Jack

[whispersoflove]

Coby had things to do, and after borrowing his phone to leave Sunny a message, Anael had let him go, after assuring him that he would be fine. No, really. He meant it. The mark on the top of his sternum still itched when he thought about it, or perhaps Anael itched around it. It felt like his entire being was trying, unsuccessfully, to push it off.

Once he was alone, he spent a long moment praying, then stopped when his stomach rumbled. Needing food, being hungry. These were new sensations for the angel. He had no idea how to cook anything, however, and turned away from Coby's cupboards and fridge, grabbing his boots to go outside.

He was on the lookout as he walked through the streets, every angelic sense focused on his surroundings. If they were going to try anything else, he was going to be ready for them. He was not sure how long he walked before he began to relax, trusting that he was not being followed. He found a street vendor and fished a note out of the pocket of his jeans to pay for a toastie. He ate as he walked, and only realised where his feet had taken him when he saw a familiar someone in just as familiar a coat walk out of a high tower a little way ahead of him.

Anael's feet slowed to a halt as he watched Jack, uncharacteristically unsure whether he wanted to see him or not.

Comments

[im_torchwood]

"Chocolate is always a safe bet," he grinned. He'd kept the rig running and now it was toasty warm inside. "Thank you, Hani. I appreciate it."

[whispersoflove]

Anael smiled at him as he handed Jack his coffee, and took his tea, leaving the cardboard thing with the brownie in between them. But his smile hadn't seemed all there again, and he grew thoughtful for a couple of seconds, fingers curled around his drink, before looking back at Jack and telling him, "That's not the name I prefer. It's just easier to give that one to people." The smile he gave Jack now was small, but hopeful. "I'd love it if you'd call me Anael."

[im_torchwood]

"Anael? You're named after an archangel?" Jack asked, though in his heart he knew that wasn't exact. Not named after. He was almost sure of it, but his mind couldn't quite wrap around what he felt was the truth.

[whispersoflove]

Anael smiled at him again, soft and almost vulnerable, then reached a hand out to trace fingers down Jack's jaw, letting some of his Grace out, a warmth that was all at once physical, emotional and spiritual.

[im_torchwood]

Jack groaned softly and closed his eyes. He couldn't compare the feeling to anything else he'd ever experienced. It felt perfect in a way he didn't have words to describe.

"I could get addicted to that," he confessed softly.

[whispersoflove]

"You asked if it was me," Anael told him quietly, pulling his hand away to curl it back around the tea. "It is, and it is so much more than just me."

[im_torchwood]

"It's amazing. I feel like I should have put two and two together, but with what I do for a living I've learned to never make assumptions," Jack said. Then he sipped the steaming hot coffee.

[whispersoflove]

"I like that about you," Anael told him with a smile. There was no hint of self-consciousness in him as he added, "I like everything about you."

Because it was true, and something different from loving Jack for being part of God's Creation. He loved everyone, after all, including people he did not like.

[im_torchwood]

"There's a lot about me to like," Jack quipped, his smile bright but the light in his eyes teasing.

[whispersoflove]

Anael's smile was genuine, if sadder than it usually was, and he reached out to cradle Jack's face again. "You're beautiful."

He of course meant more than simply outwardly.

[im_torchwood]

Jack smiled a little less fake, then turned his head to kiss Anael's palm. He closed his eyes and breathed in, tasting the air, tasting the angel more in his mind than anything else.

"Not half as much as you," he said softly.

[whispersoflove]

"Well, it's a good thing we're not having a contest," Anael remarked with a soft smile. They might have both kept insisting on each other's beauty for a long time. He pulled his hand back again, fingers trailing off Jack's jaw slowly, reluctant to abandon the contact. Anael breathed in his tea, deeply, then took a sip, and glanced back at Jack. "How old are you, Jack?"

[im_torchwood]

"Old."

That was the simplest answer, but Anael had told him the truth, the angel deserved no less.

"Around 2500 years old, give or take."

[whispersoflove]

Anael nodded quietly, taking this in, then only asked, "And your energy? What is it?"

[im_torchwood]

Jack shrugged.

"Life? Too much life," he answered.

[whispersoflove]

Anael opened his mouth to ask whether there was such a thing, but then thought of having to live for so long without the comfort of God. Men were not meant for such long lives, were never prepared for it. He closed his mouth and looked at Jack for a moment, then gave him a soft smile . "I'm sorry."

If the car had been less spacious, he would have kissed him, but it would have been too awkward just then.

[im_torchwood]

"Don't be sorry, Han- Anael. It's the way it is. I have hope that one day I'll find a man and he can fix it, but until that day I carry on, doing what good I can in the world."

Good was, of course, a relative term. Jack saw the bigger picture and sometimes he had to do awful things to make sure good things came from them.

[whispersoflove]

Anael unwrapped one of his hands from his hot drink to find one of Jack's, lacing their fingers together. There was a world of love in his gaze as he looked at the man. "You're an amazing man, Jack."

[im_torchwood]

"I'm going to take that as the highest compliment. I can't imagine being more flattered than I am now, hearing that from an archangel," he said, giving Anael's hand a squeeze.

[whispersoflove]

Anael's smile faded slightly for a second, before strengthening again. "My opinion means no more or less for it." He took a sip and breathed in deep, trying to ignore the ever-present itch of the glyph.

[im_torchwood]

Ooh, but Jack was acutely aware of little things like that- twitches, tics, and all the ways a smile could slip.

"What was that?" he asked. "Is that what we are decidedly not talking about today?"

[whispersoflove]

Anael opened his mouth to answer, then paused as he realised that the actual answer was more complicated than he had been about to say, and finally answered, "Yes and no." He pursed his lips, took a moment to breathe in his drink, then looked back at Jack. "One of the reasons I'm wary of telling anyone what I am is that I don't want them to treat me differently."

Valuing his opinion more for being that of an archangel skirted very close to that territory, although there was no reproach or blame in his voice. It was not something easily avoided, huge as that truth was.

[im_torchwood]

"You think I'd treat you differently?" Jack asked. "You'll never know unless you trust me with whatever it is weighing you down, y'know."

[whispersoflove]

"No, I meant... I've seen people treat me differently, again and again, after they learned that I was an angel," Anael gently corrected Jack's misunderstanding. "What's happened... It's just hard to talk about."

He wished that he could say that it did not feel real, but the glyph itching on his skin took care of that. He took a steady breath, bringing their linked hands to his lips to press a kiss to one of Jack's fingers, eyes closed as he focused on the love playing between them.

Then he straightened up, meeting Jack's gaze, his own oddly vulnerable. "I was attacked. I don't know who they were, but they used old, ancient spells, and they bound me to this plane, in this form. A friend stepped in before they might do more, but until I can break their binding, I can't go back to Heaven."

There, he'd said it all, holding Jack's gaze as if he did not feel so very ashamed and tainted. But the vulnerability he felt shone in his eyes, along with a world of sadness and longing.

[im_torchwood]

While many might have been sympathetic, Jack only scowled as he thought that through. He wasn't well versed in magic...but he did have quite a bit of experience in setting things right. And in vengeance when it was called for.

"They bound you here? With magic?" Jack asked, repeating the facts. "Then we've got to figure out how to break the spell."

That's all, he thought. Just break the spell, as if that was so easy to do.

"I'll figure something out," he said then...because he always did.