Where my heart belongs (Contest story)

Sort of a continuation of this
https://www.superhero-rpg.com/t12678-things-lost-found-and-gained-sammy-advancement-story
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The water felt blessedly warm.

Streaming in rivulets from the point of contact, which was his copper red hair crushed flat with moisture. Bangs swaying with the chaotic streams that ran down his forehead. When was the last time he had a shower? Yesterday, yet his body stained with blood and viscera felt as if that were  longer. Most washed away, clouding the water with dark reds and even some black hues from his own blood. Fights were never something that he walked away from without a scratch.

Samael screwed his eyes shut tightly, forehead resting against the white shower tiling and let the oblivion of running water take him down. Blackness behind his eyelids mingling with the rush of water his sensitive hearing latched onto. Just enough to forget the events of the night for a moment. To allow his mind to become the oblivion of these seconds, even if reality always had a way of crashing back into relevance.

Fingers dug into the palms of his hands, paling the skin and bringing with it a soft yet sharp pain from the action. Phantom sensations of skull shattering under them. Hard resistance followed by the squish, something that replayed within his mind. Hand twisted into a demonic form with demonic strength. Over and over again despite how he told himself it didn’t matter. The demon would have done worse to him. He had done worse to so many people, yet he found himself thinking over the scene. Losing that sweet shower oblivion as soon as it came.

So his long, sharp exhale joined the running water sound. This was his first chance to be alone since the long limo ride back to one of the many inconspicuous shops Lily maintained around the world.  From Vegas to one of the higher up hotels in New York, all of the proper reservations were made before they even stepped through the portal. Amazing what doors money could open, not that he really understood that concept.  Money was just a sparse thing for him. Even thinking about his monetary problems was enough to swiftly forget the strange events of the night.  Temporarily.

A knock broke his train of thought, bringing with it his eyes snapping open to the sight of the shower floor and the swirling water. ”Not going to stay in there all night are you?” Adam’s voice broke him from the hiss of water. How long has it been? It was hard to tell, though he had a feeling it was long enough. He chewed on his lower lip, as if that would somehow abate the bubbling frustration though all that did was bring with it an iron taste.

”Yeah, just need a moment,”

Fine, he would have to leave the water eventually. Turning the water off, Samael stepped out from the shower with the sound of dripping on tile hitting his sensitive ears. Footsteps beyond the door, someone moving though with a deliberate silence. Human hearing wouldn’t have picked up these small steps, though he wondered whose they were. Could have been Adam, but he was also used to people letting themselves in whenever they felt like it.

Looking back at him in the foggy mirror was his own face. A dusting of light facial hair along a strong jawline, black pits where whites and irises would be and coppery red hair slicked down and darkened with water. A face he saw everyday in the mirror, though he never failed to find something wrong with it. Soft silver lines in his skin that never quite healed. Small badges of honor from the many fights for life that consumed his life. Lines that criss crossed his body, alongside angrier and redder ones that were for all intents and purposes death blows. Even thinking about it was enough to bring a wry smirk to his lips.

Just how often he found death meeting him.

He made use of the little gray hair dryer and blew it through the damp mess of his hair until the strands were dry enough. Styling them with some gel he was sure Adam had pointedly left there. It smelled chemical, in the ways that all gels did. With a rake, his hair was forced into a swept back style and he applied all the necessities. Deodorant, teeth brushed and all that.

With cleaning done, he turned to see the clothes set out for him in the clear plastic sleeve, exterior coated in condensation. Apparently whatever he was doing required a suit, not the usual dress wear either. What was Adam planning? What was Osiris planning for that matter? Just glancing at the thing was enough to guess the ancient vampire had a hand in this meddling.

