Caged

As soon as the two boys parted, the reality of what had just happened clicked in Zack’s brain, and tears welled up in his eyes.

“Bri…” he murmured, again pulling the older boy into a tight embrace. There wasn’t a way in the world that he could push Brian away now; that single gesture had contained far too much compassion, and he knew that disproving it—even though he’d enjoyed every moment of it—would hurt Brian too much. And he had promised himself from the beginning that he would be the last person to ever hurt the boy in front of him.

“Yeah, Z?” Brian answered quietly, holding on tightly to the angel’s small body.

“Are you sure about this?” he spoke softly in turn, peering up at his friend with nervous eyes. If Brian said no, he wasn’t sure of how he would feel; he knew that either way, he would be confused.

“If I was being honest…” the taller boy sighed, resting his chin on Zack’s shoulder, “I’ve been sure about this since the second day I knew you.”

The way that Brian explained it made Zack blush; that day had definitely been significant in causing much of the tension that had lingered between the two of them for the past three weeks. It had, after all, sparked up all of the feelings the two had for each other in the first place.

“Oh…” Zack smiled just a bit, laying his cheek Brian’s chest. The russet-eyed man couldn’t help but notice Zack’s lack of excitement, and it made his heart thud nervously in his chest.

“I mean… if you don’t want it, or—“

“I want to be with you, Brian.” the younger man smiled, encompassing him with his wings once again. Brian let out a careful, almost moan-like sound as a goofy smile splayed itself on his face.

“I love that, y’know…” he murmured softly in Zack’s ear as he secured him tightly against his chest. He heard Zack let out a soft giggle, and buried his face in Brian’s neck.

“What..?” he murmured against the skin, allowing the happy feeling of finally being able to be open with Brian take him over. He would save the worries for later; after all, he knew he had to talk to Brian about them eventually. Just not now. He couldn’t do anything to change what had just happened, and he wasn’t sure that he would if he had the chance.

“Your hugs… well, the way you hug me, it’s so… so… it makes me feel safe. Like nothing can ever hurt me.” the taller boy smiled, finding himself rambling just a bit. At finally realizing this, Zack folded his wings more tightly around his rather giddy friend’s shoulders.

“Mmm…” Brian let out a gentle sound of content, as he buried his face in the soft feathers like a few of the times before. “Like that…”

Another soft giggle radiated from the younger man, causing more butterflies to explode like fireworks in Brian’s stomach.

“You scared me… I was really afraid that you wouldn’t want anything to do with me, not like this…” Brian murmured, holding onto Zack tighter. “I mean, at least up until earlier, before Jimmy got here… That braved me up a little.”

Face reddening at the recollection of earlier, Zack smiled slightly. “I wish he hadn’t interrupted…” the angel whispered, allowing his eyes to close as he enjoyed the long embrace.

“Me too…” Brian sighed. “We might be a lot further than this… maybe, just… in a different situation…”

At these words, both of the boys’ faces flushed, and they both laughed softly, pulling up to look into each others’ eyes, sparkling jade colliding with warm, milky brown.

Zack smiled softly, blinking away the residue of the tears that lingered from earlier. “Is that what that always meant..?” he murmured, as Brian brought one hand to caress his cheek gently. “All the intense stares, the blushing… everything?”

Brian bit his lip as he pondered Zack’s question, and then smiled and nodded gently. “You’ve always had this way of making me all… flustered…” the older boy said softly, thumbing underneath of Zack’s emerald eyes.

“Well, I guess—“ Zack began, but was quickly cut off by a call from downstairs.

“Alright, if you two are done lip-locking now, can we go?” Jimmy called from downstairs, a definite laugh following his words.

Each boy blushed brightly as they glanced down the stairs to see their friend standing there, and back to each other, giving small chuckles. Brian smirked, turning so that he faced Jimmy again, still holding onto Zack tightly.

“What if we’re not done lip-locking?” he called, tone entirely serious, even as Zack
could tell that he was stifling a laugh. They heard Jimmy scoff.

Zack giggled and bent to collect the blanket from the ground, draping it back over top of his wings.

“Dear god, if you guys are gonna take this to the bedroom, I can just go.” he replied, and both Brian and Zack busted up laughing, soon being joined by Jimmy’s laughter as well.

