectly made. There's no direct divinity in his creation, but there should be. There's something unbelievably beautiful about Greg, not just in his looks, but something in his soul that sings out. Even the tension and the bitter taste of the day can't hide it. He could look at it forever, but it feels already too long since he was pressed up close, and so he pulls off the rest of his clothes and climbs up onto the bed, straddling across Greg's thighs and ass.
He doesn't squirm, doesn't grind himself down, because that will just make all those muscles tighten even more, and Gabriel doesn't want that. His hands trail up the path of Greg's spine, thumbs gently tracing contours of muscle and the joints of Greg's gorgeous wings, before he leans forwards and presses a line of kisses up between his shoulder blades before murmuring something close to Greg's ear]
Don't fall asleep, 'kay?
[And with that, the tips of Gabriel's fingers press in, over the tension in those gorgeous shoulders, working the stresses and stains out in careful circles. He could just will it all away, of course, but that sudden relief doesn't actually do much good when a body is as tired and tense as Greg's, it needs a slow, focused touch, and only the very gentlest touch of Grace. Gabriel knows what he's doing, he can take his time.
Besides, he really feels like he's helping. Yeah, he knows he's there for Greg to talk to, he knows he's a great distraction from whatever rubbish is happening in LHPD, but that doesn't often feel like real help. This? Somehow it does. Besides, like this he can broach a subject that's been on his mind a while.]
I was thinking, when this is settled, maybe you should take some time off. Have a rest, just for a few days.
[ Gabriel might not be intentionally squirming around, but just the fact that he's pressed so close and intimately, without any clothes getting in the way, is enough to wind Greg up a bit in a different way. Not to the point of distracting him from how amazing it feels to have Gabriel's fingers trailing over his back and wings, and then digging more purposefully into the muscle of his shoulders. Gabriel has learned all too well just where the worst knots tend to happen, and he's always been good at deftly working each one of them out with apparent ease.
Greg makes a muffled hum of agreement in response to the words murmured in his ear, and though it's distracted, he's not actually in danger of falling asleep. Not right now. There certainly have been evenings when this kind of attention would leave him relaxed, boneless, and prone to slipping into sleep, but he's not that physically tired right now. He might be mentally exhausted, but otherwise he's feeling very comfortable, but also attentive on where Gabriel's hands happen to be.
He's not even bothering to try to stifle the occasional pleased groan, or slight hiss of a sharply inhaled breath before letting it out in an appreciative sigh.
Gabriel gets through 'I was thinking' before Greg makes another noise, just to prove that he is listening. He recognises the tone of something that Gabriel might have been hesitant to bring up otherwise, and he's not wrong. Gabriel seems to try not to make suggestions regarding his work, under normal circumstances, but the idea of taking some time off has been hinted around before. He's never been outright against it, but so far he's never really found the right time to give it serious consideration. Maybe Gabriel's right, though. He hasn't taken more than two days off at a time since he started working here, aside from that week when he was a teenager.
It would be nice to be able to sleep in for a few days. Especially when he can get back into his house, which is supposed to be soon, he'll definitely have plenty to work on around the house and in the garden. ]
Mm. What about you?
[ Gabriel's been spending a lot of time at Silks, too. Not that Greg can judge. He was expecting the first few weeks to be somewhat time-intensive, while Gabriel made sure that everything was running smoothly. ]
[ Gabriel won't pretend it isn't thrilling to be naked and pressed up against Greg, he won't pretend that he doesn't really enjoy it, the shared warmth and the closeness and the easiness of it all. It'd be so easy to just give in and roll around on the bed with Greg, turn this into something far less innocent. As easy as that would be, he's very happy like this, feeling Greg breath under his hands.
He's known ever since that disastrous party in Little Eden that there are certain points, little points like here and here which get so impossibly tense that Gabriel focuses his attention there for a moment, enjoying the way Greg groans, hisses and moves very slightly under Gabriel's hands. He'd be a liar if he said he didn't get an ego boost out of that. He really likes the fact he can have such an effect on Greg.
He lets his fingers knead those stops a little longer, before his hands trail down and into the feathers at the joints of Greg's wings, and work gently into them too. Greg is still tucking in his wings and hiding them away, how he doesn't get horrible cramp Gabriel doesn't know. But they need a little TLC too, and Greg does like to have them touched.]
I wasn't planning to let you go have fun without me.
[ The idea makes him chuckle softly, because this suggestion isnt just about Greg needing some time away from the office. It's about them, being about to enjoy some good solid time together without worrying about work and shifts and all the rest. Some time that is just about them, even if they can't do that whole romantic long weekend thing so many couples enjoy. Maybe they can spend it in Little Eden, although Gabriel's own ideas were a little different. ]
Maybe a long weekend at the seaside? Or I can take you to India, something like that. Really get away.
[ Greg knows that Gabriel likes to draw those noises out of him, and he's more at ease making them here, like this, than he is during sex, oddly enough. He's becoming somewhat less restrained with Gabriel in general, though. It's easy to be inclined toward letting go of a lot of inhibitions that he's held onto for years when Gabriel is so eager and accepting of anything he wants to do. Greg knows that he has a few things he would never do, but they seem to all be along the lines of things he wouldn't want to do, anyway.
