Settling into the bunker was far easier than Spencer had anticipated. He'd come to enjoy having his own private bedroom to slip away to. With the extra wards he'd added to his room, plus the ones already up, it was the single most secure place he'd slept in a long time. He even added a lock to the door, making sure that there was no way anyone was going to get in there without his permission. There was only one hole in his wards and he'd made sure to put it there deliberately. There was only one angel that Spencer wouldn't dream of warding out of his room. It didn't even occur to him to block Gabriel out. The others, however…This was one place he didn't want them.
Not that it seemed to be an issue so far. Whether by accident or design, the only archangel that seemed to be around the next few days was Gabriel and even he wasn't there much except for evening time. The others were off taking care of their side of gathering allies. At least, as far as Spencer knew. It wasn't like they checked in with him or anyone else before they left – even if Dean grumbled that they should.
With them gone it left Spencer, the two angels, and three humans plenty of time to settle in to their new home and to start to explore. And there was plenty to explore. With lots of twisting hallways and multiple floors, the underground bunker held a lot to look over.
Their map steadily grew more and more detailed with each passing day. After morning breakfast, which Dean was kind of insistent on them all sharing, they'd set off around the bunker in pairs and try to explore a little. No one was really allowed to wander alone – human or angel. Who knew what kind of traps and wards could be found here? So they split off into twos, a human and angel on each team. For the first two days, Spencer went with Derek, naturally. But on the third day he was a bit surprised and pleased to see Derek go off with Anna instead. That had left Spencer and Sam together, because Dean and Castiel were naturally paired up.
Talking with Sam was easy. There was a kind of ease there that wasn't present with the others. Maybe it was because Sam didn't look at him any different than he had before. He didn't act like Spencer was anything but the same kid that he'd gotten to know lately. He wasn't looking at him with slightly awed, slightly disbelieving eyes like Derek did sometimes. Nor did he get that protective look, with just a hint of worry that Dean did. And he definitely didn't have the annoyed look from the other archangels, or the contemplative one that Lucifer wore, or the oddly respectful ones that Castiel and Anna had. He didn't have that purely paternal look that Gabriel did, either. Sam just looked at him like he was Spencer. It was refreshing.
After their morning explorations, they'd meet for lunch, and then it was off once more. Sam and Spencer were often in the library researching while Dean and Derek went off to train. Those two were hitting it off just as much as Spencer had suspected they would.
Occasionally Sam went to join them. Castiel, too. But often Castiel was with Anna, trying to set up the protections that Spencer had assigned them to do for the town.
For the most part, things seemed to be going okay. They were all enjoying their new place and trying to make themselves at home. So it was sort of natural that this was when something had to happen. Later, Spencer was grateful that it was Sam who was with him when it happened. If it'd happened while he was exploring with Derek, there was no telling what the end result might've been. But it was Sam who was with Spencer when they found a part of the bunker they hadn't been in before.
Sam was the one to find it, really. He'd been the one to notice the line on the floor of the small storage room they were exploring. "Hey, Spencer – do you see this?"
When Spencer came over, he squatted down beside him, the two of them shining their flashlights onto the ground together. There was a slightly curved line there, like the outside edge of a rather large circle. Well, now, what was this? Spencer tilted his head and moved his flashlight towards the right, following the line to where it disappeared under the shelf. "Well that's interesting."
"Yeah." Sam did the same to the other side before bringing his light back to the center. He flashed it up, looking upwards, and then pushed up to his feet. "Watch out for a second." Tucking his flashlight into his armpit, he reached out with both hands and grabbed hold of the shelf. Spencer rose up as well and took a small step back just as Sam pulled on the shelves and they – moved. Surprise lit Spencer's face as he watched Sam pull the shelves out to reveal a hidden room behind them.
Sam looked just as surprised, and a little bit awed. He grabbed the flashlight from his armpit and held it out to shine around the room. Between his and Spencer's lights it was quickly easy to see what the room was. On the ground was a giant devil's trap that took up over half the room. But it was as they began to shine the lights around on the walls that they really started to see. In multiple places on the walls were – cuffs. Shackles, hanging from chains against the walls and even from the ceiling. And on those shackles were inscriptions. Sigils that were meant to bind the one inside of them. They were demonic, most of them, but they were also made to hold other supernatural creatures.
