[identity profile] emungere.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] curious_spells
Previous chapters here.

Chapter Nine

***

At five, Angel got up and walked to Starbucks. He took his coffee into Robin's room and sat on the bed and looked at the painting of the forest. At the very edge, there was a gap in the trees he hadn't noticed before. Beyond it, he saw a little clearing, and what might have been the edge of a cliff. He had to make himself look away. He touched the tag around his neck, rubbing it between finger and thumb. It was faintly tarnished.

He ended up dozing on Robin's bed, watching TV and eating Oreos. Mrs Benoit came to make him lunch, and he let her.

His phone rang that night, after he'd slipped between Robin's sheets. He couldn't quite make himself go back to his own room.

"Hello?"

"How are you?" Robin asked. He sounded oddly uncertain, almost worried.

"I'm--okay. Yeah. How are you? How's Chicago?"

"Tedious. I'd like to be back home."

"Yeah? Worried I'm wrecking the place?"

Robin's laugh was soft. "No. I'm sure you're not."

Angel wondered if he had some way of remotely accessing his security videos. They both fell silent.

"Did you need to tell me something?" Angel said, finally.

"No," Robin said.

Angel could hear his soft breathing and the faint rustle of cloth. "Are you-- Uh. Are you in bed?"

"Yes," Robin said. He sounded like he was very close to the mouthpiece. "I am."

Angel laid his head back against the pillows and slid his hand under the sheets. "Hey. so am I."

"You're going to sleep?"

"No."

"I see," Robin said, but not like he was real sure about what he saw.

"I'm in your bed," Angel said.

"Oh," Robin said softly. "I thought I told you to stay out of there."

"Yeah. Well. I ate Oreos in it too. And messed with your TV. You mad?"

"No." He sounded almost surprised.

"No?"

"Do you want me to be?"

"No!"

Robin laughed quietly. "Then we don't have a problem." He paused. "Would it be too cliche to ask what you're wearing?"

"I could be wearing nothing if you give me a second."

There was a long pause. "Yes, please."

He threw the phone down and dragged his pajamas off. He was hard and ready, his body responding almost frighteningly fast to Robin's voice.

"Okay, I'm ready," Angel said. He wasn't actually naked, he thought. He was still wearing Robin's chain and the tag.

"I've never seen anyone who looks as good naked as you do," Robin said. His voice was quiet, almost thoughtful. "I'd keep you that way all day and all night if I could, just for my pleasure. Perhaps I should. Would you like that?"

"That's crazy," Angel said, but he curled his hand round his cock, thinking about it. Heat tingled over his skin, starting low and crawling up his stomach and chest.

"Yes, probably," said Robin. "I find it hard to judge, sometimes. Are you touching yourself?"

"Yeah. Feels good."

"Tell me what you're doing. In detail."

"God. Got my hand on my cock. I'm hard. Little bit slick." He squeezed his eyes shut, remembering the dream and Robin's teeth at his neck. He rubbed over the head of his dick, thumb sliding a little. "I've been thinking about you."

"Oh?" He sounded faintly amused. "Thinking what?"

"I dreamed about you last night." He hadn't meant to say it. He certainly wasn't going to mention how brain-meltingly freaked he'd been, or that woman. He listened to the faint crackle of static. It went on for a long time, enough for Angel to wonder if he'd overstepped the mark. Maybe Robin didn't like being dreamed about.

"What did you dream?" Robin said, finally.

"You and me. You were-- Getting me naked. Kissing me." It wasn't a lie, exactly. He shivered, not wanting the memory now. "Talk to me some more," he said. "Please."

There was a little pause, full of static and Robin's breathing.

"I want you naked when I get back. Naked and waiting for me," Robin said. His voice grew soft and husky. "I want to spread you open and fuck you," he said, and he sounded so different now.

"Yeah. God, yeah." He stroked himself, hand clenched warm and sweat-damp around his shaft, not able to think of actual coherent words. He couldn't slow down, not even a little.

"What're you doing? Tell me, please."

"I'm hard." He heard the faintest tremor in Robin's voice. "I'm kneeling on the bed, naked. I'm not touching myself at all, I'm just imagining your lips around me. I can almost feel your mouth, Angel, sucking me."

Angel opened his mouth just at the thought. He licked his lips, and wondered when he'd gotten so fucking easy. "Oh, god. Robin."

"If you were here now, that's what you'd be doing. I'd be fucking your mouth just as hard as I wanted. Next time-- " He drew in a breath, Angel could hear it perfectly. "Next time I'm taking you with me."

"Oh, yeah, please-- "

"Please what?"

"I want that," he hissed. "I wanna be with you."