Hurried knocking made the cambion jump. Breath now hissing out between his clenched teeth, which elicited someone to laugh from the other side of the door. Definitely someone who enjoyed messing with him. Pulling the suit from the small metal hook, he unzipped and began the work of changing into it. Realizing that this fit…pretty well actually. When did someone get his dimensions? It reeked of Lily, yet she wouldn’t admit to it if it were her fault.  Adjusting his jacket, Samael stepped out of the bathroom feeling a little too dressed up for whatever occasion they were dealing with.

The bathroom led out into the penthouse's massive living room, tv blaring some kind of meaningless sitcoms with Adam sprawled across the leather couch in a casual fashion. He somehow managed to look breathtaking even doing that. Chestnut brown hair tousled in a fashion he was sure was meant to excuse a level of laziness, boyish face, constant dark circles framing his eyes as well as an equally dressy suit. A charcoal three piece affair, which he couldn’t deny looked impossibly appealing on him.  At least he wasn’t the only one dressing up for whatever they had coming.

“What do we have here? Never expected the bird to be all dressed up,” A bemused voice spoke up, drawing his attention to a young looking boy resting in a lounge chair and flipping through a tablet in a bored fashion. “Good to see you and dad are back together again. Not that I approve of it, neither does Lily actually,” She never did from what he knew.

It was unexpected to see another of the misfits Adam let hang around with him, though seeing Noah Johnson was as always an unpleasant experience.  He was young by vampire standards, and his appearance was young by human years yet he carried himself more maturely than most people he knew. Save for when it came to the two of them interacting, which involved some manner of snide remark; usually childish.

”Nice to see you too kid, but isn’t it a little past the bedtime?” Samael snipped back, brows furrowing and attention turning back to Adam who could only smile to him. How could something so innocuous be so disarming? It filled him with a subtle sort of irritation that settled into his chest. Chewing on his lower lip, he turned away from Adam for a moment and allowed his mind to calm itself.

”Haha, very funny. Didn’t know you only knew one joke,” The young looking vampire rolled his eyes, flicking across the tablet screen boredly.

”Really you two?” Adam questioned, rolling his eyes and slowly rising from the couch, and straightening out the minute wrinkles on his suit. How egregious did they look to his eyes? They were vampire problems he imagined, though little imperfections weren’t  a problem to him.

”Really. The kid starts it each time,” Despite the statement, he couldn’t help smirking. ”So Adam, what exactly is the plan? Don’t mind being dragged across the country and dressed up but…i’m no mind reader,” He moved around the room and picked out the seat Adam had been laying out on only seconds ago. It was as comfortable as most expensive couches he ended up sitting on when dealing with ancient vampires.

”Thought he woulda guessed by now.” Noah scoffed, looking up from his digital entertainment to shoot his verbal jabs a little more. It just reminded Sammy of a spiteful little demon that didn’t know when to shut up.

”Considering the fight he’s had not so long ago, I couldn’t blame him for now guessing,” Adam jumped in, approaching him with a somewhat unreadable expression. Reaching and straightening Samael’s tie with an even hand. It almost felt like a parent correcting a child.

”Make it sound like my brain got rattled around,”

”Looks like it. I can still smell your blood on you,” Didn’t he always smell blood on him? That sounded like a thing that vampires would say. Some shit about someone's blood smelling wonderful, even if that was because mortals shaped that little perception. Even thinking of these things recalled the small section of Adam’s massive collections devoted solely to vampire fiction directed towards teens. So many ironic purchases to assuage immortal boredom.

”Guess I didn’t shower off as much as I thought,” He wiped away at his forehead, knowing no smudge would come away from it. ”So Adam, can I get an answer or we gonna keep playing the back and forth game?” He questioned, lips set into a half frown and letting those black pools meet with the vampire's brown eyes. Silently waiting for some kind of response that illuminated what he wanted to know. Instead of leaving him to assumptions that were all obvious.

”Well, since we aren’t broken up like I thought for a while I thought we could have a date. Well, Noah and Lily thought that was a good idea too but it was mine initially,”  From the corner of his vision he saw Noah nodding along, even though he didn’t turn his gaze from whatever held his attention.