He's not really thinking about any of that right now. Right now he's outright moaning at the attention to his wings, and it's far from innocent. His wings do get cramped, and today's been fairly bad for that. Gabriel's fingers ease all of that tension away, and the gentle ruffle of those feathers near his joints make faint shudders of pleasure rustle through his whole wing. He couldn't resist that reaction even if he wanted to.
It's difficult to focus on Gabriel's words in the midst of all that, but 'seaside' catches his attention enough to have him turning his head, glancing back toward Gabriel with a slightly confused but interested expression. ]
That would be lovely, actually, but how?
[ Neither of them have any way to get back to earth. He knows that Gabriel is capable of conjuring up some impressive things, like the reflection of his flat in London, at least for a little while, but he thought that anything like that would be far too expansive for Gabriel to maintain for long. It seems like trying would be excessively draining. So maybe he has something else in mind? ]
[ Gabriel loves those noises. They're so far away from the controlled, careful, conscientious policeman Greg is outside that, well, he can't help but enjoy them. It means he's doing something right, very right. He lets his fingers smooth further into Greg's wings, really working on the tension, trying to ease most of it out now because he doesn't know how much longer Greg is going to let him do this. When you start playing with wings, there's only so long before you want to do more than that.
He knew that seaside would work on Greg though. It was bound to. ]
Constantine has a thing... that lets you physically go back to memories.
[Which he's going to look into more before they use it. He wanted to understand it properly, make sure it's safe, before he goes near it seriously, but the idea and the possibility is too much to share.
Of course, if he was alive, he could keep an illusion like that going, for weeks and weeks, on a huge scale. He did it to Sam Winchester for a year, he kept both of the Winchester boys in a made up world for days and days and days. It's only difficult now because they watered down his powers.]
[ Greg doesn't want Gabriel to move, but he will push himself up from the bed just enough to make it obvious that he wants to shift around to lay on his back instead, carefully folding his wings as he does so that the can stretch them back out on the bed behind him. He's fairly content to let Gabriel continue to work over his muscles and wings for as long as he wants to, but in this position it's likely that he'll want to do more than just play with Greg's feathers. And that was more or less the point.
The mention of John makes him flick his eyes up toward the ceiling briefly, though - 'Constantine has a thing' rarely works out well - but he's willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. At least as long as they're just talking about this in theory at the moment. It's not that he doesn't trust John not to let him have anything dangerous...
Well. Usually he wouldn't. Those thoughts take a detour when he considers the overall situation at the moment, and that makes him a bit more dubious than he would have been otherwise. Still, it sounds harmless enough, and it it does work, then it would definitely be easy for them to get away from all of this for a couple of days. He does miss the beach, maybe even more than London sometimes. ]
[ Gabriel can shift to give Gren enough time to move, to get comfortable again before he's letting his hands move again, back to Greg's shoulders, trailing down the top part of his biceps, just enjoying the feel of muscle beneath his fingers.
Greg is gorgeous, okay? And there's nothing wrong with fact that the sight of those muscles makes him feel a little squirmy all over again.
But he tries to focus, his eyes moving from muscle to Greg's face, and he sees the flicker of his eyes. He guessed that Greg would get stuck on this point, and he knows why. Magic stuff isn't for playing with, not when it's got the potential to backfire so dramatically. But then again, John knows what he's doing, Gabriel... trusts him, to a certain degree. Besides, he's going to test this thing before they try to use it. And if it works? If it seems safe? Then why not. It#s the only real way they are going to get to experience anything other than Hell together.
And as his hand drifts back into Greg's wings, this time to stroke the long, strong, soft feathers of his inner wing, not rubbing or massaging, just touching. ]
I told him you needed a holiday. That I wanted a vacation with you. And he suggested it, because there... aren't any other options.
[ Because Gabriel is stuck here. And that's only now becoming something he's not happy with. He wants to go places with Greg, and see things with him he's not seen for a long, long, long time, or things he's never seen before or things he wants to see in a new way. He can't do that if he's banished to Hell forever more. ]
[ With some effort, Greg is putting aside his particular frustrations with John, and the rest of the city, at the moment and focusing instead on the moment in front of him. He's only just now started to relax, and he doesn't want to ruin it by letting himself get dragged back into all of that. He'd much rather let his hands slide up and over Gabriel's thighs until they settle a little more firmly on his hips. It's far from the most subtle of gestures.
He doesn't mind the way Gabriel looks at him like that, either. He's never felt like an unattractive man, though the grey hair had been an adjustment, but he's not sure anyone's ever looked at him quite like this before. It probably doesn't hurt that he's ironically in much better shape lately than he was for the past couple of years while he was alive. It wasn't terrible, but his muscles have more definition now than they've had in years.
A vacation isn't a bad idea, though, even if they just took some time off from their respective jobs to spend some time around the house. Greg's house, especially, which will be nice to get back into. He's gotten used to it by now, but having a cool house to come back to at the end of the day is actually very nice. Even better when Gabriel is there waiting for him, either way. ]
If you want to look into it, that's fine. Otherwise I'm sure we can work something out.
[ In the meantime he's shifting slightly underneath Gabriel, letting his thumbs brush in light, teasing circles just over his hips. ]
[ The grip on his hips is very welcome, marks him squirm a little more keenly against Greg as he leans down to kiss him. He just can't help himself, not one little bit. And that gives him a reason to stroke his hands back towards Greg's chest, over the lines of his ribs. Greg is attractive, in every single way, and Gabriel isn't going to try and hide how much he likes this.