It was so easy to say that, over a crackling phone line and across hundreds of miles. But it still sounded like something he shouldn't admit.

"Angel... "

Angel gasped and came. He dug his heels into the bed and arched up a little with the force of it. He blanked out for a few seconds, not hearing anything on the other end of the line, not even able to listen because his heart was beating so loud

"Robin," he mumbled, into the silence. Blood thumped in his ears.

"It's all right. Go to sleep, Angel. I'll see you tomorrow."

"But, wait, what about you?"

"I can wait. Go to sleep."

The line went dead. Angel switched it off and dropped it on the covers with shaking hands. He'd freaked Robin out. He'd freaked himself out too. He stared at the ceiling, wondering if he'd sleep at all tonight, and the dark bulk of the painting kept catching his eye.

He didn't need another anxiety dream with Robin as a predatory wolfman or whatever it was Angel's subconscious saw him as. What was Robin doing now? Jerking off alone? Turning the light out and going straight to sleep? Who knew.

He did mean to get up and switch on the TV. He could watch Gremlins and drink coffee and eat Oreos and wait till dawn came. He forgot to move though, and fell asleep still hearing Robin's voice in his ear.

He found Marco the next day, and dragged him out to look at computers. Marco was just about as much out of his depth as Angel was, but Angel couldn't stand the idea of being alone.

When he got back, the shiny white Mac he'd finally ordered was waiting, and so was Rose. She was standing in front of the huge windows, arms folded, staring out at the city. She turned to smile at him.

"Hello Angel."

"Sorry. Um." She made him nervous, just from that cold curious look she gave him. It didn't sit right with her smile. "He's still not back."

"Oh, I know. I came to see you."

"Me?"

"I'm worried about you."

"Hey, look. What? Why? I'm fine."

Also, I don't even know you, he thought. She stepped closer and Angel began to get a bad feeling.

"Are you, though? How have you been sleeping?"

"What? I don't understand. I'm sleeping fine."

"It's not always easy being with Robin. I should know."

He wanted to back up again, but he stopped himself. He didn't feel so great, specially from that twinge of jealousy he'd just got. "Oh yeah? What do you know?"

"I know a lot about Robin," she said. Then she grinned. "Would you like to know a secret?"

Angel shrugged, eyeing her. "Maybe."

"You're not safe here."

"I don't know what you mean."

"With Robin. Do you even know what he does? I'm sure he's told you something."

"Uh. Logistics. Commissions. Something."

"That sounds like him," she said. "He's excellent with half truths, it's really his main skill. Do you think you're the first drifting young man he's picked up, Angel? How do you think he makes his money?"

"Look, whatever you wanna say, just say it." He stepped back, just enough to put him in reach of the elevator. He didn't even know why, he must be twice her weight. She wasn't a threat. Despite that, his heart was thudding. There was just something about her that wasn't normal. She didn't sound like she was lying, and Robin. Well, he had been vague about what he did. And he was very rich.

"All right," she said. "Robin Goodfellow is a very dangerous man."

"I don't understand." His voice was shaking.

"He works for some very powerful, frightening people."

"Who? You mean the Mafia or something?"

"You're better off not knowing. They pay him a very nice salary to procure young men for them. Young men like you."

"I don't believe you." Even as he said it he thought of the craigslist ad. He'd have to be the highest class pimp ever. Or did she mean procure like sell? He rubbed his palms over his thighs and looked out the windows at the park.

"I think you do," Rose said. When he glanced at her, she was smiling. "How long do you think it'll be before he becomes bored with you and lets them have you?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Just a friendly warning. I could give you a place to stay, if you wanted to get away."

He remembered Robin telling him not to agree to anything she said. He really wished Robin were here right now. "Out of the frying pan, into the fire, huh?"

"I've never liked that particular bit of uninformed quaintness. Why should the fire be worse? At least in the fire you won't end up as supper."

"So you'd rather burn to death than get eaten?"

"Rather than give sustenance to my enemies? Yes. I would."

"Jesus. You're as creepy as he is."

She stiffened and drew herself still taller. "I don't appreciate the comparison."

"Neither do I," Robin said, from just behind them.

Angel jumped about a mile. Rose didn't.

Robin touched Angel's shoulder and drew him back, putting himself between her and Angel. Angel wrapped his arms around himself and felt really pathetically grateful. He wasn't sure he trusted Robin, but he realised he wanted to, so much.

"I see you still haven't learned to respect other people's homes," Robin said. "Leave."

"This isn't a home, my love. It's a collection of things."

"Remind me to visit your own collection of things sometime in the very near future."

"Dear Robin. You know you're always welcome. Just let yourself in."

She grinned, or at least bared her teeth, and a dark expression slid over Robin's features and settled there.