”Really? The kids didn’t argue with any kind of date involving me?” Samael questioned, a scoff flavoring the statement. ”they’re not exactly known for liking me for all the time i’ve known them,” He leaned forward, fingers interlacing and eyes still meeting with Adam. All the vampire did in return was smile, pressing a kiss against his forehead.

”I didn’t think it was possible but you’ve gotten way more cynical. Can’t I want to go on a date with my boyfriend?” It was a deflection but all he could do was be silent, feeling the heat flood his neck and cheeks. Skin turning bluish black and standing stark against his pale skin.The silence lasted for a few minutes, Adam stepping away and casually walking across the room leaving him some time to recollect his thoughts. Thoughts of how a kiss like that could leave him stunned like this was always confusing. Attaching what looked to be cufflinks to his suit sleeves, though he lacked the overall understanding of fine menswear.

”I’ve got a place already picked out, not too far from here. You might know it too,” That was a curious statement. Enough to cause the cambion to give him a questioning look, single brow cocked in a curious fashion. ”it’s a nice little Fae run place not too far from here. I hear it’s the best place to get seelie cooking  without being trapped forever,” Now those words sounded familiar, enough to make the straight line of his mouth turn into a smirk.

”Now you’re stealing my lines. What, this an anniversary thing? Sounds like something one of those cheesy couples would do,” Going to the place they first really met was an interesting choice. Even hearing the description was enough to bring his mind back then, those muddled memories coming to sharp relief for brief moments.

”I’ve always been this cheesy. You know this by now,” He said with a chuckle, becoming a blur before appearing before him and sweeping back his hair with a motion into a slick back fashion. ”you also bring the cheesy part of me out too I guess. Guess it’s the ruggedly handsome thing you have going on,” To elaborate, he stroked the rough stubble that graced the man's chin and jawline, taking his time to draw out the goosebumps that rose from it.

”Well you went through the trouble to start this date so wanna get going?” He questioned, trying to turn his attention away from turning this into something he didn’t want happening in front of other people.

”Fair enough. Let’s get this date moving then,” A hand was offered and he accepted, being drawn to his feet.

---

The place was a more lowkey fae establishment, well compared to the many he saw along the east coast, and most of them along the east coast for that matter. From memory the place was run by a fae benefactor who wanted to try something a little less…ostentatious. Needless to say many faeries were quick to call it boring, yet the rest of the supernatural community found themselves drawn to it. They used to operate out of Staten Island he heard of, before Necrodium reduced it to rubble anyhow. Now here they were in Queens, serving anyone who walked through the door and had the money for it.

Adam and Samael were among them, walking behind what looked to be a human man until the glamor peeled away and revealed a bird's head with sleek black feathers and burning red eyes. A succubus with deep red skin draped over his arm in a dress that left little to the imagination. The place had a kind of magic that stripped away any kind of cover from what he could understand. A little faerie joke, though some did find themselves annoyed with the prospect. Something about having their magic stripped away without them knowing, but the towering bouncers in the shadow of the entrance usually dealt with them.Giants or trolls, either fit with the sheer mass.

The entrance lobby looked practically mundane with wood paneled walls, soft red carpeting and scant flowering around. Reds, blues and yellows that gave the slightest bit of coloration with the true entrance behind a satyr dressed up in a black suit and red tie. Goat ears lazily flopping from side to side as he spoke with the couple ahead of them. The more he took in this place, the more Samael was starting to feel like the odd one out. It was like back then really, except he was even more of a newcomer then.

A couple minutes passed, the cold grip of Adam’s hand a reassuring vice on his own until it was their turn. ”Reservation for two. Under the name Johnson,” Adam offered, causing the Satyr to look down at a thick looking leather bound book. Eyes squinting as if looking for something with a frantic pace. Eventually that pace stopped and they nodded, as if finding what required such looking.