Besides, naked and in Greg's lap makes it impossible to actually hide the fact. Not that he wants to. All that stress seems to have melted away now, at least enough for Greg to be focusing on something else, like the series of searingly hot kisses across his jaw.
Even if they don't go anywhere, it might be good for Greg. The only problem is that he is too dedicated to his work. If something happens, he'll go in and help, even if he's meant to be off. But that's a discussion for later.
Much later, because right now the way Greg shifts beneath him makes him shiver expectantly, moving his hips just a little to rock himself against Greg, letting a hiss of breath leave his throat. ]
Can we work it out later, maybe? In about an hour?
[ Greg has no complaints about this. He did properly start this, and it's pleasantly easy to press up into that kiss as he shifts slowly again underneath Gabriel's hands. He'll tilt his head and sigh softly as Gabriel trails those kisses along his jaw, but directly after he's brushing his lips teasingly across the side of Gabriel's neck. He knows how much Gabriel likes to be pinned down on the bed and to have bites and kisses scattered over his throat and shoulders. It's quite enjoyable for both of them.
He makes a noise not unlike a groan when Gabriel rocks against him, as slight as it is, and his grip on Gabriel's hips tightens in response to pull him more insistently into that rhythm. As much as he does like to have Gabriel underneath him, watching him writhe, arch and rock himself against his cock like this is also very nice to see. Especially when he really starts to wind himself up until they both want more too much to resist any longer.
Greg's wings stretch toward him, sliding with a soft, smooth brush across his shoulders and curling around his back, not pulling him in as much as just touching. It's become a familiar, intimate gesture between them. ]
[ Normally it's Gabriel who starts all this, who teases them both until they have to give in. Gabriel is far more likely to give into all those whims, all those desires, Greg has far more control of himself. So the very fact that Greg started this makes Gabriel all the more inclined to drag this out, to make sure Greg gets exactly what he wants. Which will no doubt involve Gabriel writhing and squirming, because he's already half way there.
He rocks himself against Greg again, shivering as the soft edge of feathers ghosts over his shoulders. Between that and the caress of Greg's lips, he's already beginning to loose the ability to focus. All he wants is to make Greg feel good, to feel those wings against him and the hard length of Greg's cock against his thigh. Now that is something he'd really like to feel more of, but for the moment the slow build of friction is almost, almost good enough.
It's even better when he reaches down between them and curls his fingers into a loose fist around Greg, stroking lazily.]
This isn't an approved massage technique, but I think it might make you feel better.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
>>>> Action
[ About a minute, maybe two, after that message is sent, Gabriel appears in the empty seat at Andy's desk. No doubt he's off sunbathing again. It's probably for the best, especially when Greg is stressed. As promised, he has coffee, in one of their cups from home, none the less, and he gets up to put it on a paperwork-free area of Greg's desk. ]
Hey handsome. Can I help you with any of that?
no subject
Andy literally vanished into thin air the moment he was no longer expected to follow Greg down to talk with Lucifer. Greg's not expecting him to be back anytime soon. He's probably in a bar on the opposite side of town by now.
A drink sounds like a good idea, actually.
There's genuine relief in his face when he looks at Gabriel that seems to relax the tight muscles in his shoulders somewhat. He shakes his head at the question and tosses his phone into his desk before leaning back against the wall behind him with a heavy sigh.
He's angry. Disappointed. Frustrated. Overall he's far more shaken up than he can allow anyone else to see. Especially not the likes of Brimstone, and even more so the people that expect him to be stable. He can't afford to break.
But he's in over his head. He has been from the very first day, but times like this shove that reality into focus. ]
Thank you for coming down. I know you'd probably rather not talk to me right now.
[ It sounded good in principle. All he was doing was his job, with the usual amount of dry sarcasm, and in the end he didn't do anything but object to the flagrant display of casual cruelty that means nothing to Lucifer. But he can't pretend that Gabriel's callous response to it didn't sting, make him more outspoken about his annoyance with the whole thing. It was hardly the only factor, but it was there.
Brimstone would have stuck their nose into this whether or not the police had, he's fairly certain. Brimstone didn't like anything that looked so much like torture, and the fact that Lucifer would likely have turned his attention to the police afterward only motivated them to step in sooner. Brimstone's enforcers didn't want their favourite 'show' to get completely flattened.
Lucifer probably wouldn't be interested in what was fair, though, even less so than Brimstone. He'd be angry, and looking for a convenient target to take that out on. And if that target happens to be Greg's fellow police officers...
It happens. Criminals don't play fair. They hold grudges. Greg's not new to that concept, but that doesn't make it easy to handle when it gets ugly. ]
no subject
He'd hurt Greg before by being stupid, by not thinking, and he'd done it again. Now at least he could fix it before it got too bad. Greg is so tense you can taste it in the air, the room is filled with it. It's probable that anyone with a better sense of smell than a regular human could smell it down the hall.
That's not fair. Greg works so hard. Most of the time, he's actually got a great handle on this, the paperwork is always there, there are always a torrent of cases to investigate, but he could never claim to be bored. But Greg doesn't see how successful he's been, he only sees where improvements still have to be made. It hurts him, and Gabriel can see that. He wishes he could do something, pour soothing oils somehow, but it's not as easy as that.]
I always want to talk to you. I'm sorry, what I said to Luci was... wrong.