Being in the room made Spencer's grace curl in on itself. Memories of a different room, different wards, buzzed in his mind and tried to push their way forward. His wings quivered as he pushed that memory back. He couldn't stop himself from clinging a little tighter to his light, though. He held on to it and that soothed him enough that he was doing okay – right up until he saw the chains lying on a table on the right side of the room. The sight of those had him going completely still. No.
Spencer took a step back before he even realized what he was doing. His eyes were wide as they stared at those chains. This time, it wasn't the panic room that flickered in his memories. This time it was a dark barn out in the middle of nowhere. It was the smell of hay and horses, and blood. It was the sounds of Sam's labored breathing and a calm, cold voice asking questions that Spencer had no answers to. It was shackles tight around his wrists, cutting him off from his grace, taking away his light. It was pain. God, so much pain!
Flashbacks were nothing new to Spencer. He'd dealt with them before and he knew he'd deal with them again. But this one swept over him before he even had the chance to blink and he couldn't, he couldn't breathe. Remembered pain echoed loudly in his grace. With the clarity his memory seemed to be gaining the more that he embraced his grace, Spencer could remember everything, remember the feel of that blade as it slid across his skin and cut down to the light underneath, a light he couldn't lash out with. He was pinned, helpless, unable to do anything as someone who should've looked out for him instead sought to break him.
A hand touched Spencer's arm and he jerked back, that pain and panic flaring higher, screaming through his grace in a cry that told him Danger, run, go! The only thing that kept him from trying to spread his wings and fly was the sight of the man standing there when he opened his eyes. It wasn't Zachariah or another angel in front of him. It wasn't some stranger who he should know and yet didn't. That was… that was Sam. That was Sam! Sam was standing there, looking at him with so much concern, his hand held out like he'd been reaching for Spencer. Only, hadn't he been chained up before? Locked up against that post? Spencer swore he remembered that. He remembered… remembered…
The sudden feel of grace coming his way pushed against Spencer's shields. With his mind caught in the past, he couldn't think clearly, couldn't really recognize the feel of who was coming towards him. All he knew was that he was here, with Sam, and someone was coming for them, someone who might hurt them again, and he had to stop it. He had to protect Sam.
In a flash his hand shot out and he grabbed Sam, yanking the hunter behind him. His wings shot out on either side of him and spread in a pose that would shield and protect his al'alihm. No one was going to touch him. Not again!
The angel that landed in front of Spencer wasn't someone that he immediately recognized through the panic that was still screaming in his grace. Without thought, he reacted to that and sent a blast of power, sending the being flying backwards to crash through the door and into the storage shelves. Metal clanged and items went flying. Another angel appeared and Spencer did the same, sending power flying out, only this time it was met by the other angel's power. It stopped his in its tracks and Spencer let out a cry, sending more. He wasn't helpless this time! They didn't have the chains on him yet and he wasn't going to let them. He'd be damned if he let them get anywhere near him with those.
Behind him, he heard Sam shift, felt as he moved forward, and Spencer wanted to scream at him to back off, to stay safe, but Sam stepped right up to him and put a hand in the center of Spencer's back between all his wings. He didn't speak to Spencer, though. When his voice rang out it was in warning to the other angels. "Back off!" He shouted at them. "Dammit, back off! Can't you see you're scaring him?"
Then Sam was trying to move forward and Spencer had to stop him, couldn't let him come out here. He couldn't let him near these other two angels who were straightening up and advancing on him. With one wing Spencer pressed his al'alihm backwards, out of the way. A furious snarl tore from him, low and feral sounding, when one of the angels took another step closer.
Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps and the feel of even more grace. The small room filled quickly with people and angels. Spencer let out another snarl and pushed Sam back even more. He wasn't going to let them chain him again! His whole body shifted, dropping down into a defensive crouch. His middle wings stayed curled back, making sure Sam was safe and protected behind him, but the other four were spread out as wide as he could make them in this small space, openly displaying every bit of threat that he could muster. He would not let them chain him again and he wouldn't let them hurt Sam!
"Get back, all of you!" Sam snapped. His hand was still on Spencer's back, but he hadn't tried to push forward again.
"What the hell is going on?" someone demanded. Another voice was shouting as well, a furious snarl that sounded familiar, "What the hell did you bastards do to them?"
There was one grace that pulsed a little brighter than the rest. It started to break away from them, to move closer, and Spencer braced himself to fight. He wasn't going to let them take Sam! But that grace didn't get any closer. It stopped right at the edge between Spencer and everyone else. Spencer didn't recognize the body, but there was something familiar about the cool feeling grace. "You're safe, little one." The voice was low and gentle, a soft melody that blew across him like the fresh breeze over a frozen lake and whispered promises of safety and comfort. "You and your al'alihm are safe and your ol'alihm is on his way. Wherever you think you are, you're not there right now, I promise you. You're in the Men of Letters bunker and you are safe."
Safe? He was safe? Spencer ruffled his feathers and wrapped his wings a little closer towards Sam. They weren't safe. There were angels here and devil's traps and shackles and they weren't going to chain him down again!
Once more grace could be felt nearby, coming closer, only this time Spencer knew that grace. He knew it and would recognize it anywhere. Gabriel didn't bother running or landing a safe distance away like the others had. He flew directly into the space between Spencer and Lucifer – that's right, that was Lucifer, that cold grace that was so soft, so musical – and took in the scene with one quick look before immediately moving forward. His own wings spread out until they blocked off everything else behind him. When he got right to Spencer, he curled his massive wings so that they enfolded not only Spencer, but Sam as well. "Hang on tight, Princess" Gabriel warned.
The next second the world around them shifted and Spencer recognized the sensation of angelic travel. He didn't even try to fight against it. This was Gabriel and Gabriel was always safe.
Wherever they landed, Spencer was coherent enough to recognize the warding around him. No one else was going to get in here. They were safe behind wards and Gabriel was here to protect them. He was here to keep them safe. Those facts were the only things strong enough to give Spencer the courage and strength to unwind his own wings from around Sam and release him from the protective hold that he'd been kept in.
As soon as he did Sam stepped out from behind him and moved up towards his side. He kept one hand on Spencer's back, though. It stayed there even as Gabriel pulled Spencer in against him and cradled him close. "You're all right, little bird. We're safe now."
"Spencer." Sam's voice was firm and steady, something solid that the fledgling could grab on to. "Gabriel's right – we're safe. We're in your room in the bunker, secure behind these wards. Open your eyes and look around. You're standing in the middle of your room in the Men of Letter's bunker. There are no chains here, no shackles. It's not the bar. You're in your room. Look at it, feel it. Take a deep breath and smell it. What does it smell like in here?"
Spencer didn't open his eyes yet – he wasn't sure that he could – but he followed Sam's advice and took a deep breath. Instead of the scent of the bar, of blood and hay and earthiness, he caught a hint of paper, laundry soap, cotton candy and fresh spring forests, and honeysuckle. Holding on to those, he opened his eyes, letting his vision take the next step. I'm at the Men of Letters bunker. I'm in my room. He repeated the words that Sam had given, anchoring himself on them. Seeing the room around him helped. Gabriel had drawn his wings back enough that Spencer could actually look around him. This wasn't the barn, it wasn't the panic room, and it wasn't the dungeon. The dungeon, where Sam and I were exploring. We found it in a storage room. It was just an empty dungeon, not the panic room, not a barn.
Some of the tension bled out of Spencer's body. They were safe.
The hand on his back stroked soothingly. "That's right. You're safe, Spencer."
Of course, losing some of that panic left room for the embarrassment to start to slip in. Gabriel caught it quickly and immediately pulled Spencer closer, one hand on the back of Spencer's head to tuck his face down into Gabriel's neck. "Don't start that. You've got nothing to be embarrassed about."