“Aye, looks like we got you on the list.” They said affirmatively,  looking back up to Adam and nodding. He felt the faint pressure ease up from his hand, though the cold touch of skin didn’t quite leave either.  Even when the two of them walked through the door into the restaurant properly. That was when the venue really changed.

First the scent of spring flowers, and the intense smell of summer fruits. Plums, cherries, pomegranates. Peaches and various other sweet scents that assailed his nostrils all at once. Mixed with various spice and meat smells, creating a strange bouquet of scents that left the cambion reeling. All he could see on Adam’s face was the faintest twist of the skin around his nose. Being a vampire probably included not really enjoying the smell of food. It was hard to imagine not being able to eat, especially for the centuries that Adam claimed he had been alive. Even imagining that span of time was enough to make him squirm.

The space of rich scents they entered felt more like an outdoor area. Walls composed of dense trees with blossoms hanging from them clustered close together and even the tables as well as the chairs were nothing more than trees as well as shrubs molded into shape. Wood shaped into seats and tables, with prismatically formed glass serving as the eating surface. Women flitted between tables with large hard wood dishes, smoking with those same scents. Bird song and various bardic tunes floated through the air, giving the feel as if this place were on a different plane entirely.

Most likely because it was.

A dryad approached them with a smile. She looked human enough, save for the bits of wood that formed like plates on her cheeks, and the sections of neck that weren’t covered by her high collared shirt. ”Adam, I see you finally took her up on the reservation,” She noted, voice as high and sweet as a song.

”I did. Though this was as good a time as any and well,” He raised their intertwined hands, which drew an amused chuckle from the dryad. ”I wanted to make it a little special,” All he could do was look confused between the two of them.

”Well, it seems i’m your waitress so let’s find you a table.” Not really considering him for too long, she led the two of them to what looked more like a booth. High wooden backs against sculpted bushes, with what he noticed now to be some kind of cushioning on the seats and booth backing. Samael slid in first and Adam slid into the seating opposite of him.

”Blood wine for me and…honey mead for Sammy,” Adam ordered and he didn’t really say anything. Letting the woman nod, writing things down before motioning with a flick of her wrist and wooden sheets of paper settled onto the glass. He assumed they were some kind of menu.

”I’ll get the drinks and we can worry about the food after, sound good?” Adam nodded and she was off, likely also worrying over tables. At times he wondered why reservations were necessary when it felt so much like any diner he could walk into. Granted he didn’t eat the food last time he was here. All he heard was that the chefs here were some kind of top quality types.

”So, how do you know the wait staff? Sure, I know you’re basically regent of New York and all but didn’t know it crossed over with The Fae,”

”Babysitting the vampires of this city also involves making nice with the other supernatural factions. Werewolves, faeries and even the mages when they aren’t busy being self important,” He shrugged, lightly tapping his finger against the glass table. ”As for Selphy, I met her a few years ago. Night we first met actually,” That brought back some memories. Adam didn’t look too different since then actually, but Samael could see in his disjointed reflection on the table that he looked different. A little older and his features were a little harder as well. Faint white scars from his battles and just the jobs that required him to fight too.  Which was most of them when he had to think about it. Mercenary work was going to leave him a mess of scars before too long.

”You’re on a first name basis? If I were the jealous type i’d be quite jealous.” Samael shrugged, untightening his tie a little and messing up the straightening job Adam did not too long ago. ”Not that I have any room to talk,”

”Course ya don’t. Went and got hitched in Vegas with a crime lord I barely know. Here I thought I was going to get a ring first,” Despite the joking tone in the vampire's voice, he did feel that brief sting of shame hit.  ”but i’m immortal, I got all the time in the world. I can be a little patient.” Adam still let his hand slide across the table, gently brushing the back of his hand.

Conversation flowed from there, though he found his thoughts occasionally drifting to Ashley and all circumstances leading to their impromptu union. Eloping might have been a better word, though he was hardly thinking at the time. There wasn’t much thinking to be done at the time. Just him and what felt like the right thing at the time, even if it meant making himself into a criminal.