"Leave," Robin said. His tone made Angel take a step back.

She put a hand on her hip and cocked it out, lips pressed together. "You don't give me orders, little boy. I thought we sorted that out two decades ago."

Robin paled slightly, but didn't give way. "Then go where you can't hear them."

"I told your kebse about your second job."

"Leave, Rose. I've asked you three times. I won't be asking anymore."

Angel didn't know what a kebse was, but he noticed Robin didn't deny it. Any of it.

Rose closed the few steps between her and Robin and put a hand on his cheek. "There are other people I could tell, you know. Do you think our lady would be interested in him? He is very, very pretty."

Robin flinched back, and Angel saw blood on his cheek when Rose took her hand away. He watched her lick it off one long, curved, pale pink nail. It left a red streak on her tongue, and Angel looked away, stomach churning. It wasn't the blood. It was how much she looked like she enjoyed it. The hairs on his arm raised. He didn't even know they really did that, just from fear.

"I suppose it's not so very greedy to want to keep one of them for yourself," she said. "Of course, I doubt she'd see it that way."

"She doesn't need to know."

"I should tell her. It is my job."

"You hate your job and you hate her."

Rose stepped in so close her lips almost brushed Robin's. "And I hate you too, my love. So what's to stop me?"

Robin said something to her in a language Angel couldn't understand, and Rose's smile twisted into something more feral. She said something back to him that made him actually growl, a low rumble that sounded like it shouldn't come from a human throat.

They stepped apart, both of them flushed, breath coming quickly. Angel took another step back until he was pressed against the glass. He'd never seen Robin look like this, not even post-Beth. He didn't want to get between them. His eyes went to the phone, and he wondered, if Robin killed her, what would happen to him. Stupid, he thought. Robin wouldn't do that. He thought it hard, and over and over, until he kind of believed it.

Date: 2007-11-15 10:36 pm (UTC)
chomiji: Hotaru from Samurai Deeper Kyp, looking horrified, with the caption OMGZWYF?! Translate plz (hotaru - OMGWTF?)
From: [personal profile] chomiji

OK.

You guys just made my breath come short. For real.

The phone sex was very hot, and now I'm scared spitless for Angel.

(kebse turns up via Google if one is patient ... limiting results to English helps a lot.)

Date: 2007-11-16 02:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] baka-gaijin.livejournal.com
kebse turns up via google... limiting results to English...

Thank you for that tip. It's the only way I was able to find it. XD

Date: 2007-11-16 10:37 pm (UTC)
chomiji: Cartoon of chomiji in the style of the Powerpuff Girls (Default)
From: [personal profile] chomiji

Glad to have been useful! (I pro'ly should have become a librarian ... I love looking things up ... .)

XD

Date: 2007-11-17 01:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lady-ganesh.livejournal.com
Wikipedia works, too, with translation. :D

Date: 2007-11-17 05:41 am (UTC)
chomiji: Cartoon of chomiji in the style of the Powerpuff Girls (gojyo-dressed)
From: [personal profile] chomiji

Indeed! But Google picks up bits from Wikipedia, and the inverse isn't really true. So I usually start with Google. (The simple definition was readable on the Google results screen on my second pass, where I limited the language. But I read some of the actual pages it found as well, 'cause they were interesting.)

Date: 2009-04-23 01:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sharpeslass.livejournal.com
waaaaay past the original posting, but I'm just reading this now and couldn't find the definition in any of those places. What was it?

Date: 2009-04-23 02:07 am (UTC)
chomiji: Goku from Saiyuki, looking confused. Caption: Huh? (Goku - huh?)
From: [personal profile] chomiji

Eh? I just tried it on Google, and now it comes up in the first hit, from a German-English dictionary:

"Kebse Kebse f , -, -n , Kebsweib Kebsweib nt old, Bibl concubine"

I'm not now finding most of the other interesting pages with a plain search now, or even by limiting the language ... Google results are a moving target. Try searching on kebse saga for some more interesting stuff.

Date: 2009-04-23 02:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sharpeslass.livejournal.com
Thank you!! I am made of fail when it comes to internet searches...

Date: 2007-11-15 10:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] crystalusagi.livejournal.com
o.o ooooh. the plot thickenss XD

*wants moaar*

Date: 2007-11-15 10:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wedjateye.livejournal.com
Unsettling chapter!

I haven't commented on the last couple because my days have been long and exhausting. But I always find the time to read your updates. This has been riveting, intriguing and wonderful. The daily updates are such a treat - makes me feel like I'm following a radio serial. The word counts you post from time to time are great too - knowing there is so much more to come feels almost luxurious.