"Gabriel's right, Spencer. Anyone who's been through what you've been through has a right to panic at a room like that. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
That didn't stop Spencer from feeling ashamed, though. He fisted his hands in Gabriel's jacket and burrowed in against him. "I already had my little 'freak out' over this." He mumbled against Gabriel's collar. "How many times is this going to happen?"
"There's no set time limit on something like this, Spencer." Sam said gently. He kept up his gentle rubbing over Spencer's back in a soothing touch. "It's not like people are going to say you get three freak outs and then it's done."
Against his head, Spencer felt Gabriel nod. A kiss was placed against his temple. "He's right, little bird. What you went through was traumatic. Hell, it was one trauma right after another, each piled on top of each other. Not only that, but these were things that didn't just attack your body. They attacked your very core – your grace and your soul. The fact that you're doing as well as you are is astounding."
All of their words were nice and Spencer knew that they meant the best. It didn't take away from his embarrassment, though. Just seeing their dungeon here shouldn't have been enough to set him off like that. It really shouldn't have. He was supposed to be stronger than this.
"Spencer." Sam's hand hesitated a little, like he wasn't quite sure, and then it slid up to cup the back of Spencer's head kind of like one would do to a child. It was the type of touch Spencer wouldn't typically allow, not in his normal state of mind, yet at that moment it only made him focus up at Sam. He found those color changing eyes fixated right on him with enough understanding to make his throat close up. "You're one of the strongest guys that I've ever met. Having issues with something like this, it doesn't change that. You're a profiler and you've got a degree in psychology. I know you know about PTSD and healing from traumatic events. You probably know more than any of us about flashbacks and panic attacks. If a victim you were talking with had been through what you were, if they were where you were right now and had just had a flashback like that, what would you tell them?"
Well, now, that was different. If someone went through something like this it would be a different thing entirely. For one, they'd be either human or angel, not this weird mix of the two, and Spencer knew how to predict human actions and he knew the way humans responded to things. Angels – he wasn't so sure about that. Did being part angel mean that his reactions to things should be different? Spencer sort of felt like it did. He should be able to stay calm or cool or collected the way other angels were. He should have some control. He shouldn't still be cowering here right now clinging to Gabriel like he was a child.
Spencer relaxed his hold in Gabriel's coat and straightened himself up, dislodging Sam's hand. He made as if to take a step back, only to find that Gabriel wasn't that ready to let him go yet. His eyes snapped to his guardian's face. Gabriel's lips quirked up at the corner in a smile that was far too sad. "Ah, kiddo. You're breaking my heart." The archangel said softly. He reached up and smoothed back Spencer's hair before bringing both hands to smooth out Spencer's shirt, brushing away any wrinkles that had showed up from his clinging. "Why don't I go and get your books for you and then we can settle in here for a while and read today instead of reading out there, hm?"
The abrupt change of topic had Spencer furrowing his brow curiously. But he was smart enough not to turn down the offer. Even if he was embarrassed by it, or believed he should do better, the idea of spending the afternoon safely ensconced in here with Gabriel was much more appealing than going back out there to face everyone.
Smiling, Gabriel pulled him in, pulling his head down just enough that he could press a kiss to Spencer's forehead. He laughed at Spencer's blush and patted his cheek. "Go ahead and get comfy, little bird. I'll be right back."
There was a brief moment where Sam and Gabriel looked at one another and exchanged countless words in the space of a single breath. Then, with a rustle of feathers, Gabriel was gone. That left Spencer and Sam standing alone in the middle of Spencer's room. Sam smiled gently at him and gestured towards the sitting area of the room. "Why don't we go ahead and get comfy? Knowing him, it'll take him a moment to get back here. He'll probably bring half the library back with him."
That got a small smile from Spencer. "Probably."
"You mind maybe snapping up some coffee or something?"