Even when the drinks came, Samael mechanically drank. It was sweet, that much he could tell and had a curious fizz that reminded him of a soft drink. The kind of sensation that tickled his tongue on the way down, though he didn’t mind it.  The thought swirling around his head just brought back similar sceneries, yet things were different. Things were different and he was sitting alone then.

The air had that same sweet scent but it wasn’t so sharp then.

--

He felt the eyes of the people there on him. Narrowed, almost skeptical looks though that came with an up and coming reputation. The cambion who always got into people's business, and usually made a mess of it was in their fancy little restaurant. Not for absolutely no reason but he was waiting for someone. Opposing those fine dresses and suits, he was dressed in simple jeans, and a worn leather jacket over a white shirt. He didn’t care much for dressing up, so this was probably the most the people here were getting and that vampiric bigwig had enough clout to get him through the door. It made him an oddity towards the typical patron here.

He felt the curious eye of the waitress as she set a simple metal mug of ale down. He returned the glance, though she didn’t seem to notice through his lack of irises and went about her day.  Looking all too fine to be anything human, and the wood that showed where skin was visible. He was just here waiting for someone. A sort of liaison to help in dealing with his current job, dragging from him windy Chicago to The Big Apple. Not that he was really impressed with the whole thing. Didn’t feel too different from where he came from, aside from being a long drive up here of course. That would be something he had to put on Osiris’ tab too.

”So, you’re Samael right?” A voice questioned, drawing his attention to the person sitting across from him. Where did he come from? He hadn’t heard him approaching or even sitting down, yet there he was as if he just belonged there. Without even thinking about it, he had already reached for the concealed dagger in his jacket. All that did was elicit an amused chuckle from the young looking guy. How old was he? Looked to be around eighteen or maybe even nineteen. Granted he was only twenty but he wasn’t expecting to be meeting with someone as inexperienced as he was. Unless he was judging him based on human standards and not whatever standard he was actually working with. Vampires could be annoying to work with sometimes.

”I am,” He confirmed after a long draw of his drink, keeping his eyes on the young looking man, slowly moving his hand from his weapon yet keeping attention on him.  ”So, who are you? Osiris send you or what?” He questioned, licking the moisture from his lips.

”He sent me. Didn’t think I would be needing any help on dealing with a few werewolves but here we are.” There was some irritation in his voice, which only managed to annoy him in return.

”I know how you leeches like to keep things in house but I guess you couldn't do that here right?” Give the vamps a little pressure, see if he was reading the room right. Not like Osiris told him anything concrete. Those ancients had a way of keeping their secrets close to their chest. He noted the shift in the man's expression, though it was minute enough not to be really obvious. ”Which is kinda weird considering how much vampires don’t like the children of The Moon,” At least that was what he knew from his own experience.

A bottle was set before them as the silence stretched out. ”Normally I leave them to their kind but they don’t seem to be doing their job…so I was told to step in,” He shrugged, the dark circles around finally standing into stark contrast. Looked like they never slept was not something that he saw commonly in the leeches. Did they need to sleep? He never found himself asking those kinds of questions. ”Surprised he paired me up with a bird,” The vampire shot back, tone sharp. The vampire didn’t break eye contact as he poured out the dark red liquid into a glass, aerated it like wine and began sipping from it.

”So what do we know about the crime? I was told there was something problematic going on but didn’t get the whole truth on the matter.  Maybe you can give me a little info, something I can actually work with,” he leaned forward slightly, slowly working at the dregs of his drink.

