oh honey honey [closed]

[has_a_horn]

Scout scrambles into the apartment when Gabriel opens the door, and heads straight for the water dish on the floor. Gabriel makes sure that the dish is filled as he walks past towards the living room. Maybe to read, maybe to watch some TV, but something on the kitchen table makes him stop in his tracks.

It's a jar of honey, simple and unadorned. The light from the window catches the edge of the glass, casting a yellow light onto the table. It's beautiful. He stares at it for a moment, transfixed. Then, he smiles, because he knows just what this is. Back when he'd been struck ill by the rift, he'd told Johnny about how when he'd been Loki, people would leave him offerings of honey.

Back then, it had been comforting. A nice gesture, and a meaningful connection to the humans that knew about him and wanted to please him or thank him. Now, it's a reminder about the good parts of what he used to be. It's easy to forget all but the bad, but this reminds him that he was appreciated then, and even moreso- that Johnny loves him now. Johnny had been joking when he asked if he wanted him to start leaving jars of honey around, but he really did want that. And Johnny remembered. Johnny may not know how much it means to him, or why, but he doesn't really need to. The gesture is enough, and that means a lot to him too.

He steps forward and picks up the jar, carefully turning it over in his hands. He doesn't know what to do with the feeling that this is giving him. How could he have ever thought that he couldn't fully love Johnny? His chest is full of it, his fingers tingling with the sheer force of the feeling. He can't stop grinning at the damn jar of honey, and by now, Scout has finished with the water and come over to investigate.

Gabriel bends down to scrub a hand through the dog's fur. "I'll be back. I have to go see Johnny." He straightens, and in the next moment he's standing in Johnny's apartment, the jar of honey still in his hand.

"...hey." He's not sure what he wants to say or do beyond kissing Johnny, but he's pretty sure that his plans don't involve Johnny being in the middle of tattooing some hot shirtless dude. He pauses for just a moment before he strides forward anyway. When Johnny turns to him, he leans down just far enough to lift his chin up and press a kiss to his mouth.

Comments

[johnny_truant]

Johnny startles a little as Gabe brings the memory back in living color, tastes and smells all. This hadn't been what he'd meant, it's more, it's so unbelievably generous, to have as much of a second shot at that moment as he could possibly get. He feels shaky when Gabe takes his hands and tells him again, properly.

He feels like he could just fall apart. It's still overwhelming and terrifying and more than he thinks he deserves, but it's his. He fought tooth and nail through his piece of shit life and came out with this, and he's going to cling to it, goddammit, it's his and he's going to treat it well. He hesitates for a lingering moment, staring intently into Gabriel's eyes even as the illusory suit and the flavors of alcohol fade away, and then he presses forward, throwing his arms around Gabe's shoulders and hugging him tightly.

"I love you, too," he whispers, like he was supposed to.

"Hey, uh..."

Johnny doesn't let go of Gabe even as he looks sharply at Digby, who's just poked his head out the door.

"Sorry," says Digby, vaguely sheepish. "Listen, I can come back tomorrow if-"

"No!" Johnny clears his throat and steps back from Gabe. "No. I'm good. Let's do the thing. Sorry. I just had to... get that off my chest." He glances at Gabe, taking one of his hands and squeezing it gently before following Digby back into his apartment.

"S'all good," says Digby as he ambles back over to his seat. "Y'all are fuckin' adorable."

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel's breath catches in his throat for a moment when Johnny doesn't seem to respond at all. He wonders if he had done too much, or if Johnny decided he'd asked for the wrong thing - but Johnny's arms around him quickly dispel those notions. His breath lets out in a rush and he lifts his arms up to wrap around him in return.

Johnny's whispered affection makes him smile. This was how it was supposed to go all along, and now they've finally made it to where they're supposed to be.

He's still looking at Johnny when Digby pokes his head around the door. When Johnny squeezes his hand, he smile and dips his head, not quite willing to let Digby in on his fond expression.

