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

[missio]

[ look marcus has 99 emotions all the time always. he clears his throat and sets the book aside, then makes a curt hand gesture. ]

Come here.

[buenpastor]

[ they're usually predictable emotions and tomas can prepare ahead of time. he scoots closer, obediently. ]

[missio]

[ he shifts where he’s seated and then pulls tomas into his arms. hugs are very good. ]

[buenpastor]

[ okay, good. tomas is a very good hugger ]

[missio]

[ smushes his face into tomas’ shoulder. ughhhhh. ]

[buenpastor]

[ tomas just rubs his back comfortingly ok ]

[missio]

You’re unbelievable.

[ his voice is clear, even though his face isn’t visible. his hands are loosely curled in tomas’ shirt. ]

[buenpastor]

It was the obvious present.

[missio]

[ he laughs, a soft wet chuckle into tomas’ shoulder. ]

Nothing about this has been obvious, actually.

[ the whole thing. marcus doesn’t do christmas, or family, or being so taken with someone that their absence hollows him out inside. ]

[buenpastor]

It seems pretty reasonable to me?

[ he's still rubbing marcus' back, trying to be comforting ]

[missio]

[ mnnngh he doesn’t seem to be in obvious distress, just kind of listing on the verge of some formless confusion. ]

I don’t have a long and storied history of warm fuzzies, to absolutely no one’s surprise.

[buenpastor]

You should get used to it.

[ what if kissing? ]

[missio]

[ yes fine. he turns his head into the kiss, warm and lingering, his hands still clenched in the fabric of tomas’ shirt. he can’t stop smiling, a kind of subdued tilt of his mouth. ]

[buenpastor]

Mmh, merry Christmas?

[missio]

[ his hands come up to frame tomas’ face, holding him tenderly. ]

Thanks.

[buenpastor]

We should get some sleep.

[ kisses him briefly ]

[missio]

Probably.

[ marcus kisses him again, more deeply this time. tomas’ mouth tastes like mint, clean and lovely. marcus, who hasn’t brushed his teeth yet, still carries lingering hints of the expensive frascati wine he’d stolen from a faraway cellar. and he still hasn’t stopped smiling. ]

[buenpastor]

[ tomas laughs against his mouth. he ca tell when marcus has no interest in sleeping. ]

My family is next door.

[missio]

I’m aware.

[ brushing kisses over his mouth repeatedly shhhh. ]

[buenpastor]

[ he's doing absolutely nothing to stop him. ]

Marcus, come on.

[missio]

[ he grins against tomas’ mouth, warm and inviting. ]

We’re already being perfectly quiet.

[buenpastor]

Yeah, but we both know I can't stay quiet.

[missio]

There’s a first time for everything.

[ marcus tips his head, dragging his mouth over tomas’ jaw and licking over the outside of his ear. ]

And you’ve been quite extraordinary with firsts lately.

[buenpastor]

I wouldn't count on it.

[ he's moaning already, prospects for quiet aren't good. ]

[missio]

[ he whispers, heated into tomas’ ear.

You want to give it a go? Just this once?