”Well, whatever we’re dealing with has been pretty brazen. Killing mortals and leaving the bits thrown around. Not exactly discrete if you understand and it breaks the secrecy their and our kind have been trying to keep up for decades,” There was a sigh, and the guy gesturing for the waitress who stepped up and refilled his drink. Samael frowned, returning to drinking his booze with renewed vigor. ”We’ve been saying it’s lycans but it doesn’t fit their usual hunting style. Aside from things being clawed apart and a messy corpse. Currently police think it’s some kind of metahuman serial killer but I don’t know how long that will last. My lieutenants were getting a little desperate, so one of them suggested I bring in outside help,”

That outside help must’ve been him but he wondered what vampire even knew him well enough to suggest. ”Thought of anything else that might have done it? I heard those mage types have familiars that could do this kind of damage if it goes berserk,” There were other options, though the weather wasn’t right for things like wendigos and most demons were not known for obvious killings. His mind was working over what it could be. So many things that could rip humans apart, yet not many that went around being so brazen. ”Also things like wendigos, but the temperature isn’t right for them. ”

”I did the research up until now. Only thing that really makes sense would be werewolves, but I heard you’re good at dealing with rowdy creatures. Monster, people or otherwise. I’m a little skeptical but if Jeremiah says otherwise then I won’t just brush it off.” Jeremiah was the vampire's name? He recalled a vampire by that name, back when he had a small group of hunters chasing a leech by the name down because they thought he was the kind of vampire to drain humans enmasse. Well, they saw he was a cambion and assumed the worst as well, so he had no choice in the matter.

”Well if Jerry thinks i’m reliable, then who am I to argue?” He chuckled, setting his metal mug down with a heavy clang. ”and I hope I don’t disappoint his boss too. Especially one so…interesting,” He was a curious kind of guy, but Samael couldn’t place why that was the case. Might be the way his eyes carried a kind of wisdom despite also looking younger than him but he wasn’t poetic enough to really pursue that thought.

”Really, you call him Jerry? Heard someone else tried to call him that once and he practically ripped their throat out.” The young looking vampire sounded almost amused by the concept, even chuckling.

”Practically or did?”

”Did. They got better but still, it made things a little awkward,” The tension between them felt like it was melting slightly, though he didn’t let the wall fall down too far.  ”I might have to see how he reacts when you call him that eventually,”

”Making it sound like you wouldn’t mind seeing me more.” He arched a brow, now equally parts curious and cautious.

”How about we hold off on that kind of assumption,” Was he feeling awkward with that implication?

”How about I get your name? We’re supposed to be working together and I don’t even know that about you,” He extended a leather gloved hand, hesitation before the gesture was returned and the pale hand encompassed his own hand. His grip was pretty strong.

”You can call me Adam,” and so they shook.

--

The dinner was the usual kind of fae decadence. Various kinds of fowl served in what tasted like a sauce he couldn’t quite put a name to. Citrus, spices and something with mint tang to it. It tasted good all the same, though all Adam did was watch him with an unreadable expression. Occasionally drinking his blood wine and what looked to be blood pudding. IN the sense that it was pudding made primarily with blood, soft and jiggly with each slice of the bronze fork. ”You alright Sammy? Haven’t even touched your roast duck,” Adam questioned, gesturing to the mostly untouched duck.

That was of course ignoring the two other birds stripped of their meat for the most part. Maybe Adam sometimes forgot that he couldn’t eat enough for two people like the table suggested. ”No idea what you’re talking about,” As if defying the statement, he ripped off one of the wings and bit into it. Sweet, savory with a bit of a kick. It would have tasted good if his stomach weren’t so full. Not that it stopped him from eating.

”Looked like you were zoning out a little. After the second bird anyway,” Adam persisted, licking up a bit of blood clinging to his lower lip. ”Not having fun?”

”No, there’s plenty of fun, but I feel like I might not have enough room for dessert. Which might disappoint your waitress and cook friends,” With that he ripped away more meat from the duck wing.

”I don’t remember saying I knew the cook,” Did he?

”You always seem to know everyone so it feels like one of those foregone conclusions,” Letting the now stripped bare wing fall to the plate, he shoved the plate aside and gave a short lived stretch of the arms. How long had he been sitting here? Enough to strip the meat from two ducks that much was certain.