[Callous, cold, inhumane. Any of those work too. But he's not upset about Greg. Greg has a job to do, he feels the heavy weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He has a moral compass that might be even more finely tuned than anyone Gabriel has ever met before. It's certainly better than Gabriel's, which is as battered and beaten as it can get, without being completely bent out of shape.
He shifts, moving around Greg's desk, standing in front of him, a few inches between them, and after a moment of uncertainty, reaches out to touch Greg's arms. The tension in his muscles is horrible.]
You did what you had to do, Greg. I won't be upset about that, you know that. Brimstone have dealt with... a version of him in the past, they'll have to deal with him again. It probably won't be the last time. He's... broken. The Cage broke him, and expecting him to behave like a human would...
[He shrugs, and looks up at Greg's face, trying to read something more than just his expression. Something deeper, something in his soul. If he sees it, he doesn't show it.]
I guess coffee isn't going to cut it, huh?
no subject
But he knows how many cases still goes unsolved. He's vaguely aware of how many bribes are taken, how much paperwork is 'lost,' and the sheer volume of crime that isn't even reported for various reasons. For every idiot that's too open with their illegal endeavours, there's probably a dozen more that have the sense to keep it underground.
Greg knows that Lucifer isn't stupid. He's just not used to anyone standing up to him, telling him no, and actually being able to enforce that. It's Greg's job to address it if he catches wind of such things, but as far as enforcing anything, that's something that only Brimstone is truly capable of doing in this case. The logical thing to do would be just to report it directly to Brimstone, which he can do. He hadn't. He knows that the effort to diffuse the situation rather than escalate it probably won't make any difference to Lucifer himself, though.
He doubts that he's made anyone happy in how he's handled this. It was unavoidable, no matter what he did, but it's still somewhat frustrating to know that he's putting himself through this grief mostly for the sake of his own conscience.
When Gabriel moves in close, Greg looks down at him, taking in a deep breath and slowly exhaling while he takes in those words and tries to think of the right thing to say in response. There's the starkly honest truth that he's disappointed that Gabriel would set aside the empathy that Greg knows he's capable of, and for what? To get on Lucifer's good side? Not that he would have expected, or wanted, Gabriel to start a disagreement with his brother over it, but his reply had been somewhat far removed from neutral. And now Brimstone knows it, too. He can't take back those words now.
'Don't publicly involve yourself any more than you already have,' he'd said. Practical. True. Brimstone will have taken note of his apparent willingness to enable Lucifer's behaviour. Will Greg really feel better about this personally, knowing that he's basically just told Gabriel to keep it to private channels? Not as much as he would like to.
But he loves Gabriel. He knows he's better than that. Gabriel may not share his standards of morality, Greg doesn't expect him to, but he's not heartless. Cold, cruel and detached don't suit him, Greg feels very strongly about that, but that's a mask that Greg knows he can wear.
Maybe he doesn't really need to say anything about it at all. Gabriel knows where he stands. ]
I know he's not human, and I don't expect him to necessarily act like one, but there are rules around here that we all have to follow. Or at least put on a reasonable appearance of doing so.
[ His arms have relaxed slightly under Gabriel's hands, but it'll be a while yet before he's anything like truly at ease. Still, he needs Gabriel here, and even that light touch might as well be physically propping him up right now. If he was alone, he would probably let himself quietly collapse until he had to pull himself back together and carry on. It means so much to him that he's not alone. ]
I could do with something stronger, I'd have to admit, but... [ He shifts his arms to catch Gabriel's hands in his, gently tugging them closer until they're resting against his chest. ] I just want you right now. More than anything.
[ It's a deeper, quieter need for intimacy than usual, but that was the driving force behind asking Gabriel to come here, rather than just asking him to stay away from a potentially difficult situation with Brimstone. ]
no subject
Besides, they can't sanction something like the Initiation Day with all it's gleeful torture, pain and property damage, and then object to one little demon losing one little pair of feet. Oscar lost an eye, and they didn't care. Gabriel is as much a trickster as he is an angel, and encouraging that sort of thing is something he's done before, and might well do again. They've never cared before. Of course, he worked for them then. Maybe now that he doesn't, their favour is harder to win.
Still, Gabriel knows you can't make everyone happy. It's impossible. Not even Dad could do it, so what hope does anyone have? The truth of the matter is that sometimes doing the right thing makes no one happy, but it's still the right thing to do and you can't escape from that. Greg might not have made Brimstone happy or Lucifer happy and he's clearly not made himself very happy either but he did what he had to do. What else can anyone ask from him? Gabriel certainly wouldn't ask for anything else.
Gabriel could be a lot better than he is. He could give Greg less to worry about for a start. He could focus on thinking before he speaks, or types. Or does anything really. But as far as Gabriel sees it, he's between a rock and a hard place. He wants to help Lucifer settle, to stop him pulling crap like that on the network. He's not a demon who gets off on this stuff, he just wants to stamp his authority onto Little Hades and it's occupants. There are better ways to do that, but he won't listen to Gabriel's suggestions unless he thinks Gabriel is on his side. Which means no lectures. Unfortunately winning Lucifers trust is not going to be quick or easy.
The comment about feet wasn't that bad though. They were already off, hiding them want going to relieve anyone's suffering. He could have suggested taking off his hands so he couldn't pick them up, surely that would have been worse. But... but maybe suggesting that he should feed Bob his own feet was a little too much. He can admit that, especially considering how badly Greg reacted to that one particular dare Gabriel had carried out live on the Hellnet. Yeah. He really should have left that bit about eating feet out completely if he wanted Greg to eat anything for the rest of the month.]