Sam was always the more relaxed of the two Winchesters when it came to snapping things up. The more time that Spencer spent around them, the more that Dean relaxed when it came to simple things like putting up wards or cleaning up a mess or packing bags. But the older Winchester hadn't quite found his way towards comfortable yet when it came to asking for snapped up food or drinks. He'd take them, but he never asked for them. Sam on the other hand had no issue whatsoever. Most likely that came from being with Gabriel, who Spencer knew could barely go an hour without snapping up something for himself to snack on.
It took more concentration than normal for Spencer to snap up the tray of coffee and finger foods. His grace was still churning inside of him and he wasn't having the easiest time with control. But he managed to get it to appear on the table between the chairs and Sam smiled gratefully up at him from the chair he'd chosen. "Thanks."
"Of course." Spencer sank down into the other chair, his favorite one, and curled his feet up onto the seat. "You don't have to stay, you know. I'm sure your brother is probably waiting to see you and make sure that you're okay."
Sam shrugged one shoulder negligently. Reaching out, he started to prepare his cup of coffee. "Gabe'll let him know I'm fine."
Well that wasn't the answer that Spencer had expected. He'd been sure Sam would go out there at the very least. Dean wasn't known for being calm when he thought Sam was in danger and Spencer had made it seem like Sam was very much in danger back there. Still, the larger part of Spencer was grateful that Sam wasn't going anywhere. Though he hadn't given much thought to it since it'd first happened, it hadn't escaped Spencer's notice the little shift that had been made in his mind when it came to Sam. Al'alihm, the mate to his ol'alihm. Somehow Sam had made his way from reluctant ally to reluctant friend to one of the most important people in Spencer's world. That wasn't to say that the others weren't important – they were! Very much so. Dean was like the big brother that Spencer had never really asked for, as was Derek, and in Castiel he had found an actual brother. Anna was even someone close and important to him, a sister that was slowly becoming a friend.
But Gabriel – Gabriel was his everything. He was his friend, father, brother, mentor, guardian. He cared about Spencer when it'd felt like no one else had. And he cared without any restrictions, qualifications, or anything like that. He liked Spencer just as he was. He was everything that Spencer had ever wanted his own father to be and so much more. He was truly Spencer's al'alihm, with every connotation that the Enochian words could hold. By extension, as Gabriel's mate Sam was almost equally important. It didn't make sense when he tried to think about it from a human perspective but it did from an angelic one.
Gabriel's return cut off anything that Spencer might've ended up saying. The archangel landed directly between their chairs with a stack of books and notebooks in his arms. He set them down on the edge of the table with a lack of care that had both Sam and Spencer grimacing. "Everyone else is fine." He directed those words to Spencer while he dropped down to Sam's chair with him, half on his partner and half beside him. The grunt Sam gave at the sudden weight went ignored. "Luce got 'em calmed down and focused on other things. I let them know we're hanging out for a while, so they know not to try hunting us down. I'm pretty sure Deano and Derek were heading off to go do some more sparring. They both looked ridiculously pleased and violent, and that usually involves you humans hitting one another or shooting something."
Rolling his eyes, Sam wrapped an arm around his mate's waist, pulling him in and adjusting them both until he was comfortable.
Spencer curled himself up a little more comfortably in his chair. More of his tension was starting to bleed out of him. Gabriel and Sam were right here with him, playfully starting to bicker. The middle of Gabriel's wings had reached out to Spencer and was curled lightly around him, bringing some feathers close enough that Spencer could soothe himself by tangling his fingers in them.
Under the watchful and approving eye of his guardian, the fledgling pulled a book and notebook onto his lap and got to work, one hand never leaving Gabriel's feathers.
No one mentioned Spencer's little freak-out when the trio emerged for dinner that night. Nor did they comment on the light blush that touched his cheeks when he looked at them, thankfully. Everything seemed to return to normal after that, like nothing had ever happened. The only difference was that Spencer made absolutely sure to avoid the area where they'd found the dungeon.
For a week the group got the chance to just relax and settle in. It was what they all needed, really. They needed the time and the space. So many things had happened and they'd all been scrambling to try and cope with it. Spending a week exploring the bunker and mapping it out while doing their research gave them all a chance to settle once more and find their feet, so to speak.