He follows them in, chuckling at Digby's comment. "You're damn right we are. Cutest fuckers in all the land." As they get set up, Gabriel crosses back over to the kitchen area and grabs his jar of honey, then wanders over to the tattoo station. He'd like to stick around, but he can see that he'd probably be more distraction than help at this point.

"I'm going to let you work." He lifts a hand, idly fixing where Johnny's hair is still out of place from their little make-out session out in the hall. "I'll be upstairs. Digby, it's been a pleasure."

Digby smiles. "Yeah, I noticed that."

Gabriel smiles back at him, then disappears.

[johnny_truant]

Johnny works quietly, focusing on the lines and not anything that is happening in his head and heart. He and Digby had been making occasional small talk prior to Gabe's appearance, but now he's not sure what to talk about. He finds himself wishing he'd put some music on. Digby, at least, seems content to chill out. He asks a couple friendly questions about Gabe, and Johnny recounts pieces of the Godzilla event and finds himself admitting it was Gabriel who helped him discover a previously untapped interest in men.

"Aw," Digby says with a smile. "That's so romantic."

It is, Johnny thinks, feeling a little embarrassed.

He finishes up the general outline of the piece, which marks the end of this particular session.

"So I don't really have like a... book or anything," says Johnny awkwardly as he finishes wrapping the arm. "Do you wanna schedule something, or... I'm pretty much always around."

"How 'bout I just text you sometime?" says Digby. "My schedule's a hot mess."

"Sure." Digby pays him the agreed-upon sum, and it is fucking weird and wonderful actually getting money for services rendered, for the first time in a long time; then Johnny shows him out.

He manages, somehow, not to run upstairs.

"Okay," he says breathlessly, coming into Gabe's apartment and heading straight for him. "Come here."

[has_a_horn]

"You come here," Gabriel says, one moment standing in the middle of the apartment and the next, when Johnny nearly reaches him, leaning against the bedroom door frame. His expression is far too amused and his lean too posed to look nonchalant, but that isn't the point of this. He smirks and arches an eyebrow at Johnny as he changes direction again. The point is so savor this moment just a little longer.

The moment stretches out for him as his eyes rake up Johnny's body and settle on his face. The expression there is different than he's ever seen it, more open, and he likes seeing the mix of love and lust and vulnerability there. He might never get tired of seeing that.

Time slams back to the present when Johnny touches him. He collides with Johnny, dropping hands to hips and lifting to press him against the bedroom door. "Johnny," he says against his mouth, into his hair, between kisses that press up under his jaw. "I am gonna do so much for you."

[johnny_truant]

Johnny wants to laugh at Gabe's antics - he shouldn't be surprised - but he's too desperate, nearly tripping over himself as he pivots abruptly to follow his ridiculous teleporting boyfriend. His boyfriend.

He barely gets his hand to Gabe's cheek before Gabe hefts him back against the door and kisses him with a kind of insatiability that makes him shudder. He grips onto him, wrapping his arms around him, tangling fingers into his hair, clinging to this, this, this is his life now, it's so good and it's so much more than he deserves, but he can't bother about that right now, not with Gabriel murmuring against his skin like that.

He can't think of a single witty comeback. He can't think of anything. "I love you," drops in to fill the void, that's what happens now, when he has nothing to say, and he's not sure how he feels about that, either, but it's true, so. "I just wanted to - to give you-"

Words are complicated. So are doors. He almost draws one hand away to fumble blindly with the knob, as if he needs to bother with such asinine mechanics of architecture - remembering himself, he wills the door open, trusting Gabriel to keep him from hitting the floor, which is a decent enough metaphor, all things considered.

