We'll Meet Again

Chapter Eighteen: Big Iron

Vox stared at Alastor dumbfounded by the story. He blinked several times in disbelief before speaking.

"Is...all of that true, it can't be, right? You're just pulling my leg."

He shook his head slowly back and forth his expression serious.

"It is true Vox...every word. I know how it sounds but I would swear by its authenticity."

Vox took a moment to consider this before responding.

"So, you read it and it was meaningful to you and that's great. Can you tell me why exactly it means so much to you?"

Alastor chewed the question over. It felt important to try and help Vox understand why this meant so much.

"Lucifer, was...a dreamer, what he did, for humanity, and what it cost him. I admire his resolve, his determination. His thoughts and feelings about everything were...so beautiful. I am not sure how to explain it more thoroughly."

Vox smirked and chuckled a little at the whimsical look on Alastor's pretty face.

"You know, it's a good thing the guy is in Hell. If he was here I would be very tempted to be jealous."

Alastor snorted laughter and shoved at him.

"Stop. Now come along, I am exhausted, it has been a long night."

The pair stood and moved to the bedroom. Alastor was asleep almost the instant his head hit the pillow. Vox spent a few moments thinking about how strange it was to be lying next to him. He knew for a fact that this man had ended a life in cold blood just a few hours ago, and yet here he was, sleeping like a baby. He wondered what it said about him as a person that he honestly didn't care. He loved this man every bit as much right now as he had when they woke up the previous morning. Sleep took him as he pondered the dilemma.

When Vox woke next he found himself alone in the bed. The smell of cooking bacon wafted up the stairs. He smiled and pulled on his boxer shorts and a robe. He found Alastor in the kitchen, just finishing a big brunch meal. Vox eased up behind him and put his arms around his lover's slender waist. He leaned in and kissed the nape of his neck and felt him shiver, he hoped with pleasure. Alastor leaned back against him and sighed contentedly. It was a moment in time the they both wanted to last forever. Vox's concerns about Alastor not warming up to him had long been allayed. Alastor's greatest fear had been realized, met, and overcome. He was more at peace with himself, and his life than he had ever been. They both felt like they had found the missing piece of their life's puzzle. In hindsight, it was the first of many truly happy moments they shared. They did not have to wait long for the next.

After brunch, they listened to music for a bit before Alastor unexpectedly stood and turned the radio off. He reached out to Vox and took his hand, leading him back upstairs. Vox found himself both confused and nervous in equal measure. His confusion won out as Alastor stripped out of his robe and climbed into bed. Vox quirked an eyebrow at him and cut his eyes to the alarm clock on the table which read half past one in the afternoon. Something about Alastor's voice sent an eager little shiver up Vox's spine.

"Are you going to join me, or just stand there looking baffled?"

He shed his robe and slid under the blankets to join him. As soon as he was settled in, Alastor's hand snaked around him and pulled him into a deep kiss. Vox shivered and put a hand on Alastor's waist, leaning into the embrace. Vox felt Alastor's hand graze down his body and rest on his hip. An electric feeling moved through him, leaving a pleasant tingling behind. His breath caught in his throat and he broke off the kiss. His voice came out sounding breathless.

"Alastor, what...what're you doing?"

He smiled at Vox and ran his thumb along his hipbone letting it slide between his shorts and his bare skin.