Apparently a week was all they were going to get, though. Spencer was doing his afternoon research with Sam when the feeling of incoming grace had the young fledgling looking up. There was already a smile building on his lips – he knew who that grace belonged to.
Gabriel landed just a moment later on the table right between the two of them. He was grinning at them both and didn't seem the least bit bothered by the glares they sent his way. He'd managed to land not just on the table, but on their spread out books as well, sitting right on top of them. One wrong move and his shoes could easily tear any one of those pages. Sam sat forward quickly, one hand going to the pages near Gabriel's left shoe, trying to flatten them down and hold them steady just in case Gabriel decided to move. "Gabriel, get off!"
"Calm down, Princess. I won't damage your precious books." Gabriel reassured him. Indeed, he seemed to be holding still, not moving his lower half at all.
Still, Spencer watched him carefully. You never really could tell with Gabriel what it was that he had planned.
The archangel suddenly grinned over at him as if he'd heard that thought. "Hey, Sparrow. Just the little bird I was looking for."
Spencer rolled his eyes. "Can I help you, Gabriel?"
"More like I'm going to help you." Elbows landing on his knees, Gabriel leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands, bringing his head down a little closer to Spencer's level. There was mirth in his eyes that had Spencer smiling faintly despite himself. That smile wiped away to a look of surprise when Gabriel said "After your recent mad dash around the planet, I've decided that it's time we get you out there and start up your wing lessons again."
Wing lessons? Gabriel had already taught him how to care for them, how to fold them up and hide them, all the important things – all the important things except flying. The realization hit and Spencer knew his eyes went wide. His lips parted in surprise as he looked up at his guardian. "You want to go have flying lessons?"
Gabriel's grin stretched even wider until it had his eyes crinkling. Behind him, golden wings fluffed up with amusement. "Figure it's the smartest thing. If you're strong enough to start flying sporadically on your own, you're strong enough to start proper lessons."
"And that involved you sitting on our books why?" Sam asked him dryly. Still, he was smiling too, when he turned to look at Spencer. "Why don't you go ahead, Spencer? I'll take over the research here for a little while, no big deal. We can compare notes later when you get back."
"Are you sure?"
Sam chuckled. Then he reached out and stole the book from in front of Spencer. "Go, have fun, fly. Come tell me stories later all about it. If anyone else pops by, I'll let them know the two of you are out."
That was all the assurance that Spencer and Gabriel both needed. Gabriel twisted himself enough that he could cup his hands on either side of Sam's face and draw him up into a loud, smacking kiss that made the hunter chuckle, and then Gabriel turned back to Spencer and put a hand on his shoulder, vanishing the two of them in a rustle of feathers. They left behind an amused Sam who just shook his head, a smile on his lips, before he focused back on his papers and straightening out the little bit that had moved around at their exit.
Flying lessons proved to be a whole lot more fun – and a lot more exhausting – than Spencer had anticipated. Gabriel put him through his paces and made absolutely sure that Spencer was catching the lessons he gave. They'd gone to their island, of course. It was the safest place for them outside of the bunker and it was also one of the places that Spencer felt the most comfortable and the most relaxed. To him, that island was always going to scream sanctuary.
There, Gabriel stood them on the beach where they'd had their first lessons in grace and he'd run Spencer through the basics. Making sure he could extend and retract his wings, that he could move each individually, and instructing him a little bit on their purpose. Then he'd grabbed hold of Spencer, taken him high up in the air, and let go.
Needless to say it was one of the most interesting, terrifying, and exhilarating lessons that he'd ever had before.
It took him a while but he got the hang of the basics with flight. After that came the lessons of trying to knowingly fly to certain destinations by following after Gabriel's grace and using it as an anchor. That was what Spencer was supposed to be doing now for their last lesson of the day. Gabriel had flown back to the bunker, promising to stay outside the wards, and Spencer was supposed to try and follow him there. It wasn't quite as easy as it sounded. For as quickly as he seemed to be catching on to everything else, this wasn't coming to him quite as easily. Gabriel said that was normal. "Your grace is still young, little bird. Think of it like this – you're training up the muscles there in your wings. You wouldn't expect to walk into a gym and start lifting the heaviest weights on your first day. This is the same theory. You can know all the logistics but those muscles need to train a bit before they become strong enough to do what you want them to do."