[has_a_horn]

The door falls open unexpectedly and Gabriel stumbles forward a couple steps before recovering them both. The momentum pulls them forward and Gabriel chuckles against Johnny's mouth when he bumps against the edge of the bed. Instead of pressing forward, Gabriel drops to his knees and settles Johnny on the edge of the bed. He'd gladly done what Johnny wanted him to do, by reliving that first moment of telling him that he loves him. Now, he's going to do what he wants and show Johnny what it's like to be worshiped.

[johnny_truant]

Afterward, lying sprawled and sweaty in a tangle of limbs, he really wants a cigarette, but he doesn't say as much. Instead he just curls in against Gabriel and breathes out, kissing the little red mark he left on his shoulder. The sun is setting already, a little earlier each day, and light coming through the window and streaking over them is deep orange and comforting. He feels like he could stay here until it gets dark.

"So you're saying I should leave you offerings more often," he says lightly, smirking.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel chuckles and dips his head a fraction to look at Johnny. "Depends on what you're going for." He trails a few fingers through Johnny's hair, then lets his hand settle down at his waist. When he speaks, his tone is joking but soft. He's feeling comfortable. More than physically- it seems like he and Johnny have finally reached the spot where they're supposed to be. "How often do you really want me professing my undying love over a jar of honey?"

[johnny_truant]

"Mm." He makes a show of considering the question, tilts his head up to give Gabe a little smile. "I mean, there are worse fates."

Whenever he'd tried dating before he'd never really gotten the hang of giving gifts or doing nice things for the girls. Nice things were never his strong suit, and the girls he dated weren't interested in 'nice' anyway. He never made it far enough to do anything this intimate - never had the opportunity or impetus to give something so deeply, personally significant. This is, as all things with Gabriel have been, utterly uncharted territory. But he's never been alone in it, there's always been Gabe leading him along. To experience the movie-perfect gratification of getting so much for doing something thoughtful - he can't see this getting old, not when the entirety of this relationship is still so novel to him.

He presses closer, ducking his head down again, feeling sheepish and overwhelmed.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel hums a short pleased tone and tips his head down to kiss the top of Johnny's head. He feels like manifesting his wings, because he knows that Johnny likes that- that it makes him feel safer here, but he holds back. It reminds him of something he's been thinking of asking Johnny to do for him, and having his wings out already would probably imply that he's expecting him to do it rather than asking.

"Would you-" He pauses, uncertain how to continue, and then inwardly cringes at himself because he knows he's just revealed that he's nervous about asking this. "Would you like to brush my wings? Would you be into that?"

[johnny_truant]

Johnny looks up at him, surprised by the hesitation - Gabe isn't exactly shy about asking for things, usually - but when he finishes the request Johnny's eyes widen a little bit.

"Seriously?" There's no incredulity, just astonishment and awe. He didn't realize this was something Gabe would even need - and, well, perhaps he doesn't, perhaps he just wants it, he's always liked it when Johnny strokes his feathers, after all. He certainly didn't expect he'd be asked to really give him this kind of intimate care.

"I - yeah." He sits up, trying not to look too eager, failing somewhat. "I don't know if I'll be any good at it, but..." He trails off, blushing. They're still naked and they just had amazing sex over a jar of honey, but this, this makes him blush.

He knows why. He knows this is personal, important, not just anyone would get to do this. The wings are a private, special part of Gabriel, and he's entrusting their care to Johnny. It's overwhelming. Of course he's fucking blushing.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel smiles back at Johnny and pushes himself up onto his elbows. He answers, amused, "I have faith in you." Handling a brush isn't exactly the most difficult thing in the world, but he's still touched that Johnny seems worried about it.

He reaches out a hand to Johnny's shoulder and rubs his thumb at his collarbone. Briefly, he lets his gaze drop to the spot and then Johnny's chest before he looks back up to his blushing face. Johnny's reaction has more than reassured him that he doesn't need to worry about asking for this sort of thing, so he's settling back into a pleasant post-coital calm. "Now? We could go out front." He nods towards the living room. "You wouldn't have to move any walls."

