Post-canon PSL

[buenpastor]

[ it's been over a year since the rances, months now since the vatican officially sanctioned tomas as an exorcist, twelve days since they— because it's they, even if marcus isn't officially working for the church. twelve days since bennett sent them to vienna, to see to a young man named jakob who'd been hearing voices.

marcus had warned tomas about the dangers of complacency, and tomas understood why now; they'd done two exorcisms since casey, and they'd both been simple in comparison. the demons hadn't taken tomas seriously.

this recent one had. there's a learning curve to becoming a good exorcist, or so marcus kept saying, and he'd let tomas fight the demon up until it became a danger to the host, then he'd stepped in.

god likes it better when they work together; the words flow more easily, their voices join in as one. tomas knows he can be strong on his own. with marcus he feels unbeatable.

they have a room in jakob's house, it's a single bed and a bathroom that have seen very little use since their arrival. when jakob's eyes clear up and his voice is his own again, after niceties are exchanged; thank yous, a doctor is called, the family reassured. tomas and marcus go to that little room and close the door behind them.

once they call bennett he'll have them on a plane outside the country within hours, but it's late and they can afford a few hours to take a breather. ]

Comments

[buenpastor]

[ he's blushing and he's drumming his fingers against marcus' back, all nervous excitement. ]

Yeah I... yeah, yeah, let's go.

[ he moves, reluctantly and a little unsteadily. ]

[missio]

[ marcus steps back to give him room. his body feels lit from within, his blood still racing, but he's good at looking calm and focused as he adjusts his own scarf.

he reaches out to steady tomas. ]

You alright?

[buenpastor]

[ he's reaching for marcus pretty much as soon as marcus steps back. ]

Feels like I just went sky-diving.

[missio]

Is that a good thing?

[ he makes sure tomas is good on his feet, then adjusts the lapels of tomas' jacket too, easing them both towards the exit. ]

[buenpastor]

Wouldn't be getting back on the plane if it wasn't.

[ they get looks as they leave the restroom. everyone knows what they were doing in there, obviously.

tomas isn't entirely at ease with that. ]

[missio]

[ marcus is adept at ignoring looks like those by now--he's caused a few scenes in his day, and also he's been a gay man for longer, so, you know. he doesn't touch tomas on the way out but looks faintly hawkish and annoyed instead, and isn't above making direct dead-eyed eye contact with strangers, so that abates the effect somewhat.

once they're outside, though, marcus drops his hand onto tomas' shoulder again. it's a little bit for him and a little bit for himself--not touching him feels wrong right now. ]

[buenpastor]

[ he huddles up close immediately. it does feel wrong not to be close. also he's still a little unsteady. ]

Are you okay?

[missio]

[ marcus looks down and smiles at him again. it's a sudden change, one of those soft, kind smiles that seem reserved specifically for moments alone with tomas. ]

Fantastic.

[buenpastor]

Oh good. Because I definitely wasn't pulling my weight in there.

[ and he suspects he won't be in the near future either, but he's kind of giddy all the same. ]

[missio]

You were lovely.

[ said frankly, like there's no other truth. marcus didn't imagine him being any other way, didn't let himself imagine this at all. ]

[buenpastor]

[ he's blushing again, shy and nervous. ]

It's never been like that before.

[missio]

[ wow who is this smug asshole all of a sudden

it's me, i am the smug asshole ]

Like what, exactly.

[buenpastor]

[ wow. tomas is only laughing because the alternative is to stutter incoherently. ]

Really? You're really making me do this?

[missio]

[ :-D ]

Well, I did suffer the indignity of being serenaded, so, yeah, a little.

[buenpastor]

[ godddd why are you like this ]

You have no regard for inexperience, did you know that?

[ he's still both embarrassed and amused jsyk ]

[missio]

[ his hand slides up beneath tomas' scarf, fingers brushing the side of his neck again close to the bite. ]

I'm going quite slowly. All things considered.

[buenpastor]

[ he shivers at the touch. ]

Might need you to slow down further, if you don't mind.

[missio]

Whatever you want.

[ and he means it. there's no concession too great to make, if it means tomas is okay, happy.

he's walking them the several blocks to their hotel. they could've called a taxi, but he likes tomas' company, the opportunity to share in his warmth. ]

[buenpastor]

Just don't teach me sex the way you taught me exorcism, please.

[ he bumps against him as they walk :D? ]

[missio]

[ he's talking about sex like it's an inevitability, which should probably be foul play if marcus is going to survive the beginning stages of this. he ducks his head, laughs, and tries not to feel lightheaded. ]

So ... fewer textbooks, keep the yelling to a minimum ...

[buenpastor]

[ tomas is laughing again. of course he's talking about it like it's an inevitability, it is. ]

No textbooks. Will accept some yelling.

[missio]

Strenuous physical discipline.

[ ha ha ha kidding not kidding ]

[buenpastor]

[ god, he's just gonna laugh nervously against marcus' shoulder. ]

You're so rude.

[missio]

I may have heard that once or twice.

[ there's a laugh in his voice, barely restrained. he nearly doesn't recognize himself in this levity.

eventually they come back to the hotel, marcus pushing the doors open and following beside tomas. he's quiet again as they head up to their room, his fingers still spread over the side of tomas' neck. ]

[buenpastor]

[ tomas grows quiet when marcus does, thoughtful, nervous. he stopped feeling drunk ages ago, but he's only starting to fully come down from what happened in that restroom.

he lets marcus lead him into the room and then looks at him, expectant. ]