It made sense. Spencer tried to remind himself of that when he landed outside the bunker – and on the opposite side of it than his guardian. A low groan of annoyance bubbled up. He planted his feet and straightened himself up, looking around the trees around him. It wasn't hard to recognize where he was at. With his grace he reached out to the connection he had with Gabriel, which had grown even stronger lately. Ol'alihm?
What's up, kiddo? You all right?
I'm fine, Spencer sent back. I landed on the wrong side of the bunker. I just didn't want you to worry about me. Muscles in his back protested as he drew his wings in and he tried not to sigh. I think I'm going to take my time walking back. Give myself a chance to stretch out before I have to… compact, once more. He wasn't sure what word to use there, but Gabriel seemed to get the message.
They'd let themselves go just the slightest bit for their lessons today. Spencer hadn't needed to hide his wings or keep them in close. He hadn't needed to try and control them or their reactions to things. They'd just been free to be there, free to move behind him. Now he was going to have to draw them down and pull his control back over himself once more. It was a bit of a pain after being so free and he just wasn't ready to do it yet.
Once he got the wordless understanding from Gabriel, the two broke their link and Spencer turned his focus back to the forest around him. It felt sort of nice to just start wandering, his wings still out free behind him. There was no chance of getting lost out here. Up ahead he could feel the presence of Gabriel even with the warding he was now behind. Very few things could stop him from feeling where Gabriel was anymore.
Though, as he reached out, Spencer found that he was feeling someone else as well. Someone that he hadn't quite expected to feel out here. Without conscious thought his feet took him in that direction. Up ahead, the trees finally broke, showing a little clearing towards a top of the hill, and Spencer found the person that had been pinging on his sense. There, perched on a rock with his own gorgeous wings stretched out, was Lucifer. He was so still a human might've thought that he was a statue. They wouldn't have seen the expressive wings or the chilly grace that sat inside. They wouldn't have seen what it was that Spencer saw.
What Spencer saw had him hesitating for a second. There was something about the archangel that looked so… sad. So lonely. It tugged at Spencer's grace in ways that he didn't quite understand. All he knew was that it seemed so wrong to have Lucifer looking that way and, before he could stop himself, he found his feet moving in that direction. The wrongness only intensified as Spencer got closer.
So far Lucifer had kept pretty much everyone away from his wings. The only time he seemed to really let them close to anyone was the few times that Spencer had been upset. But he hadn't let anyone else come close to them. That became readily apparent as Spencer saw the state of them now. They'd looked sort of bad before, in definite need of a grooming. Now? Now, Spencer's grace ached deep inside of him. Lucifer's recent trip to hell had obviously done some damage. His feathers looked like they were dusted in ash and even singed in a few places as well as crooked and ruffled in others.
Spencer knew the archangel had to have heard him coming. Lucifer said nothing, though. He stayed where he was perched on a rock, looking out into the distance. From here there was no view of the town, no view of much human civilization. All it took was turning a bit to the right to find it, but from this point of view it was just nature. Lucifer seemed to like it.
When Spencer got close, he felt his own wings give a twitch of sympathy for the state of the other wings that were much worse than he'd originally thought. Spencer couldn't stop himself – he lifted a hand and let his fingers brush over the wing right in front of him in a patch that the feathers were so clumped in it had to be painful. He hadn't expected Lucifer to jerk away as hard as he did. The archangel jumped, his wings curling forward and away from Spencer with a snap that was clear in the air.
Eyes wide, Spencer jerked his hand back. His voice almost dried up in his throat at the furious look that Lucifer spun his way. Clearing his throat, Spencer stammered out "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, to startle you."
"What do you think you are doing?" Lucifer demanded. His voice had hardened and cooled to that tone that usually only came out around Michael and Raphael. He hadn't used it so far with Spencer. Hearing it now was enough to have the fledgling shivering and wanting to back away.