[johnny_truant]

Johnny smiles and leans into him briefly, hovering there for a few moments. He would have been willing to expand the room if needed, but it's nice, too, that he doesn't have to.

"Okay." He shifts back and slides off the bed, still a little shaky-legged, and tugs on his boxers. "Now's good."

[has_a_horn]

"Okay." Gabriel pushes himself up, then links his hands and lifts them above his head in a stretch. He exhales a breath, then swings his legs around and searches for his own boxers. Boxers found, he gets up and sets a small pile of clothes in front of Johnny - pajama pants, tshirt, socks. It's not cold in here, but it's definitely colder than the cozy bed, and he'd like Johnny to be comfortable.

He pulls on some socks and PJ pants himself, but forgoes a shirt. It'll probably be more comfortable for him to go without.

When Johnny has changed, Gabriel materializes a brush. It's something like you might expect used to groom horses, a flat wooden back and uniform bristles coating the reverse side. It's also the perfect size for Johnny to grip. He looks down at it a moment, feeling suddenly vulnerable. This isn't a big deal but at the same time it is, because it's an illustration for him of how much he's come to trust Johnny over such a short amount of time.

"Here. I'm gonna go get set up." He hands over the brush, leans in to kiss Johnny's cheek, then turns and walks into the other room. He snags a chair from the kitchen table and settles it in the center of the space.

Once he's sitting something stops him from materializing his wings just yet. Maybe, he thinks, he wants Johnny to ask, or for Johnny to be prepared before they start with this.

[johnny_truant]

Johnny takes the brush and stares at it for a little while, running his fingers over it. It feels like a precious object in spite of its plainness, and the fact that Gabe literally just called it into being. Johnny touches the bristles lightly with the pad of his thumb. This is all very weird.

He trails after Gabe slowly, watches him get settled, waits for the wings to appear, but they don't. He steps closer, reaches out and rests a hand on Gabriel's back, rubbing gently over one shoulder blade.

"Ready?" he says.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel's head dips forward a fraction when Johnny settles a hand at his back. "Yeah." he waits til Johnny's hand won't be in the way and then materializes his wings. They're stretched out across most of the apartment, resting gently on the floor.

Scout immediately jumps down from the couch to investigate one wing, and Gabriel chuckles as the little dog buries his nose in among feathers. Scout walks the length of the wing, then pushes through to come and inspect what Johnny is up to.

"With the grain usually works the best. Like petting a cat."

[johnny_truant]

Johnny steps back to allow space for the wings, gazing intently at them as they become abruptly tangible. They aren't new, and yet he feels overcome to look at them, standing still and quiet for a few moments. Scout's essentially expressing what's going on internally for him. He smiles faintly as the dog wanders over to him.

Each time he sees Gabriel's wings it's like he's forgotten the last time - how immense they are, how breathtaking. He always feels smaller and meeker in their presence, but he doesn't want to act different. It's really important that he doesn't, in fact. This is a piece of Gabe, special and private, but still a natural part of him. He feels an almost uncomfortable swell of emotion in his chest, thinking about how he's being allowed not only to see, to touch, but now to care for - he shivers slightly, just once, before stepping forward with resolve and raising the brush.

He errs on the side of caution, moving the brush with slow, perhaps overly gentle strokes, just to test. He keeps an eye on Gabriel, looking for reactions, guidance, keeping quiet for now.

[has_a_horn]

When Johnny starts brushing, Gabriel lets out a small sigh at the pleasure of it. He rounds his shoulders and pushes his wing into the brush when Johnny sets it down again, seeking more pressure against his feathers.

This is something that hasn't happened for him in a long time. It's so rare that he trust someone enough to even show them his wings. This level of care isn't necessary, but it means a lot for this to be happening now, with Johnny. It's a way for him to show his love and his trust in a demonstrative way. At times it becomes very clear that Johnny has trouble believing that he really is loved, or that he's worthy of it. Gabriel is hoping that this helps in some way to prevent those sorts of thoughts.

