Chapter 16 Levi
Levi
Levi was proud of himself. In the last two weeks, they’d managed to perfect the automated responses, and the angelic crew had finally gotten the message that Gabriel was to be used for urgent and important messages only.
Sure, it had taken a lot of work in the beginning—they hadn’t wanted to miss something, so they’d double and triple checked things to make sure nothing slipped through the cracks.
They’d still taken breaks for meals and sleeping (although they kept that to a few hours each night), and they’d managed to take swims with Hachi and watch some television.
(Gabriel was particularly fond of cooking shows, despite his inability to make anything without severely burning it.)
Gabriel had also continued to read whenever he’d had the chance, and Levi couldn’t complain.
Apparently some of the books he was reading had some wonderfully steamy scenes.
Whenever Levi looked over and saw Gabriel with a blush and a book in his hands, he knew it was a good time to explore some more pleasures of the flesh.
They’d enjoyed kissing, frotting, hand jobs, and blow jobs (although Gabriel insisted that they really shouldn’t be called that since you didn’t blow on anything).
Gabriel loved Levi’s tentacles, and Levi loved…
Well, he loved pretty much everything they did.
He’d had much more risque sex in the past, but Levi found this more fulfilling than anything else he’d experienced.
He also didn’t want to rush things; it was fun to see Gabriel’s reactions, and Levi savored every moment they were together.
By the middle of the second week after the memo, they’d seen a significant drop in the number of message requests, and those that were sent were usually important.
They were even able to get rid of some of the hoops angels had to jump through, although Levi assured Gabriel if they became inundated again, they could add the extra steps back.
So they’d sifted through messages, delivered what needed to be delivered, and explored in their free time.
Things were slowing down, and though Gabriel should be happy, Levi sensed that his angel was feeling a little unsettled.
A day off seemed like the perfect solution, and a human he knew had invited them to a barbecue.
(Okay, so Levi might have asked when they could attend a barbecue, but they’d still been invited).
It seemed like the perfect opportunity to cross another item off their bucket list, and also to find out what was weighing on Gabriel’s mind.
“The computer says we should bring a side dish or dessert and to ‘drink in moderation.’ Do humans not stock enough beverages for these events? Don’t they have access to water?” Gabriel asked.
They’d gotten a bit of work out of the way, and now it was time to head over to Michael’s.
Levi was wearing some ripped jeans and a t-shirt, and he’d somehow managed to convince Gabriel to wear jeans, as well, insisting it was normal barbecue attire.
Of course, Gabriel’s jeans were perfectly pressed, and he still had a button down shirt on, but Levi would take the jeans as a win.
“We can pick up some cookies or brownies or something sweet on the way, and the online answer means to drink alcohol in moderation. Sometimes people get drunk at these things,” Levi answered.
Huh. A slightly tipsy angel might be quite a bit of fun. He felt oddly protective of Gabriel, though, and if they were going to be drinking, he’d rather it just be the two of them. He knew Gabriel would be upset with himself if he did or said something he considered inappropriate.
“Alright,” Gabriel agreed, straightening his already perfectly put together outfit.
“It’ll be fine. We’ll have fun. These are good folks, I promise. Now, what kind of sweets should we bring?” Levi asked, because sweets were a sure way to distract Gabriel from his nerves.
They transported to a bakery first, and they settled on brownies, cookies, and a pie that looked exceptionally delicious (Gabriel really loved sweets).
Levi then transported them to Michael’s house.
Since the Caelius family knew about angels and demons—the brothers were both mated to demons—Levi didn’t think it would be a problem to transport into the backyard.
Still, he kept it mostly to the side of the house, so that if there were humans present, they wouldn’t just suddenly be amidst everyone.
Gabriel was pressed against him when they appeared, and the angel didn’t have time to look around before a booming voice called out, “Dudes! So good to see you! Glad you could come and party!”
Gabriel groaned against his shoulder, and, rather oddly, the angel didn’t turn around.
“Ignore him,” Michael called out. “Levi, we’re glad you and your friend could make it. Can I get you guys anything to drink?”
A woman came over and took the plate full of treats out of Levi’s hand, saying, “Don’t mind Ari. He’s an asshole, but he’s nice.” Then she walked off.
Gabriel was still stuck to Levi, though.
Levi backed them up a bit, and thankfully the woman seemed to be distracting Ari, because the demon left them alone for the moment. Levi doubted that would last long, though.
“Buttons, you ok?” he asked softly.
Gabriel groaned again.
Levi was starting to get worried, although he had no idea why Gabriel was hiding. He rubbed his hand across Gabriel' s back. “If a barbecue is too much for you, then we can skip it. We can just leave and it’ll be fine. Michael won’t mind.”
“They’re not humans,” Gabriel muttered.
“Well, no, two of them are demons. But the rest of them are human. Or mostly human, at least,” Levi answered. “If seeing other afterlifers makes you uncomfortable, we can go. I didn’t think anything of it, although I should have warned you. I’m sorry about that.”