Frightening intensity you managed between Robin and Rose. Poor Angel. I keep expecting him to step into that painting and get totally lost.

Date: 2007-11-15 11:23 pm (UTC)
indelicateink: Hakkai looking serious business (saiyuki hakkai green)
From: [personal profile] indelicateink
Still just so incredibly wonderful! I can't tell you how much I love these daily installments of this terrific story. ♥

Date: 2007-11-15 11:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] vom-marlowe.livejournal.com
Eeeeeeee! This is so good. SOGOOD. I want moar. I'm sitting here, clutching my desk, I'm so worried for Angel.

Date: 2007-11-16 12:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] everstar3.livejournal.com
I'm suddenly thinking of Tam Lin. I don't know why.

Date: 2007-11-16 02:33 am (UTC)
chomiji: Cartoon of chomiji in the style of the Powerpuff Girls (Yuki-dreaming)
From: [personal profile] chomiji

(I had very similar thoughts, actually ... .)

Date: 2007-11-16 12:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] avierra.livejournal.com
Wow, another great chapter. Thickening plot, hot phone sex. And that Robin came home early and was protective of Angel, Oh yeahhhh. I have no idea where the story is going (that's a good thing), but I am so enjoying the ride. And the obscure references and vocabulary.

Now I am wondering even more about Robin. And it is very Tam Lin-ish (as someone else mentioned), but Tam Lin wasn't a real fairy. But it would be funny and cool if Angel was Burd Janet, of sorts. The various Gojyos are good at saving people, if not themselves.

Date: 2007-11-17 04:11 pm (UTC)
chomiji: The four main characters fro the manga Saiyuki, with the caption On the road again (saiyuki - road)
From: [personal profile] chomiji

I'm also wondering if there's a bit of Andersen's original "The Snow Queen," with Angel as Gerda and Robin as Kay, and the Lady as the Queen. (La Belle Dame sans Merci has so many names.) The nice thing about "The Snow Queen" is it has a slightly bigger cast of principals ... .

I think more than one tale is in place here.

Date: 2007-11-16 12:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sffan.livejournal.com
More eeeek!

You are totally freaking me out with Robin and Rose. *hearts you both*

Date: 2007-11-16 02:07 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gen50.livejournal.com
interesting. i cant believe i have no choice but to wait for updates...

a story one cant put down

Date: 2007-11-16 02:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therhoda.livejournal.com
Holy crap or more likely damnation, OH gods I want MORE!!!

Date: 2007-11-16 02:51 am (UTC)

Date: 2007-11-16 02:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] baka-gaijin.livejournal.com
~ whimpers ~

Date: 2007-11-16 03:05 am (UTC)
ext_67435: (unruly kappa)
From: [identity profile] despina-moon.livejournal.com
Absolutely marvelous. You two are amazing.

I love Rose, malevolent and evil, very well rounded character with so little screen time (so far.) I'm looking forward to more of her.

Well done.

Date: 2007-11-16 09:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] giving-ground.livejournal.com
Oh wow. I'm enjoying this story so much. :D

Date: 2007-11-16 01:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lauand.livejournal.com
OMG! Complications!

I'm loooooooving it. So much, in fact, that I'm unable to wait just a day to have two chapters to read in one row. I just can't. I'm totally hooked. You're that good creating interesting stories.

Date: 2007-11-16 02:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] saiyuki-win.livejournal.com
Can't wait for the next chapter!
Suspense!!!

Great chapter =D

Date: 2007-11-16 03:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] happydahee.livejournal.com
Oh, wow.
Now I have no idea where you're taking us with Angel and Robin..
One thing I do know though; I'll follow wherever it is!!

Date: 2007-11-16 05:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aqua-eyes.livejournal.com
o.0;;; annnd?

Date: 2007-11-17 01:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lady-ganesh.livejournal.com
That 'twenty years ago' line is pretty intriguing.

Date: 2007-11-19 02:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] freeradical9.livejournal.com
Wonderful dialogue, here. The phone conversation was almost sweet in places as well as being utterly hot. The little verbal sparring match at the end of the chapter was excellent...and so very intriguing.

All of the original/folklore characters in this story are beautifully portrayed, but Rose is particularly intense. One has to respect her intelligence and power even while instinctively disliking her on a personal level. Creepy indeed.

My, but Robin knows some dangerous women.

I can't wait to see what happens next. ^_^

Date: 2008-12-09 09:15 am (UTC)
ext_243305: (Default)
From: [identity profile] geri.livejournal.com
Now were getting down and dirty! What is goyjo to do does he stay or does he leave? Rose and Hakkai are freaking creepy right now but i can't stop reading.

Yes the phone sex was everything you would want it to be hoootttt.....
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