I don't think he knows what reasonable means. If Brimstone manage to teach him, I'll be surprised.
[But maybe they can. After all, the Heaven he's from had a way of reprograming angels if it was required. Maybe it's not possible on the four of them, maybe Brimstone don't have the ability to do it, and it is, well, repulsive. Part of Gabriel can't help wonder if it might be a good idea though, in Lucifer's case. Not that he's ever going to say that to anyone.
Instead he focuses on his hands over Greg's chest, feeling the breath fill his lungs and his heart beat and the tension in every single sinew, in the grip of Greg's hands on his.]
I'm not going anywhere, you know that. I'm right here. You can't get rid of me, I know where you live.
[It's not a great attempt to get a tiny smile from Greg, but it's a start, and Gabriel shifts a little closer, so he can lean up and gently press a kiss to Greg's mouth. No one outside the office will bother them, no one is going to come and dump more work on Greg's desk this afternoon, or want to speak to him about the Hive Incident. Gabriel is making sure of that. Greg just needs a little while, some time to breath and collect himself. A few stiff drinks and sleep. Sleep was probably not going to be an easy goal, but Greg needed it, he needed time, time for all that tension to unwind.
Gabriel should, really, be going to Silks. He knew that, it was his business, his responsibility. But there were a few people there he could trust to run the place without him, and being with Greg was more important.]
no subject
Having someone to come home to again is another adjustment, but it's one that makes him feel stable, loved, and wanted. It's all too easy to let his guard down around Gabriel and share the doubts and insecurities with him that he wouldn't let anyone else see. Gabriel doesn't have to do anything to fix his problems, he doesn't even have to say anything, really, just the kisses and embraces, the heat of Gabriel's body against his, puts him at ease. Even if his muscles haven't quite caught up with that.
He does smile slightly at Gabriel's attempt at humour, already reaching to slip his fingers through Gabriel's hair to pull him into another soft kiss before he can even think about pulling away from the last one. He's braced himself against the wall in such a way that it's relatively comfortable to have Gabriel all but straddling his legs.
He could be working. He's fairly sure that Gabriel has work that he could be doing, too, and he wouldn't try to stop him from going back to it - he's not going to have a breakdown, not today - but as long as Gabriel's here, Greg's arms are going to be tightly wound around him, pulling him closer. It's all unspoken, but he wants Gabriel's hands, his mouth, everything really, on him. It's not entirely sexual, but that's all tangled up with the rest of it, too, and it doesn't feel like such a bad thing. ]
You do know. [ He murmurs softly against Gabriel's lips in between those kisses. ] I live right here.
no subject
[ There's a little tremble that runs through Gabriel at those words, a flush of pleasure that isn't sexual in the slightest, but one that makes him as purely happy as it's possible to get. It flows through his Grace, into the brightness of his smile against Greg's lips, and into that kiss. Those words were possibly one of the purest forms of love he'd ever experienced, and it clearly has a very profound effect.
His own hands are still on Greg's chest, fingers closed in his shirt through another series of a little kisses, before Gabriel presses them closer and the kiss becomes deeper. It's slow, and gentle, and full of devotion. Gabriel well knows that Greg doesn't expect him to fix whatever problems they face. But he can damn well try, because if he didn't try, if he could fix something and he didn't, then there's something wrong. He's meant to be there for Greg, Greg is there for him. That's how this works. And it has to work that way- down here, you need someone looking out of you. Gabriel is so lucky that he has Greg.
It feels so right to be with him now, to be holding onto him, to feel his heartbeat begin to find a less panicked rhythm, his breathing even out. If just being with Greg does that, then Gabriel will sacrifice his work for that, or time with his friends. He'll give up anything and everything, in actual fact, if Greg needs him. Silks can manage without him.
Besides, this closeness is something Gabriel has never really enjoyed before. Not the physical closeness, but something more fundamental than that. He doesn't want it to stop, he wants to curl himself around Greg and around his soul and bask in it.]
Can I persuade you to come home early? This place doesn't need you right now.
no subject
He'll lean into that deeper kiss with just as much loving affection. Unlike with some people that he's been intimate with in the past, even people he's cared very deeply for, he never feels as if he needs to hold any of that back with Gabriel. Yes, he can be so very much the old romantic, even to the point of being cliche, but it seems to all be new and wonderful to Gabriel. He takes all of it so happily, and it just makes Greg happier to give it to him. He doesn't have to bend over backwards to come up with new and inventive gestures to hold Gabriel's attention when the simplest, heartfelt things mean so much.
That's not to say that he doesn't like going to extra effort now and again. The date night that he more or less surprised Gabriel with recently went over very well with both of them.
He seems to share Gabriel's intrinsic desire to remain close. His hands have reluctantly slipped from Gabriel's hair only to slide down, settling on his hips to pull those even closer. He can't be bothered to pretend that he doesn't want this, more of this, right now. Obviously there's work, but not so much that he can't catch up with it later. And if there's ever been a good day to call it early, this would be it. Any day that he has to deal with Brimstone is already one of 'those' days by default. ]
You can. [ He tilts his head to brush his lips across Gabriel's cheek, tilting his head down until he can gently nudge at Gabriel's jaw so that he'll tilt his own head back a bit further and allow Greg's lips to trail down to his throat, too. ] I'll come in early and finish the rest of this.