Zack smiled and turned toward the staircase. However, before the Aralaysian made it down even two steps, Brian reached out to grip his hand, causing the boy to squeak slightly as he was whirled back around.

“Brian, what are you—“ the angel giggled, but was quickly cut off as Brian’s lips met his. As a soft mumble of approval escaped his lips and splashed onto Brian’s, Zack’s wings arched up behind him, fluttering excitedly.

The older boy smiled, letting his hands find their way to Zack’s hair, fingers twisting up
in the strands. Feeling the way that Zack shivered softly in his arms, Brian smirked, allowing his lips to part slightly against his new love’s.

And the shorter man followed suit, allowing his silver-graced lips to part, aligning with Brian’s as the other boy ran his fingers through his hair.

The kiss was longer, more passionate than their first, and Zack was having a hard time controlling the way his large, velvet wings were quivering.

Brian smiled at this, moving his hands over the back of the angel’s tattooed neck, trailing them downward so that his fingertips brushed against the base of each of Zack’s wings.

Zack trembled more so than before, his breath shaky as it spilled into Brian’s mouth. He had known all along that his wings were sensitive, but Brian seemed to be touching over all of the right places. Each soft stroke made him crazy. The taller man sensed this, smiling gently as he brushed his fingers over the crests of the wings, all the while hesitantly pulling one of his love’s silver lip rings into his mouth carefully. A shaken moan poured over Zack’s lips as Brian sucked at it.

A hysteric cry from the bottom of the stairs broke each of them from the heated lock.

“Ew, dude! I didn’t think you were serious about not being finished!” Jimmy called sarcastically, making each boy laugh against the other’s lips.

The laughter only increased as they parted and caught sight of Jimmy, whose back was turned to them, arms folded across his chest.

“This was your idea in the first place, Sully.” Brian grinned, kneeling to collect the once-again fallen blanket and drape it over Zack’s shoulders and wings.

The oldest member of the group scoffed as the other two boys joined hands, fingers twining together as they stepped down the stairs, side by side. “I told you to let him know you liked him, not to make a porno with me downstairs.” he smirked, stepping away from the stairs and turning to face the two as they approached behind him.

“Who said anything about a porno? I just kissed him.” Brian smiled, his face flushing just slightly as Zack gave his hand a light squeeze.

“Yeah, I noticed.” Jimmy scoffed, laughing once again, “Now let’s go.”

Brian smiled once again and shook his head in the slightest, looking back to his new love, who smiled brightly.

With Jimmy not 2 feet in front of them as they walked toward the tallest man’s old car, Zack didn’t know if he dared say anything to Brian; as much as he liked their new friend, he had never taken well to being teased.

“I take it you two are sharing the back seat.” Jimmy smiled as he unlocked the driver’s side door and then reached back to unlock the back. Brian looked to Zack once again, who nodded, smiling.

“If you don’t mind.” Brian chuckled slightly, keeping a tight hold on the angel’s hand. Jimmy shook his head slightly and then nodded, grinning as he unlocked the back, allowing Zack and Brian to climb into the back as he took his seat in the front.

As soon as the loud music sounded through the car when Jimmy started it, Zack jumped, causing Brian to shift beside him, concerned. “What’s up, Z?” he asked softly, wrapping his arms around his love’s waist.

“Nothing, the… the music just startled me.” he laughed, gazing up at the brown eyed boy holding him. Brian’s returning smile nearly made the smaller man dizzy.

“Oh…” he smiled at his angelic friend, “This is a band called Iron Maiden. I’m definitely going to have to introduce you to some of the others; I think you’ll like them.”

Smiling, Zack nodded as he laid his head down on Brian’s shoulder. The taller boy held his friend closer to his side, smiling at the fact that he was able to have the sort of closeness to the younger man that he’d craved for what seemed like so long.

As they sat through the drive to Jimmy’s house, Brian noticed the angel glancing up, out of the window at the darkened sky. His beautiful, light emerald eyes shone with both fascination and happiness as they darted from star to star in the large sky.

“Like it?” he whispered in Zack’s ear, smiling. Zack turned his sparkling gaze on Brian, a breathtaking smile set in his plump lips as he nodded.