"Yeah, that's- that's good." He can't turn around to see the look on Johnny's face without knocking over furniture, so he asks, "You okay with this?"

[johnny_truant]

"Yes," says Johnny, quick and soft. He responds to Gabe bracing against him by pressing harder, allowing himself to relax and trust himself a little more. He's not going to hurt Gabe. He brushes more decisively, resting one hand on Gabe's shoulder, occasionally squeezing and rubbing gently.

"I like doing this for you," he says eventually, feeling it was worth more of an answer than a monosyllabic one. He smiles to himself. "I like being able to do things for you."

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel smiles and nods to Johnny's answer. There's happiness in his voice when he answers, "Good."

He doesn't say much more as Johnny works his way across his wing. It's a very comforting sensation, almost meditative, to hear his own soft sighs, the brush at regular intervals pushing down across his feathers, and Scout's little pants as he follows what Johnny is doing. He doesn't feel the need to fill the silence.

A little ways in, Johnny gets the brush under a feather and a shiver runs up Gabriel's spine. It extends out into his wings automatically, feathers lifting all over until he looks more fluffy than sleek. Gabriel chuckles, knowing that the reaction has probably surprised Johnny. "You're doing fine. Great, even."

[johnny_truant]

Johnny startles back a bit when Gabe's wings fluff up, staring at the overall effect with mingled bewilderment and delight.

"Oh my god," he blurts, chuckling as he resumes brushing slowly. "That was fucking adorable."

He watches the feathers settle back down, then - he can't help himself - nudges a finger gently beneath them, trying to see if he can recreate the reflex.

[has_a_horn]

"I think you mean majestic" he replies, "but I'll take adorable."

His feathers lift up again obligingly when Johnny prompts them. "Glad you're having fun," he says, teasing Johnny, but he means it too. He thinks it's nice for Johnny to be so interested in his wings, because they're the only part of the real him that he'll ever be able to show him.

His feathers settle back down after a few moments, and then he puffs them up again, on purpose this time. "It's not just a reflex."

[johnny_truant]

A real actual giggle escapes him when it happens again, which would be embarrassing if the whole situation weren't ridiculous and, well, cute. Johnny is distantly aware that he's moved way beyond any impression of himself as 'cool', at least too cool for a little childish delight over fluffy bird wings.

"Oh my god," he says when Gabe does it on command. "Yes, you are definitely the most majestic birdman I have ever dated." He glances at the wing to try and create a mental marker for where he was in the brushing process, then wanders back over to Gabe himself and hugs him from behind.

"I am having fun." He kisses Gabe on the cheek. "And you know, like, even after months living here, with you, that's still, like... kind of a big deal for me. So thank you."

Ugh. His stomach twists a little. Too much. He clings on anyway, because it's true and there is no one to impress, Johnny, there's just you allowing yourself to be honest.

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel grins. He lifts a hand to cover one of Johnny's. This is fucking cute, and he can't help but be happy about how at peace Johnny seems right now. Johnny kisses his cheek and says something sweeter than he'd have thought possible, and suddenly his chest feels like it's been filled with warm air. He nods and squeezes Johnny's hand.

"I'm glad you're having fun." In this moment he feels calm and content. Happy.

"And I resent the implication that I'm not fun all the time." He chuckles. He knows that there have been tough times in this relationship for both of them, but right now that doesn't matter. "Want to go bowling again sometime? Or that pool table? I wanna make a hundred percent more inappropriate comments about sticks and balls."

[johnny_truant]

The levity helps him relax a little, and he eases back, smiling. At Gabe's suggestion he laughs out loud. "That pool table?" He smirks and ruffles Gabe's hair. "Yeah, I'd like that. Maybe we can make out on top of it this time."

He takes the brush and drifts back down the length of Gabe's wing, resuming the grooming process. "Some other night," he says. "I want you all to myself today."