But Spencer didn't back down. It just wasn't in him. Not when someone was hurting. Even as Lucifer glared at him, the young fledging straightened up his spine and made himself stand here and face this. "I'm sorry." He apologized again, voice and grace showing his honesty. "I just… it looks uncomfortable." With one hand he made a small gesture towards Lucifer's wings. "I know what it feels like to have one or so twisted and I can't even imagine how yours must feel. I just, I wanted to help." He flushed a little and looked away, his own wings curling down and in slightly. "I'm sorry, I should've asked. I forget sometimes that not everyone is Gabriel and not everyone is going to be all right with me just touching them. I'm not…I'm not very good at this whole, touch thing. Or any kind of social interaction."
For a moment the forest around them seemed silent. Spencer dropped his head down and stared at the grass beneath his feet. He brought one hand up, reaching across himself to cup and rub at his elbow in a nervous gesture he knew gave away what he was feeling.
All of a sudden Spencer was startled by the wing that bumped against his. When he looked up, he found that Lucifer wasn't looking at him – was in fact staring out into the distance once more – but he'd brought his wings back around to a relaxed pose and had stretched his largest one backwards so that it bumped against Spencer's. It… it could've been accidental. But Spencer didn't think it was. Especially when it paused there with their feathers sort of brushing against one another in a shadow of the usual touch Gabriel could give.
Spencer oh-so-hesitantly lifted his hand. He paused briefly, unsure, and cast a quick look over at Lucifer's face. He even double checked with his grace. There was nothing in the air to suggest trouble. Holding on to that, Spencer pushed his hand forward to that small section of wing where the feathers seemed the most twisted. The first touch of his fingers made the wing quiver. When Spencer froze, that quiver froze as well. And then the wing deliberately stretched outwards, opening the feathers up even more, and there was no ignoring what that gesture meant.
The next few moments were quiet as Spencer started to work his way across Lucifer's largest wing. The only sounds around them were the sounds of the forest. It was Spencer who finally dared to break the silence, unsure at first before deciding It can't hurt to try and finally saying "If you don't mind sliding down to the smaller rock in front of you, I'll take the one you're on. It should make this more comfortable for the both of us."
Lucifer cast a startled look back Spencer's way. His grace stayed back, reminding Spencer of the way that he held his own grace away from others. It would appear Lucifer was just as cautious with his grace as Spencer was. But, after a moment of thought, Lucifer turned back around and slipped down onto the rock just in front of him. It put him a little bit lower than before and opened up the larger rock for Spencer to climb up and perch on. When he was settled, Spencer looked at the expanse of wings in front of him and gave a small nod. Perfect. He'd be able to get all of the ones at the base here – the ones that Lucifer wouldn't be able to reach himself.
As Spencer reached out, laying a palm flat on Lucifer's back so that he'd know where Spencer's touch was, the fledgling gently offered "Would you like me to tell you a story while I do this?" When he felt Lucifer's surprise he flushed and ducked his head. "Ol'alihm does it when he helps groom me. I just, I thought you might like it, that's all. You don't have to say yes."
"I used to do that for him." Lucifer said softly.
The sound of his voice surprised Spencer. He hadn't expected him to answer, honestly. "Did you?" Spencer smiled a little. He liked the idea of Gabriel passing on something his brother had once done for him. "Well, I thought I'd offer. I know it can feel strange to just sit silently." He also had a feeling that after so long with only his own voice, it might feel good to hear someone else talk. Especially about something that wasn't pain or death or fighting or anything like that.
There was another long moment of quiet. Then, so soft he almost didn't hear – "I'd like that."
Spencer smiled to himself. He slipped his fingers through a few more feathers and, in the voice that had soothed his mother through many of her episodes, he began to tell a story.
From nearby more than a few angels caught sight of the two in the clearing. And if a few of them made sure that the pair wasn't disturbed the whole time they stayed there, well, neither Spencer nor Lucifer ever had to know.