[ Andy won't be coming back today, either, so it's not like he would be going out anywhere at this point. ]
no subject
Dinner out have been wonderful, and something that Gabriel had never ever done before. The memories of it still made his tummy turn over in joyous cartwheels.
Greg just ticks his boxes, there's nothing more to it than that. He doesn't need to try to impress Gabriel, he doesn't have to do anything special or spend weeks planning something. He can, if he wants to, and no doubt Gabriel would be bowled over, but it's all the little things that make him so happy.
And just to prove it, as Greg's hands smooth over Gabriel's side to rest at his hips, he makes a very happy little noise, before the next kiss muffles it. He wants to keep as close as he can to Greg, to be his support even if Greg seems to be better now than he was, Gabriel is not letting go until he feels sure. Of course, they're going to topple into bed, there's no doubt about that. But that's another sort of comfort they need.
Gabriel lets Greg nudge his head back, gasping as lips brush down his skin, and he can't help but lean a little heavily against Greg, hips rubbing up against him.]
You want me to get us back?
[Because he doesn't want to detangle them, not when it was so nice to cling to him like that. He doesn't much want to have to wait to get Greg home either.]
no subject
In the meantime, his undivided attention is settling on Gabriel, seemingly completely forgetting about exactly where they are in the process. All he's paying attention to right now is the warm friction of Gabriel's body against his, and those muffled noises that Gabriel makes. It only encourages Greg to lavish more attention on Gabriel's throat with his lips and tongue, soft and deliberate, clearly with the intention of slowly winding Gabriel up.
Often it's about holding back and drawing out the build up to other things, but this time it's just about drawing into the intimacy that they share, that's continued to deepen over time much faster than Greg ever would have expected it to. ]
Yes. Please.
[ He's still wearing a lot in the way of clothes, but he actually rather likes letting Gabriel work those off one button at a time, when he's not so impatient that he just wills them elsewhere. Greg doesn't actually have any complaints about that method, either.
Right now, though? He wants Gabriel's hands working over these tense muscles with all of the sensual, practised touches that make him melt so effectively. He can stretch out on his back on the bed, and actually let his wings relax for the first time today, with Gabriel straddling his lap... Yes, that is a nice mental image, actually. ]
no subject
Gabriel could have just zapped them right into bed. He has done that before, but normally things are a little more intense by that point, and there's normally the threat of Gabriel removing clothes in public when that happens. He's being a tiny little bit selfish at this point, keeping them together against the bedroom wall, just so Greg can continue biting and kissing at his throat. Greg likes it too, of course, or at least he likes the whimpering, squirming mess Gabriel becomes after a few moments of that attention.
They're both still dressed, despite the wriggling Gabriel is doing, clearly desperate to be less dressed as soon as possible. He'll cope, for the moment, because all that squirming and wriggling just brings the length of his body against Greg's in a very pleasant way. Just like being in his lap, working out the knots in all those muscles, is going to be extremely enjoyable too.]
If you're on your front, I can get all the kinks out...
[Okay, he didn't mean to groan that, but the offer still stands. If Greg wants to, Gabriel will happily take his time over every single inch of sinew and tense muscle in those gorgeous shoulders and back. It might leave Greg a very happily puddle of goo, but that's a sacrifice Gabriel is willing to make.]
no subject
He still wants all of these clothes out of the way, he still craves that intimacy, it's just more of a slow, sensual desire than the hot intensity that they're often prone to. It's still hard to pull back from kissing Gabriel's throat to start working on shrugging out of his own jacket, and then sliding his hands back up to start unbuttoning his shirt. Of course he can still kiss and nip at Gabriel's jaw while he does that. ]
I doubt you'll work them all out like that. But that sounds good.
[ His expression is fairly dead-pan, but there's obvious amusement gleaming in his eyes. Usually Gabriel is the one to make 'observations' like that, but Greg does get one in himself every once in a while.
As soon as he's able to slide his shirt off of his shoulders he stretches his wings out, and the sigh of relief at that is so heavy that he almost slumps back against the wall with it. He really should have expected that, given that his wings are often tense from being cramped up all day quite often, but this tension is worse than usual and it's just as evident there as it is in his shoulders. ]
no subject
And if Greg is going to start on his shirt, Gabriel is more than capable of undoing those at the bottom as Greg starts from the top, meet in the middle and then push it off his shoulders. And from Greg's shoulder's, it's only a slight reach to those wings. Gabriel seems to have a magic touch where they are concerns, and even if Greg wants to lean backwards, just for a little while, Gabriel has no problems pressing up to him and letting his fingers work into muscle and between feathers and try and get some of that surface tension out.]
Hmmm, you can let a boy try though, can't you?
[Gabriel probably shouldn't be allowed to smirk like that, suggestive and so self-satisfied. Greg might not melt as quickly or as easily as Gabriel does, but a few minutes under the archangel's hands has a very surprising effect. Or at least, surprising to those who don't think of Greg as anything but serious, starchy policeman. There's something very pleasant about working Greg into a relaxed, contented, boneless creature. Especially not when the raging desire remains.]
Let me look after you.
no subject
He can't even answer that rhetorical question when Gabriel's fingers slip through those soft feathers and against the muscle underneath, all he can do is groan, a pleased shudder echoing through that wing all the way down to the tips of his feathers. That feels insanely good even when he's not tense, and releasing some of that pent up ache like this is even a step beyond that. Staying upright against the wall is definitely going to be out of the question if Gabriel is going to continue that, and Greg definitely wants him to.
