Title: Of Age
Author/Artist: tsutsuji
Rating: R
Warnings: yaoi; vaguely described sex
Summary: Gou wondered if it wasn't only his sight that had changed. Had Gai become even more beautiful as an adult angel, or was it only that his own feelings had suddenly grown stronger?
A/N: Written for the springkink prompt: Gou/Gai, first time. Set near the beginning of the first OVA episode. I hope it's not too ooc; they were a little harder to pin down than I expected.
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On their first day as adult angels, Gou and Gai spent the afternoon together - of course, as always. Neither of them questioned that or expected any different.

Gou watched his friend closely after the ceremony, almost more interested in Gai's changes than in his own. He already knew how he felt different, not only in the obvious, visible ways, but inside, in ways that were hard to explain and somehow, surprising. Gai didn't look as much changed as Gou felt, so he wondered... did Gai change as much? Grow as much? Did he feel this new warmth of life coursing through his body in the same way? Did his senses feel more sharply attuned to everything around him, and his feelings - especially those for his companion - feel so much stronger?

He was glad of the chance to look more directly at his cat-like angel friend, when Gai complained that he had not grown up as much. There were changes there, certainly. Gai had matured, too, even if he wasn't much taller, and even if hadn't developed a visibly stronger physique as Gou and some of the other angels did when the power of Zeus transformed them into adult angels. But it seemed to Gou that Gai's green eyes were brighter, his face even more open and fierce with life, his brown and golden hair shining even more brightly... so Gou thought in his quick study of his friend's concerned face.

And then he wondered if it wasn't only his sight that had changed. Had Gai become even more beautiful as an adult angel, or was it only that his own feelings had suddenly grown stronger?

"Your face is even more courageous than before," he said, quite seriously.

He was pleased when Gai responded with a triumphant grin, but startled by his own reaction to Gai's smile, to his closeness. Something inside him stirred, something like the love that had created them all, and yet different, more sharply focused, and directly connected to Gai's presence here beside him.

He hid his puzzling reaction by teasing. "Well, maybe..."

Gai whined in disappointment, snarled at Gou for teasing him, mockingly punched him in the arm - and then stopped, startled, and leaned his cheek against Gou's skin.

"You're warm," he said, wonderingly.

The new power of life Gou had been given seemed to flood his veins, like a current of energy in his transformed, adult angel body, but Gai's touch triggered another kind of warmth: the heat of wanting, the pulse of longing to be closer than ever before. He felt an urge to bury his fingers in Gai's long, thick hair, and to pull him closer - not an entirely new feeling, he realized, but so much stronger than before.

Did Gai not feel the same new life in his own body? Gou wondered. Perhaps his friend had not grown into these new feelings yet. Perhaps, Gou thought with the first stirrings of disappointment, he was the only one who felt this way.

He reminded himself that it was only their first day as adults, only the first few hours of their new lives. There was plenty of time to learn more about themselves and each other, their new adult bodies and their new and greater powers, and there would be time to understand these new feelings that had arisen in his heart. The thought of testing his added strength against the huge trees of the forest occurred to him, and he was more glad than he revealed when Gai also jumped up to challenge him.

...

It was several hours later before they finally reached the forest, after meeting another newly-adult angel along the way. In spite of his initial tactless admission that he hadn't noticed the blue-haired angel at the ceremony, Gai had been the first to make friends with Shin, and his playful manner quickly drew out the more reserved Gou and the quiet-mannered harpist.

By the time they finally reached the forest, though, Gai had grown quieter, and strolled along with his hands behind his head, without his usual chatter. Gou thought he saw the smaller angel stealing sideways glances up at him from time to time; he seemed unusually thoughtful, but Gou couldn't guess what he was thinking.

They began to test their newfound speed and skill among the trees, and discovered that they were indeed much faster and stronger than they had been, but still matched in the same degree as before; Gou's build and strength had always been a little greater, but Gai was quicker and more daring.

"You see, you have grown, even if your height is not much more than it was," Gou said, laughing quietly as Gai stared in surprise at the small tree he'd knocked down - accidentally, since he'd been batting at Gou. Even with his claws drawn, he'd still cut down the sapling with no more than a playful swipe of his hand.

"Heh. I guess I am!" Gai said happily.