”I…okay fair enough. I guess when you’re connected with the right people everyone else wants to get to know you,”

”Talking about your daddy the vampire king?” He teased, sipping at his drink as if that would somehow help him.

”That what he looks like to you?” Adam leaned forward and smirked despite how questioning his tone sounded. ”I think at worse he might be my boyfriend, or lover if you want to make things scandalous,”

”And yet here you are with the felon cambion. I’m pretty sure that would be equally scandalous. Me running around with the vampire king's boy toy,” Was that too far? Samael felt slightly that it was but then again whatever the fae put into their drinks was starting to kick in. Must’ve been something they put int to bypass his natural resistance. Not that the swimming feeling in his head was unwelcome.

”Well, I have a certain fondness for this cambion. He tends to put me through a lot of trouble after all, ” Well if that wasn’t the truth he didn’t know what was.  ”Well if you’re done with stuffing our faces, maybe we can do something else,”

Curiosity took the best of him at that point. ”What do you got in mind Johnson?” He leaned forward, basking in the conspiratorial atmosphere that quickly formed.

”I heard this place has a dance floor of sorts. It’s fae in sensibilities but I was thinking it might make this date a little more fun,”

”You know I can’t dance right?” He could feel his cheeks turning darker from just admitting that. A cold hand slid over his bare hand, an almost unconscious reassuring gesture at this point he guessed.

”I know. We can do something simple, like a slow dance. I’ll even let you lead if that’s something you can do,” Of course he knows how to dance, lead or be led too. While Samael worked through as many excuses to get out of this as possible, Adam was already standing up and dragging him up too. That vampiric strength was damn annoying at times.  Drawn to his feet, it was difficult not to nearly trip over each foot as the haze of alcohol became something more difficult to read through.

”Dammit, at least let me get up on my own,” Samael grumbled, swaying on the heel of his left foot until Adam pulled him close, the press of his body serving as a pretty good way to stabilize himself. ”i’ll dance with ya just try not to drag me around. I’m full of at least 3 birds,”

”Two and a half, but i’ll move slower. I don’t need you decorating the greenery with your dinner,”

With that he righted himself and was led through the colorful dining hall until he found himself in a larger room. The floors were made of hard, lacquered wood panels and from heavily flowered balconies soft music wafted down to them. A sort of sound that felt like it was coming from everywhere, and yet managed not to be disorienting. Before he knew it the two of them were standing near the center of the floor, one of his hands on the small of Adam’s back and the other intertwined with his smaller pale hand.  He gave it a squeeze as he moved into the simple motions of a waltz. Something that his parents had tried to teach him once. Not Malphas of course, but the people that had taken him in long ago. Those lessons breezed through his wavering mind, and guided the first few unsteady steps.

Adam’s own skill managed to keep him from stepping on those expensive looking shoes. ”When was the last time we danced like this?” Sammy managed with the faintest slur to his speech, as the two spun around the dance floor. Eyes on them yet he didn’t care about them.

”Two years ago I think,” It only took him a few seconds to answer that. ”We’ve never had much downtime since then. You’re always doing your mercenary work and then there was that prison time you had. I mean, I heard what you did as well as why, but I was worried that you might be stuck there for a few years.  Not much I can do with metahuman supermax prisons,” Okay, that was quite fair.  

”A little wordy but I get it. I think I miss this. Fancy dinners where I do most of the eating and dancing.  Though maybe next time we can do it in your kitchen and to something a little more lively.” He suggested, smirking ever so slightly.

”I might accept that. As long as you promise not to disappear like you have a habit of doing.”

Samael sighed, instead leaning in for a kiss and stopping the dancing rhythm for a moment. It was a little warmer than he expected but made his chest feel light in that addicting fashion. The onlookers were the only thing keeping him from acting further.

”I promise. If you don’t mind ditching the fancy restaurant and returning to the penthouse. I’ve got a few romantic ideas,”

”Well, i’m listening.”