So he's pulling Gabriel with him over to the bed, only finally somewhat reluctantly letting him go in order to slip out of the rest of his clothes before carefully stretching out on his stomach on the bed. It's all too easy to sigh and let his face sink into a pillow, at least for a minute. It's comfortable, no one is chastising him over what he did or didn't do, and Gabriel is here with him. Things could definitely be worse. ]
I'll let you do whatever you want if you keep that up. [ It's muffled into that pillow, but his words are probably clear enough. ]
no subject
[It's said in a laugh, before Greg pulls him towards their bed and Gabriel helps him shed those last few pesky clothes. He should strip out of his own, but actually, it's so much nicer just to stop, for a moment, and watch Greg laid out like that, wings spread, every line of his back exposed, skin taut and beautiful in the low light of the room.
It is just a moment before Gabriel follows, but in that moment all his thoughts turn to how handsome Greg is, how perfectly made. There's no direct divinity in his creation, but there should be. There's something unbelievably beautiful about Greg, not just in his looks, but something in his soul that sings out. Even the tension and the bitter taste of the day can't hide it. He could look at it forever, but it feels already too long since he was pressed up close, and so he pulls off the rest of his clothes and climbs up onto the bed, straddling across Greg's thighs and ass.
He doesn't squirm, doesn't grind himself down, because that will just make all those muscles tighten even more, and Gabriel doesn't want that. His hands trail up the path of Greg's spine, thumbs gently tracing contours of muscle and the joints of Greg's gorgeous wings, before he leans forwards and presses a line of kisses up between his shoulder blades before murmuring something close to Greg's ear]
Don't fall asleep, 'kay?
[And with that, the tips of Gabriel's fingers press in, over the tension in those gorgeous shoulders, working the stresses and stains out in careful circles. He could just will it all away, of course, but that sudden relief doesn't actually do much good when a body is as tired and tense as Greg's, it needs a slow, focused touch, and only the very gentlest touch of Grace. Gabriel knows what he's doing, he can take his time.
Besides, he really feels like he's helping. Yeah, he knows he's there for Greg to talk to, he knows he's a great distraction from whatever rubbish is happening in LHPD, but that doesn't often feel like real help. This? Somehow it does. Besides, like this he can broach a subject that's been on his mind a while.]
I was thinking, when this is settled, maybe you should take some time off. Have a rest, just for a few days.
no subject
Greg makes a muffled hum of agreement in response to the words murmured in his ear, and though it's distracted, he's not actually in danger of falling asleep. Not right now. There certainly have been evenings when this kind of attention would leave him relaxed, boneless, and prone to slipping into sleep, but he's not that physically tired right now. He might be mentally exhausted, but otherwise he's feeling very comfortable, but also attentive on where Gabriel's hands happen to be.
He's not even bothering to try to stifle the occasional pleased groan, or slight hiss of a sharply inhaled breath before letting it out in an appreciative sigh.
Gabriel gets through 'I was thinking' before Greg makes another noise, just to prove that he is listening. He recognises the tone of something that Gabriel might have been hesitant to bring up otherwise, and he's not wrong. Gabriel seems to try not to make suggestions regarding his work, under normal circumstances, but the idea of taking some time off has been hinted around before. He's never been outright against it, but so far he's never really found the right time to give it serious consideration. Maybe Gabriel's right, though. He hasn't taken more than two days off at a time since he started working here, aside from that week when he was a teenager.
It would be nice to be able to sleep in for a few days. Especially when he can get back into his house, which is supposed to be soon, he'll definitely have plenty to work on around the house and in the garden. ]
Mm. What about you?
[ Gabriel's been spending a lot of time at Silks, too. Not that Greg can judge. He was expecting the first few weeks to be somewhat time-intensive, while Gabriel made sure that everything was running smoothly. ]
no subject
He's known ever since that disastrous party in Little Eden that there are certain points, little points like here and here which get so impossibly tense that Gabriel focuses his attention there for a moment, enjoying the way Greg groans, hisses and moves very slightly under Gabriel's hands. He'd be a liar if he said he didn't get an ego boost out of that. He really likes the fact he can have such an effect on Greg.
He lets his fingers knead those stops a little longer, before his hands trail down and into the feathers at the joints of Greg's wings, and work gently into them too. Greg is still tucking in his wings and hiding them away, how he doesn't get horrible cramp Gabriel doesn't know. But they need a little TLC too, and Greg does like to have them touched.]
I wasn't planning to let you go have fun without me.
[ The idea makes him chuckle softly, because this suggestion isnt just about Greg needing some time away from the office. It's about them, being about to enjoy some good solid time together without worrying about work and shifts and all the rest. Some time that is just about them, even if they can't do that whole romantic long weekend thing so many couples enjoy. Maybe they can spend it in Little Eden, although Gabriel's own ideas were a little different. ]
Maybe a long weekend at the seaside? Or I can take you to India, something like that. Really get away.
no subject
He's not really thinking about any of that right now. Right now he's outright moaning at the attention to his wings, and it's far from innocent. His wings do get cramped, and today's been fairly bad for that. Gabriel's fingers ease all of that tension away, and the gentle ruffle of those feathers near his joints make faint shudders of pleasure rustle through his whole wing. He couldn't resist that reaction even if he wanted to.