Once again, his sudden grin, showing just a hint of his fangs, brought an equally sudden warmth to Gou, just has his touch had done earlier. It was startling, this feeling of - something new inside of him, something that he wasn't sure he should give a name to yet, much less act upon it.

Gai's sharp sight and instinct noticed at once that Gou's attention had been distracted, even if only for a second. In that one instant of hesitation, he pounced. Gou barely had time to see it coming before he was flat on his back, with one triumphant feline angel sitting on his chest. Gai bent down to grin into his face, green eyes sparkling with laughter.

Gou gasped a little, not only because the breath had been knocked out of him by the impact. Brown-tipped golden hair fell onto his shoulder and into his face as Gai grinned down at him.

Gou couldn't decide whether he wanted to wrestle Gai off of him and continue their contest of strength, or to sink his fingers into those soft, golden-brown strands and pull him down closer. Puzzled by his own indecision, he waited and did nothing.

Gai's laughter stopped suddenly. His pouting face was comical and as cute as ever, but his green eyes seemed to search Gou's face, suddenly serious.

"I really didn't notice Shin or anyone else at the ceremony, you know, or afterward," Gai said, frowning. "Nobody but you, Gou.... Besides noticing myself growing up, all I noticed was how much you changed, and how good you look now, how strong..." Gai's hand was on Gou's arm, lightly caressing his bicep where his cheek had rested earlier. "How warm you are to touch...."

He looked a little lost in thought for a moment, then he focused again, and this time Gou could sense that his little pout hid genuine concern. He crouched down low, and once again placed his cheek against Gou's skin, but this time he rubbed it gently on Gou's chin, like a cat nuzzling its mate; his face was turned away and his eyes fell closed.

"I didn't grow up enough, did I?" Gai said softly, his voice fading into a sigh of disappointment. "Not enough for you to notice, not like the other angels did..."

Gou almost gasped again, caught by surprise and sudden understanding. He turned his face just slightly to press against Gai's cheek, and finally did what instinct was begging him to do, and let his hands fall into Gai's hair.

"You have certainly grown into an adult angel," he said quietly. "How could I help but notice you? You've definitely become more courageous," - as he must be, Gou thought, to tackle him like this and let his more serious feelings show. He combed his fingers through Gai's long, golden-brown hair where it flowed down over his shoulder and back, and shifted to rub his own face against Gai's cheek. "Gai... " he said, sighing the angel's name, "you're so... soft..."

He saw Gai's eyes go unfocused for just a second, but it was enough to convince Gou that he must be feeling these new sensations and longings just as strongly as he was. Then Gai's eyes flew open as Gou's words sank in. He sat back quickly with growl of protest. "Soft!"

Gou looked up at him and grinned. He didn't let go; his fingers were still entwined in the ends of Gai's hair, resting where it fell over the slim curve of his hips. He didn't intend to let the smaller angel get away now.

"M'not soft!" Gai insisted. "Don't want to be soft; I need to be strong - so I can keep up with you, Gou, and not be left behind... "

"You are strong. Soft but strong," Gou said. "Don't worry, Gai, you can almost keep up with me anyway, but I don't plan to leave you behind. Not ever."

Gai's hands were still on his biceps, still sparking warmth from the touch, and his green eyes were blazing. Gou stroked Gai's hair, the dark ends of it that fell over his hips, and then down to his thighs. He watched with new delight when that simple touch made Gai's eyes go unfocused again, just for a second.

Then Gai looked down at him again, and Gou knew that it was all right after all. If Gai had not grown as tall or filled out as much as some of the others, it was only because such a change would never suit him. He was too lively and agile for that kind of growth, as much wild cat as kitten, but he had grown inside just as much as the rest of them. The depth and heat of his feelings were stronger than before, just as much as Gou's were.

He slipped his hand behind Gai's neck and gently nudged him downward, but Gai was already falling down, smiling, for their first, warm, awkward kiss.

...

It was, as ever, a contest between Gai's quick agility and impatience, and Gou's more reserved and careful manner; and as always, before long, Gai managed to tease his way inside Gou's patience and get exactly the reaction he wanted. In spite of a growing sense of urgency that neared the level of frustration, Gou indulged the feline angel in letting him keep the upper hand, and resisted the frequent urge to sit up suddenly and flip them both over so that Gai's slim, lithe body was underneath him. He considered himself repayed for his self-control by the glow of pleasure on Gai's face.