“Dudes! We got beer, we got wine, and we got this sparkly vodka soda thing! Mikey said no beer pong, but we can still have fun!” Arioch called out.
“Is he coming over here?” Gabriel whispered.
Ah, shit. It suddenly occurred to Levi that Gabriel might know Arioch.
He should really have thought of it sooner.
Arioch was a demon of chaos, and he couldn’t imagine that any run-ins the two of them had would have been viewed as positive by Gabriel.
Hell, Levi had his own memory of a few run-ins with Arioch.
“I’ll transport us home,” Levi announced.
Before he could, Gabriel pulled away, sighing. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”
Then the angel turned around slowly, like he was about to face a firing squad.
“Gabey!” Arioch shouted, starting to walk over. Michael looked slightly panicked and moved to intercept him, though.
Michael and Ari managed to get to Levi and Gabriel at the same time, and Michael grabbed Arioch in a side hug, which the demon returned. He wasn’t sure what Ari would have done except shake hands with them, but Michael seemed to sense something was up.
“Levi, you didn’t say your friend was Gabey!” Ari said, smiling.
Levi felt himself bristling, and he wrapped an arm around Gabriel, who was stiffly standing next to him. “It’s Gabriel, not ‘Gabey.’”
Ari looked a little confused, but Michael stepped in. “Hi, guys. It’s so nice to see you both again. Don’t mind Ari. He’s a little… overexuberant, but I promise there will be no pranks.”
Michael must have jabbed a finger into Ari’s side on the last two words, because the demon gave an oomph, but he continued to smile merrily.
“I didn’t realize Gabriel knew you guys. I should have checked, though. We can head out—” Levi began, but the woman walked over then.
“Nonsense! Unless you guys don’t want to stay, of course. I know putting up with these assholes can be difficult.” She pushed Ari backwards, muttering, “Go set some burgers on fire or something.”
Gabriel seemed to get a bit more relaxed under his arm, and Levi smiled at the woman.
“I’m Ser. It’s nice to meet you guys. Gabe and Az will be showing up, too—not sure if either of you know them. Some other friends from town and our jobs will also be dropping in, and a lot of the crew is mortal, so once guests get here, all angel and demon shit will have to go on the back burner.”
“Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ser. I’m Gabriel, and this is Levi,” Gabriel said, and he seemed a little calmer.
She smiled, gesturing toward the main part of the backyard, and walked ahead, probably to give them a chance to chat.
Gabriel sighed, looking at Levi. “I’ve delivered messages to Michael and Arioch, and also Gabriel and Asmodeus, his demon partner. I don’t know Ser, though. I’ll be fine. There’s no animosity between any of us. Arioch is just…”
Levi laughed. “An asshole? A pain in the ass?”
Gabriel quirked a smile. “He’s a lot. But I’ll be fine. I’m sure all barbecues probably have a loud and… enthusiastic party goer.”
Levi smiled at that. “That’s true. Most friend groups have an annoying person who’s also kind of fun.”
“So I guess this is yet another part of the human experience,” Gabriel murmured.
With that, the two reached the main part of the yard, and Asmodeus and Gabe came out of the house at the same moment.
Gabriel introduced them since Levi didn’t know them.
He noticed that Az was a lust demon, but he kept the lust in check for the barbecue.
Not that Levi would have complained if Gabriel started feeling lusty, but he knew that his angel wouldn’t have been comfortable doing so in front of others.
Within an hour, the party was full of humans.
Gabe and Az ended up chatting a lot with other school teachers, and Levi and Gabriel joined in and laughed at some of the stories that the group told.
Ari did indeed cook burgers, along with a host of other things, but he luckily didn’t set anything on fire.
Levi was proud that the barbecue seemed to be a successful experience.
He stayed with Gabriel the entire time. They circulated and chatted, and it seemed like Gabriel was enjoying himself.
He remained somewhat formal, but it only served to remind Levi how comfortable the angel had gotten with him. It was kind of a nice reminder.
Everything seemed to be going well, and they had just finished trying a variety of salads (Gabriel had been surprised that they didn’t all have lettuce—some had potatoes, pasta, or fruit), when Buttons suddenly tensed up beside him.
He looked over to where Gabriel had directed his attention, and he noticed an angel and a human entering the party.
They hadn’t noticed Levi and Gabriel yet, and Levi vaguely recognized them—he’d answered some questions for them. They were harmless, but he didn’t like that Gabriel was feeling tense.
“We can go if you want,” he murmured quietly to his angel.
Gabriel looked over at him, surprised. “Are you not having fun?”
“I am,” Levi answered, “but you don’t seem thrilled to see the angel who just walked in. I’m assuming you know him.”
“Indeed I do,” Gabriel answered.
Of course, at that moment, the angel looked over and saw them as well. So much for a quick escape.