It's difficult to focus on Gabriel's words in the midst of all that, but 'seaside' catches his attention enough to have him turning his head, glancing back toward Gabriel with a slightly confused but interested expression. ]
That would be lovely, actually, but how?
[ Neither of them have any way to get back to earth. He knows that Gabriel is capable of conjuring up some impressive things, like the reflection of his flat in London, at least for a little while, but he thought that anything like that would be far too expansive for Gabriel to maintain for long. It seems like trying would be excessively draining. So maybe he has something else in mind? ]
no subject
He knew that seaside would work on Greg though. It was bound to. ]
Constantine has a thing... that lets you physically go back to memories.
[Which he's going to look into more before they use it. He wanted to understand it properly, make sure it's safe, before he goes near it seriously, but the idea and the possibility is too much to share.
Of course, if he was alive, he could keep an illusion like that going, for weeks and weeks, on a huge scale. He did it to Sam Winchester for a year, he kept both of the Winchester boys in a made up world for days and days and days. It's only difficult now because they watered down his powers.]
What do you think? A couple of days?
no subject
The mention of John makes him flick his eyes up toward the ceiling briefly, though - 'Constantine has a thing' rarely works out well - but he's willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. At least as long as they're just talking about this in theory at the moment. It's not that he doesn't trust John not to let him have anything dangerous...
Well. Usually he wouldn't. Those thoughts take a detour when he considers the overall situation at the moment, and that makes him a bit more dubious than he would have been otherwise. Still, it sounds harmless enough, and it it does work, then it would definitely be easy for them to get away from all of this for a couple of days. He does miss the beach, maybe even more than London sometimes. ]
How did you find out about this?
no subject
Greg is gorgeous, okay? And there's nothing wrong with fact that the sight of those muscles makes him feel a little squirmy all over again.
But he tries to focus, his eyes moving from muscle to Greg's face, and he sees the flicker of his eyes. He guessed that Greg would get stuck on this point, and he knows why. Magic stuff isn't for playing with, not when it's got the potential to backfire so dramatically. But then again, John knows what he's doing, Gabriel... trusts him, to a certain degree. Besides, he's going to test this thing before they try to use it. And if it works? If it seems safe? Then why not. It#s the only real way they are going to get to experience anything other than Hell together.
And as his hand drifts back into Greg's wings, this time to stroke the long, strong, soft feathers of his inner wing, not rubbing or massaging, just touching. ]
I told him you needed a holiday. That I wanted a vacation with you. And he suggested it, because there... aren't any other options.
[ Because Gabriel is stuck here. And that's only now becoming something he's not happy with. He wants to go places with Greg, and see things with him he's not seen for a long, long, long time, or things he's never seen before or things he wants to see in a new way. He can't do that if he's banished to Hell forever more. ]
no subject
He doesn't mind the way Gabriel looks at him like that, either. He's never felt like an unattractive man, though the grey hair had been an adjustment, but he's not sure anyone's ever looked at him quite like this before. It probably doesn't hurt that he's ironically in much better shape lately than he was for the past couple of years while he was alive. It wasn't terrible, but his muscles have more definition now than they've had in years.
A vacation isn't a bad idea, though, even if they just took some time off from their respective jobs to spend some time around the house. Greg's house, especially, which will be nice to get back into. He's gotten used to it by now, but having a cool house to come back to at the end of the day is actually very nice. Even better when Gabriel is there waiting for him, either way. ]
If you want to look into it, that's fine. Otherwise I'm sure we can work something out.
[ In the meantime he's shifting slightly underneath Gabriel, letting his thumbs brush in light, teasing circles just over his hips. ]
no subject
Besides, naked and in Greg's lap makes it impossible to actually hide the fact. Not that he wants to. All that stress seems to have melted away now, at least enough for Greg to be focusing on something else, like the series of searingly hot kisses across his jaw.
Even if they don't go anywhere, it might be good for Greg. The only problem is that he is too dedicated to his work. If something happens, he'll go in and help, even if he's meant to be off. But that's a discussion for later.
Much later, because right now the way Greg shifts beneath him makes him shiver expectantly, moving his hips just a little to rock himself against Greg, letting a hiss of breath leave his throat. ]
Can we work it out later, maybe? In about an hour?
no subject
He makes a noise not unlike a groan when Gabriel rocks against him, as slight as it is, and his grip on Gabriel's hips tightens in response to pull him more insistently into that rhythm. As much as he does like to have Gabriel underneath him, watching him writhe, arch and rock himself against his cock like this is also very nice to see. Especially when he really starts to wind himself up until they both want more too much to resist any longer.
Greg's wings stretch toward him, sliding with a soft, smooth brush across his shoulders and curling around his back, not pulling him in as much as just touching. It's become a familiar, intimate gesture between them. ]
That sounds good to me.
no subject
He rocks himself against Greg again, shivering as the soft edge of feathers ghosts over his shoulders. Between that and the caress of Greg's lips, he's already beginning to loose the ability to focus. All he wants is to make Greg feel good, to feel those wings against him and the hard length of Greg's cock against his thigh. Now that is something he'd really like to feel more of, but for the moment the slow build of friction is almost, almost good enough.
It's even better when he reaches down between them and curls his fingers into a loose fist around Greg, stroking lazily.]
This isn't an approved massage technique, but I think it might make you feel better.
(no subject)
(no subject)