“It’s gorgeous, and mysterious, and beautiful…” he said softly, voice glazed over with amazement. Brian smiled.

“Sounds like something—someone else I know.” he smiled, planting a chaste kiss on the angel’s candy-pink lips.

The whispered comment drew a subtle blush into Zack’s pale cheeks, and he smiled into the older boy’s kiss, moving his head from Brian’s shoulder onto his chest so that the beat of his love’s heart was prominent against his reddened cheek. Brian smiled, pulling the younger man into his lap so that he would be more comfortable.

“Oh yeah..?” Zack smiled gently, tucking his wings down around himself carefully as he allowed the blanket to slip away from his shoulders once again while Brian held him tight. The younger man seemed to have forgotten completely about his earlier thoughts of how the people in his home world would judge him for being with Brian.

“Yeah, they’re like nothing I’ve ever seen before…” he smiled, giving a slight giggle as the blush in Zack’s cheeks grew more intense. He had never been openly flirtatious with anyone before, but he liked the feeling he got at knowing he could make the one person he was so attracted to blush.

However, Jimmy piped up from the front seat, ruining the moment as always. “You two are making me sick. Cut the mush.” he laughed, shaking his head. Brian grinned, seeing an opportunity immediately. He turned to Zack and winked, mouthing 'play along' silently.

“Right…” the spike-haired 18-year-old mused as the angel tilted his head slightly. Soon after though, Zack caught the idea, as soon as Brian leaned forward and heatedly caught his lips.

Jimmy seemed to pay no mind at first, so the other two boys grinned, deciding after a few moments to take it up a notch.

“Oh, Zack…” Brian moaned theatrically, causing the boy in his lap to immediately stifle a giggle. Peeking at the rearview mirror to see their friend’s reaction, Brian smirked as Jimmy’s eyes widened.

Playing it up even more, Zack turned to straddle Brian’s lap, bringing his pierced lips back to his love’s immediately as he placed his hands on the taller man’s shoulders.

However, this position brought back thoughts of what had gone on earlier, and all of either man’s guards immediately dropped as the act crumbled from beneath them.

Brian let out a moan against Zack’s lips that came in the form of a whisper, placing his hands on the angel’s hips as he had earlier. The kisses became more and more heated, and the moans became real. The two of them forgot the original plan immediately, barely noticing their friend’s disgusted comments as they became caught up in one another.

Parting for just a moment in order to catch their breath, Zack and Brian found themselves gazing into each other’s eyes longingly, passionately. Not a moment later, their lips found contact again.

Zack’s flushed pink set parted beneath Brian’s thinner one, allowing the other man access to what lay beyond his silver-graced lips. Brian gladly accepted the invitation, cautiously slipping the tip of his tongue past Zack’s lips.

The smaller man smiled, sensing his partner’s case of nerves, and slowly allowed his
own tongue to move forward, meeting Brian’s halfway.

Shivering at the sudden contact, the older boy smiled, tracing the contours of Zack’s warm, moist tongue with his own in a loving manor. Brian immediately wondered if this was where their intervention earlier might have led, had Jimmy not interrupted them.

Even though this was only the third time that he’d ever kissed anyone, Brian found the sensation of having Zack’s warm lips melting against his own to be one of the very best things he’d ever felt, just next to the angel’s hugs.

And Zack could definitely say the same.

Gradually, the couple began a fight for dominance in their kiss, their tongues wrestling
about it a passionate, heated battle.

Brian moved Zack from his lap, gently rocking him back and laying him down on the car’s rough, worn seat. At this, like so many times before, the shorter man’s wings fluttered about excitedly, stretching across the width of the seat before arching upward, and winding themselves around Brian’s torso.

As the russet eyed man came to be crushed against his love’s chest, encompassed completely by the large, strong muscles that were his wings, his form melted against Zack’s, and a gentle moan passed from his lips to those of the man beneath him. The two were now in their own personal, private world, shielded, almost, by Zack’s blankety wings as the quiet, fiery battle continued.

Now, Brian’s hands trailed downward, detaching from around Zack’s neck and moving slowly down his clothed chest; this earned yet another soft tremble from the smaller boy.

His calloused fingers teased at the hem of the already-faded Anthrax shirt that his archangel wore, gradually and cautiously lifting the fabric over Zack’s velvet, tattooed stretch of skin.

