It Begins

[priesttotheend]

 The church will not heed his warnings. The evidence is clear enough for even Ivan to guess that a new war will soon arrive, but no, the monsignors will keep their eyes shut to the truth.

Very well. He shall take it upon himself to stem this flood.

And perhaps rescue an old friend.

He has plans with Hanna to meet in City Seven, gathering what few priests still remain, to track down Gab- Black Hat and stop his minions. With the blessing of the Church or no, he pulls his bike from storage one last time and heads out into the desert.

Comments

[bringerofthetide]

As slight as the smile is on Ivan's lips, that's how wide Gabriel's wolfish grin is. He pushes himself up as well, but stays close enough that his coat slides against the priest's robes.

"You have things that are mine."

Plural.

[priesttotheend]

"They aren't yours." Truthfully, he only realizes that Gabriel is talking about the hat. What else would he be talking about?

And deep down, he knows the hat truly belongs to Gabriel, too. But where would the fun be in admitting that?

[bringerofthetide]

"No. It was always yours."

He's not talking about the hat. The hat is his. Ivan gave it to him. The only thing he ever got from anyone that wasn't a weapon or punisment. It's just a hat, but it's also the only slice of the normal world he's ever had.

But he's not talking about the hat.

[priesttotheend]

That... confuses Ivan. First Gabriel says that he has things of his, then that they never belonged to him in the first place. He's so bad at hidden meanings. Or... meanings in general. But instead of clarifying or trying to figure it out, he leans in just a inch closer.

"Then you have not told me what you are doing here."

[bringerofthetide]

"I came for this," he says and takes the hat from Ivan to place it on his own head. "And for you."

[priesttotheend]

"You will not take me so easily as that hat." He must admit, Gabriel doesn't look like himself without that hat. It's almost reassuring.

[bringerofthetide]

"I could, if that was what I wanted."

His grin is just plain filthy, and he moves just a little closer. If there was a sliver of air between them before, it's not there now.

"But I think we both know you always wanted to be the one doing the taking."

[priesttotheend]

He doesn't say anything, just reaches a hand up between them to flick the brim of the hat and push it off.

[bringerofthetide]

He reaches back to catch the hat before it falls to the ground, but he doesn't put it back on his head, or move away.

He moves a little closer and inhales to keep his voice steady. "I've waited for you. I'm strong enough now."

[priesttotheend]

"I doubt that." They're so close that Ivan can practically feel Gabriel's heart beat in his own chest and he can't even put a hand between them now, so instead he leans forward and shoves him with his shoulder.

[bringerofthetide]

That's his cue to tackle the priest and this time, he'll be the one pinning the other to the ground. "Remember that time outside the walls?"

[priesttotheend]

He's actually a little surprised that Gabriel pins him. Sure, they fought on the train, but he still remembers years of being able to best his friend with barely any effort. It will take a while to remember that Gabriel has changed in more ways than one.

"What time?" Of course he remembers. How could he forget?

[bringerofthetide]

He's surprised that it happens so easily. He expected more of a fight, expected to be pushed off and denied, but the fact that it doesn't happen means something. He's just not quite sure what. Consciously, he's more disappointed that there's not a fight.

"Did we venture out more than once?"

[priesttotheend]

Oh, now that the surprise has worn off, there is a bit of struggling. But he's not struggling enough to push him off, he's testing Gabriel's strength to see exactly what he's up against.

And... maybe he wants to keep his hands on Gabriel to remember that he's real.

"We ventured out many times."

[bringerofthetide]

"For the sake of war. Only once did we leave to-"

He stops because he can't remember why they left that day. He vaguely remembers that it was - Actually. No. All he can remember is being pushed up against the outer walls. He can't even be sure that it really only happened once. It's more the things that left scars on his soul than actual details. Scars on his body as well.

"You remember. I know you do."

[priesttotheend]

He doesn't say anything, he just glances down to that spot on Gabriel's hip where he knows there's a scar. A scar he put there. A scar he can practically see through all those coats and clothes.

That should be answer enough.

[bringerofthetide]

He can see that glance. He knows what Ivan is looking for and he sits up, straddling the priest's thighs to keep him down though he knows a simple struggle will free him. He's not worried about that. He has something to show him.

He pulls his shirts up and tugs his slacks down. Not a lot. Not at all. The layers of fabric are a shield of sorts. He moves it only enough to reveal the patch of skin where that scar is, still deep and nasty. Still vividly there even if most of his old human scars have faded.

[priesttotheend]

He props himself up on his elbow so he can see that scar better. It's a big piece of evidence that this is still his Gabriel, not a monster, and it's a big step towards acceptance. He's not there yet, but hey, at least he probably won't actively try to kill him.

He reaches out to trace his thumb over that scar, and he's too busy staring at it to even look at Gabriel. "I remember."

[bringerofthetide]

That touch. He hasn't been touched like that since- Actually, the last time he felt a human's touch without it being an attempt at killing him was also with Ivan. It drains all the tension and agression out of him and without that he looks so small and scared.

"Please don't..."

Don't touch him like that if you're going to try and kill him afterwards. Don't remind him he was human if you're going to throw it in his face that he's not.

[priesttotheend]

Ivan snaps his hand back so fast, it's like he slapped it. "Don't?"

[bringerofthetide]

"It hurts."

Not physically, but it burns him. He misses him so much. He just wants to his home back.

[priesttotheend]

He tenses up, immediately thinking through what he can do to make the scar not hurt anymore. But... it's a scar. It's not a fresh wound. It shouldn't hurt, and Ivan doesn't know how to make it better.

He shoves Gabriel off now, so he can stand up and put distance between them. "I am sorry."

[bringerofthetide]

He takes that as a rejection, and he snarls at the apology before jumping to his feet.

"You aren't. This makes it easier for you to hate me, doesn't it? Easier to pretend you're pure."

[priesttotheend]

And just like that, they're back to "enemies" again.

"You have what you came for."

He really does expect him to just leave now, that would be the easy thing to do. He himself should leave now, go meet with the other priests and get back to their duty. But... it isn't the same now. Before, he wanted to be rid of the vampires, yes, but he also wanted to tear through them to he could get to Gabriel. And, well, Gabriel is right here. There goes half his reason to go after the vamps (although he would truly love to slash through those demons).

[bringerofthetide]

"No."

He should leave, or attack. Instead he stands there and does nothing even if his hand is twitching with the urge to rip him apart. And there's that world of unsaid things making the air between them thick as gel.