Tunics and leggings were easily and quickly removed, leaving only rough grass under Gou's back, shade-dappled late afternoon sun on their skin. Gai tugged the gauntlets off of Gou's hands with his teeth, snarling playfully as if they were cat toys. Then he took one of Gou's hands in both of his and licked the knuckles. Gou groaned; Gai's tongue was wonderfully hot and a little rough, a surprising pleasure. He thought of how it would feel on other parts of his body... Gai's eyes crinkled up with mischief and traveled over him, obviously with the same thought in mind.

"Gai..." Gou said; meant as some kind of warning, it came out more as a soft plea.

He gripped Gai's hips again, and the slim thighs straddling his shifted and squeezed a little tighter. "Do you...have any idea.. what you're doing..." Gou said, forcing the words out between quick breaths as his heart started to race.

Gai laughed again, low in his throat, a playful growl, but his eyes were gleaming. He let go of Gou's hand and leaned down over him for another kiss before he answered.

"Isn't this something that adult angels do?" he asked, with such an innocent, wide-eyed pout that Gou suspected he knew the answer perfectly well already.

"So I've ... heard," Gou said, his breath catching as Gai wrapped arms and legs around him and rubbed their bodies together, catlike, sensuous.

Gou decided he'd let the teasing go on for long enough. He wrapped his own arms around Gai's slimmer body, pulled him even closer and then held him that way as he sat up suddenly. Gai's little growl and surprised struggle quickly ceased, and Gou gasped as well when that movement only increased the wonderful, heated friction between their bodies, skin against skin.

It was just as he'd hoped for, though; sitting up like this, Gai was straddling his lap, and they were eye to eye, and their lips touched, breath to breath. Gai stared at him for a moment, his gaze flicking side to side between Gou's bi-colored eyes. Any remaining insecurity quickly faded from his eyes as Gou stared back at him intently. With the transformation into adult angels, the strength and depth of their emotions had grown as well. Gou let all of his new feelings show clearly in his gaze.

Gai made a little merow of pleasure and then nuzzled against Gou's face. Gou shivered a little as that quick, rough tongue lapped at his cheek and the corner of his mouth, followed by hot breath and the light graze of fangs. He held on tighter as they began, by instinct, to move together. Gai merowed again, purred against his neck, and clung to him, hands scrabbling at his back and shoulders.

Gou groaned softly. The heat that had been welling up inside him ever since the moment of transformation began to grow even more sharply, like a beautiful flame of life building up from his groin into his chest, inside of him but connected to Gai's warm, soft, fierce embrace. His fist clenched in Gai's hair, pressed against his back, as they rocked harder together, and then Gai was kissing him again, fiercely, with that quick tongue lapping at his mouth, his own tongue curling around sharp fangs.

Gai arched against his body and clawed his back, and the fire inside Gou suddenly grew white-hot, just as Gai's mouth drew away from his to nuzzle against his neck, leaving him gasping as all of his feelings for Gai suddenly welled up and overtook him in a rush of warmth.

He only noticed the sting from Gai's sharp claws and teeth afterward, when they both fell back and rolled onto the grass under the trees, still entwined in each other's arms. Gai's skin was warm against his, and his hair fell across Gou's shoulder, just as soft as his claws and fangs were sharp. Gai suddenly saw the marks he'd left on Gou's skin, too. He pouted apologetically.

"Didn't mean to hurt you, Gou," he murmured, mortified.

Gou craned his neck to look back over his shoulder at the thin red stripes on his back, and prodded gently at the bruise just above his collarbone. He had to make an effort not to smile; the little wounds hardly hurt at all, and for some reason, he was even pleased with them, but he couldn't let Gai off that easily!

"You still have some growing up to do, I guess," he chided, forcing out a little sigh to try and hide the indulgent smile that tugged at his lips.

"Ngah!" Gai cried, "It's your own fault!" He punctuated that illogical accusation with another slap at Gai's shoulder - claws carefully concealed this time, of course.

Gou chuckled and threw an arm around the smaller angel. Gai snuggled against his shoulder, still frowning, but their bodies fit together so nicely that his pout was countered by his purr.

"It's fine," Gou said, nuzzling his chin against Gai's hair. "We both still have a lot to learn, together."

~ end ~