He smiled as the winged young boy arched beneath his touch. There were two theater masks on either side of Zack’s abdomen, just about his hipbones; one happy-looking, and one sad.

Brian traced over the outlines gently, admiring the grayscale ink. Zack’s back arched once again, a shaken groan spilling from his lips; at once, Brian realized that he’d found one of his lover’s more sensitive spots.

He smirked, continuing to trace over the darkened skin innocently, all the while loving the way that Zack’s breath hitched each time the tip of his calloused index finger found that sensory spot on his skin; the way his skin prickled with goose bumps more and more with each touch.

The older boy began snaking his hands up Zack’s sides, only to be startled by the sound of the driver’s side door slamming shut.

The sound both broke the trance that they seemed to be locked up in, and caused them to jump, Zack wrenching upward and holding himself against Brian’s chest.

The older of the two chuckled once he realized where the sound had come from, and Zack relaxed back against the seat at the sound of his love’s laughter; it had been Jimmy, climbing out of the car and walking inside, leaving them completely alone in the cramped back seat. Each of them chuckled softly once more, and Brian withdrew his hands from
beneath Zack’s shirt, wrapping his arms around the man’s waist instead. The sudden loss
of contact left the angel’s skin feeling cold, clammy. He pouted.

“Can’t we just stay here?” he asked, his tone reminding Brian of a 7-year-old boy
wanting to prolong his stay at an amusement park. It also gave him butterflies.

The larger boy smiled, leaning down to gingerly press his lips against Zack’s.
Immediately, the wings encompassing the two of them together gave in involuntary flutter
and Zack smiled, hoping that the gesture meant that Brian was saying yes.

However, his plump lips slid back into a pout as Brian pulled back, eyes sparkling as
he began to speak. “I think we kind of owe it to Jimmy… we got pretty carried away on him.”
he smirked, and Zack smiled once again.

“Can’t we just keep getting carried away? He doesn’t have to like it…” the younger boy
asked, his tone mirroring what it had been seconds ago. Brian blushed as even more
butterflies settled in his stomach, and giggled.

“Maybe later… Let’s go.” he smiled, pulling away from Zack’s still-laid out form
reluctantly. Zack groaned, setting his expression in a full-on pout. This, too, sparked up the
bats in the older man’s stomach.

“I’m sorry, love.” he smiled apologetically as his partner took his hand carefully, sitting
up so that they were face to face once more. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

Smiling at Brian’s words, Zack nodded, heart all a flutter. “I’ll hold you to it…” he
mumbled. The younger man no longer wanted to be here, no longer cared about learning
to play guitar. He only cared about being with Brian.

The spike-haired boy released the other’s hand long enough to open up the car door,
climbing out and then moving forward to help Zack, who was collecting the blanket and
winding it around himself, from the car.

Once they finally made their way to the front door, they were met by the sound of a heavy
drum beat radiating from inside of the house. They turned to each other, smiling. Jimmy
was amazing.

Brian reached to open up the door, catching a very absorbed Jimmy by surprise. The
tallest man whirled around on his drum stool, eyes curious. Zack smiled and Brian
laughed.

“Anyone home?” the brown eyed smiled, reaching to clasp Zack’s hand in his own
again. The angel giggled quietly.

“Of course, I was just working on getting the disturbing images of you two out of my
mind.” he mock grimaced.

Brian smirked. “You told us to cut the mush, so…”

Jimmy groaned. “Once again, I said nothing about making a porno two feet from me!”
he clarified. “Now can we just get making music and teaching that kid on a six string?”

Blushing, Zack smiled and shrugged. But as Jimmy stood and began leading the way
towards something that lingered in the back hallway, Brian bit his lip.

“Is anyone here?” the middle boy asked, and Zack immediately faltered back against
his love’s chest and nodded, as if saying “thank you.”

“Nah, they’re all away for the weekend, won’t be back for a few days. Just me.” Jimmy
grinned proudly. “S’why my drum set is set up in the living room.”

As both Zack and Brian breathed a sigh of relief, they proceeded into Jimmy’s music
room (or what must’ve been the supply room for his dad’s equipment), not knowing where
the night might lead.