Respite

[joseph]

Birdsong greeted the early morning sunrise as a cool breeze passed through the trees on the edges of the large clearing. The gentle hiss of the ship's ramp cut through the sounds of the waking world like a roar of thunder, though it passed quickly as Joseph began to descend onto the dew-laden grass. The breeze tugged at his clothes, urging him further on into the clearing.

He had spotted a large boulder in the clearing that looked perfect for sitting and reflection. He placed his mp3 player and speakers gently down on the boulder before clambering to the top of it, sitting cross-legged as he hit the play button on his remote control. The gentle, rhythmic accoustic guitar sounds drifted from the speakers and completed the scene.

"Perfect..."

He whispered the word to himself as he closed his eyes and began to steady his breathing. Meditation granted him some relief from the memories which still raced through his mind. The trap, the daemon lord, the Immortals - the images in his mind appeared blurred, as though it hadn't really happened, though he had cuts and bruises which argued to the contrary.

Still, he found he could relax knowing that they had achieved something. His thoughts stilled for the first time in the two weeks since that day, and he smiled to himself.

[cris]

Chris had spent most of his time recuperating since the rescue mission, everything had exploded and Chris had done something that was both reckless and yet necessary, but this meant he had been physically very weak since - to the point he had spent the first few days after bed ridden. Of course it could be worse, he could have been dead as would be the result of electrocution of that magnitude on any normal human, but his unique abilities allowed him to channel electricity through his veins like it was blood and expel it with an increased yield.

It was however, as his current condition showed, severely taxing and possibly even fatal if used too frequently in a short space of time. He was dressed for once in a simple pair of midnight blue jeans that were worn, as they were an old comfortable pair that had been worn often and a plain black t-shirt which was actually quite new. He walked slowly as he still felt frail, but at least he didn't hunch when he did so any more, noticing the ramp to the ship down he peered out of it and raised an eyebrow at Joseph sat so tranquil upon the boulder with his music.

"Oh," he murmured, leaning against the doorway of the ship and watching him with a small bite down upon his lower lip. "Damn you, world. 'Ow is 'e so pretty?"

Walking steadily down the ramp, he paused for a moment behind the boulder he was on, breathing heavily to catch his strength (he could still only be active for short periods) and then climbed up onto the boulder. Once he was up he slipped his hands under Joseph's arms, then wrapped his arms around the boy, hands coming to rest upon his chest gently and a kiss against the back of his head following. He then rested his cheek against the top of Joseph's head, Michael and Sarah were busy doing their own thing whatever that was, so they wouldn't be interrupted.

"'Ello, cutie." he whispered, eyes shining happily to hold him.

[joseph]

Joseph frowned for a brief moment as he heard Chris climb on to the boulder. "He should be resting." he thought to himself. His frown quickly disappeared though, as he was glad of the company, and hadn't been able to spend much time with Chris as he would have liked to lately. Something about him made Joseph act like a fool around him. Perhaps it was his looks, or his attitude, or that his abilities were amazing, or perhaps all of those things. Joseph liked the feeling of foolishness, though. It made him feel normal.

"Morning, Chris." he said, the same smile he had worn earlier returning. His heart fluttered at Chris' touch, nervousness causing his stomach to spasm slightly as adrenaline began to flow. When Chris kissed him he blushed and pulled his legs as close to his chest as he could manage with Chris' arms there in order to hide the innevitable and unflattering - even though Chris would probably notice either way. He twisted his neck and stretched up slightly to plant a kiss on Chris' chin before resting his head against the other's chest.

"Didn't realise you were awake."

[cris]

Chris grinned briefly when Joseph pulled his knees up to his chest, knowing fully well what he was hiding because he remembered doing the exact same thing at one time, slowly he brushed his thumbs back and forth on the boy's chest through his shirt. Finally he let him go and slid down to sit beside him, one leg hanging down the boulder and the other raised so his arm could rest on his knee, the other remained wrapped around Joseph to keep him close.

"I only woke up a moment ago," he replied, looking at Joseph's face and reaching the arm around him up to stroke fingers through his green hair. "I love 'ow zhis looks on you... like a field of grass. But it isn't complete... hmm..."

He slipped down off the boulder and paused when he landed on the ground again, closing his eyes tightly to let his strength return again before he retrieved a daisy from the grass in the clearing, returning to the boulder with it. Once he had caught his breath again, he slipped the daisy into the green hair, and then smiled at his handy work. His eyes then fell upon Joseph's again and without warning, he cupped the boy's cheeks and drew him into a short but tender kiss on the lips.

"Much better," he said, speaking into his lips.

[joseph]

Joseph raised an eyebrow as Chris placed the daisy in his hair then chuckled a little. "Well, that's the cheesiest thing anyone's every done." He chuckled some more, before being silenced by Chris pulling him into his kiss. He closed his eyes, willing it to go on longer. His heart raced with excitement at Chris' touch. He opened his eyes slightly as Chris spoke again, admiring the other's features.

"Remind me to stick a circuit board in your hair next time I find one lying around.."

He proceeded to wrap his arms around Chris' waist and pulled himself closer to him. He slipped his hands under Chris' t-shirt and gently caressed his back before leaning up to steal a longer kiss.

[cris]

"Oh, 'ow rude." he replied, chuckling at the circuit board remark.

As Joseph put his arms around his waist he raised an eyebrow, it was rare the boy was ever so bold, but as he pulled himself closer and slipped his hands under his t-shirt Chris gave off a faint murmur of excitement. He fell into the longer kiss with passionate fervour, pushing one hand up the front of Joseph's shirt to rest it against the boy's chest, grazing his thumb slowly across his skin. Eventually he pulled back and looked down at Joseph, the spark of an idea having come to his green eyes.

"I want to take you away," he said, sliding the hand under his shoulder down to glide across his stomach. "'Ow would you feel about going to Pari'."

As he leaned over Joseph, his prayer beads fell out of his t-shirt, the grey talon of the Midnight Society hung from the end where a cross should be. Of course, nobody would have ever seen him praying before, or using them for anything even remotely religious - they were for show more than anything. At this point he was leaned over Joseph so much the bow had been pushed back to practically lay against the boulder, with Chris looking down at him with a grin on his face.

"I know 'ow you English find it romantic." he teased.

[joseph]

"Paris? Oh, Chris, you're such a romantic." Joseph smiled up as Chris leaned over him. He reached up and gently caressed Chris' cheek with his thumb as he stared longingly into his eyes. Joseph had travelled quite a lot as a child with his parents, having visited Japan, Indonesia, Italy, and several other countries, but they had never gone to France for some reason, something that he had always wanted to do, having been brought up with the image of Paris as the most romantic place on Earth.

He bit down on his bottom lip as he realised the position he was in, lying on his back with Chris almost on top of him, and he blushed again. He wasn't nearly as nervous as he had been just a few short months ago, but he still wasn't completely confident. Until he met Christofer, he hadn't even given any serious thought to having a relationship with another boy, putting his attraction to some of his friends purely down to hormones and spending too much time with them. Now the idea of having a relationship with another boy had lost some of its absurdity and it caused him to feel less embarassed. Still, in this position, he felt quite exposed and vulnerable. He sat up and leaned his weight one elbow as he used the other to gently maneuver Chris from leaning over him. He gave him another quick kiss on the lips to make up for it, before smiling at him again.

"We should go right away. I'm sure Michael won't mind if we steal the ship just for a little while."