Disclaimer-Do not own Lewis and no money is made off this story.
Authors note- This is Slash, don't like then don't read. This is a supernatural AU, in other words alternative universe. Oneshot for now, might add more to it.
Oxford was an interesting place to say the least, it was nothing like up North where he came from. He felt like a stranger in his own country, still Balthazar Gabriel was not going to be put off. After weeks of saving up and finding somewhere he could stay he had finally found a small three bedroom house with a garden, it wasn't that he didn't have the money. He did, Balthazar's father worked on the oil rigs and would spend most of his time out at sea. His mother was in MI5, not that he really cared about either of them. They hadn't been around when he was growing up, his grandparents had raised him while his mother was off doing some sort of top secret mission. It was why he had turned to books and gardening while growing up, he learned that he could lose him self in the pages of a fantasy novel and not worry about anything. When he was in his garden he felt a sense of peace that he couldn't really get from books and it wasn't from lack of trying, eventually his grandparents died and his parents tried to insert themselves into his life.
Needless to say it didn't work out very well and he quickly found his own place, however he still had the issue of money and decided that he would try his hand at writing. The first couple of books didn't sell very well but it was enough for him to live off, his grandparents hadn't been well off and he rather enjoyed growing his own food to eat. It saved on the shopping bills as well, it wasn't until he started a series called the supernatural squad did his books really begin to fly off the shelves. With this he found that bigger pay checks came in and people would walk up to him in the street, it was part of the reason why he was moving to Oxford he hoped that by moving to Oxford no one would recognise him.
Balthazar never wanted to see another cardboard box, not only was it disappointing that his entire life fitted into four cardboard boxes. He also needed to buy furniture, which had resulted in more cardboard boxes. In the end he had given up and decided that he needed a really good drink, not only would it help him to unwind it would also allow him to meet some new people. Well that was if his social skills didn't let him down again, still it was better than sitting in his new home wondering what he would do about the next book. Grabbing his leather jacket and his boots he quickly got dressed and made his way to the closest pub, hoping that something would happen.
James Hathaway was tired, beyond tired. He had just spent the past three days working on a case and they still had no leads, James hoped that by going somewhere else and trying to relax might help him think of something that they might have missed. The more time they spent trying to find something, anything pointing to the killer the more likely the killer was to get away. But that didn't change the fact that both he and Lewis were stressed and snapping at each other, this case was taking a lot out of all of them. James hoped that a good pint and sitting in the beer garden and getting some peace and quiet would clear his head, that was what James had planned but when he got there he found that someone was in the spot that he normally sat in.
James counted backwards from ten, even though his name wasn't on the table everyone who came here knew that he sat at the table. While he couldn't just go over and demand that the person move, he could however go over and sit on the table. All of the other tables were full as it was a rare sunny day, and it would be the perfect excuse to find out just who the mystery person was. It may have been the policeman in him or it may have been the fact that he had been burned too many times, Zoe, Scarlett, his mother and father. They were just a few on the very long list, a list that seemed to be growing longer as the years went on.
Lewis had been saying that he needed to find someone, and if James was being honest he knew that he needed someone to keep him grounded and show him that there is still light. He had a crush on his boss Innocent at one point, then one on Robbie. But each and every time nothing came of it, maybe he was over thinking everything. But right now he needed a good pint, and possibly a good conversation. He knew that he could get one of those, he wasn't so sure about the other one. James walked over to the table pint in hand, he felt like he was running on fumes. In a way he was, little sleep and food meant that he was running on pure will alone.
As he neared the table he found that the mystery person was a male, and was scribbling on something as if their life depended on it. James found himself wondering what it was the other man did, when he was near the table he cleared his throat.
"Do you mind if I sit with you, as you can see all of the other table are occupied."
Lilac eyes snapped up, shock and confusion were written all over a very handsome face. But what had shocked James most of all was the colour of his eyes, after all he had seen a lot of eye colours but never one like that before.
"Ah, err. Sure, not like it's my table or anything."
James felt his lips twitch up of their own accord, he thought he was socially awkward it seemed as if he had nothing on his companion. He sat down and felt the sun begin to warm him up, after being in the office for so long he was glad to be out of it. When not chasing down suspects and questioning witness, being here b himself was different, normally he would come here with Robbie. It was something different but he was glad, if he had spent another minute he would have snapped at the man. Not that he hadn't done so already, he brought the cold pint to his lips and took a long drink from it, before he tried to start a conversation with his companion.
Balthazar had found the pub by accident, he had been wandering around for hours before he had finally found somewhere to sit down and have a drink. While he was glad that he had gotten to see some of the sights, the crowd had been terrible and he had nearly had a panic attack. Something that he got when too many people where near him, but he had moved to Oxford to get lost in the crowd. So his parents couldn't find him and hopefully have some sort of normal life, so this was the price he was willing to pay.
He had stumbled into the pub and managed to order a pint before he made his way to the beer garden, his hands shaking as he tried not to bump into anyone. What had once been a full pint was three quarters by the time he had got to a table, his nerves were fried and he needed to calm down. He began taking deep breaths and holding them for a few seconds before he let them go, it had been taught to him by his grandfather after his first panic attack.
He had only been in the pub's beer garden for a hour when he decided that he would try and do some work on the next part of supernatural squad, while he was no where near his deadline he had yet to make a start on it. Balthazar knew that if he wanted to eat then he would need to put pen to paper soon and get something done, it wouldn't do if he couldn't pay the bills. He had nearly jumped when he heard someone speak to him, when he looked up he found himself swallowing.
The man that was stood in-front of him was tall, Balthazar knew that he wasn't short but the man made him look small and that was saying something. Blonde hair, normally Balthazar wouldn't find blonde hair attractive on any person. But for some reason he found that it suited the man in-front of him. But what really caught his attention was the dark circles under his eyes, dark circles that suggested that a good nights sleep would be the best course of action for him.
"Ah, err. Sure, not like it's my table or anything."
Did he really have to stutter? There was an Adonis like man in-front of him and he had to go an stutter! Balthazar wanted to groan, could he be any more of a fool? He looked back at the paper that he had been working on and scowled, he had barely managed to finish the prologue and the first chapter and he had been sitting at the table for hours, or what felt like hours to him.
"Have you been in Oxford long?"
Balthazar jumped at the deep voice, it reminded him of a cello or a base. Deep soothing and something that you could get lost in very easily, he put the lid on his pen and knew that he had to make some form of small talk.
"Just moved here, haven't really seen much."
The man hummed before taking another long gulp of his drink, Balthazar hoped that it was the end of the conversation. But for some reason he had the feeling that it wouldn't be the end, that he had some how opened a can of worms.
"Well then, welcome to Oxford. Since you have not seen much perhaps you would like a tour?"
He knew that he should refuse, that he shouldn't trust the man in-front of him. He tensed when the man reached into his jacket pocket.
"Normally I only show this when there is a crime."
A leather wallet was passed to him and Balthazar looked into the wallet, so the person sitting next to him was a policeman. Which was slightly reassuring, but it also proved that looks could easily be deceiving as he thought that the man was a teacher of some sort, he looked down at the name James Hathaway. Balthazar knew that he didn't have a leg to stand on when it came to his name.
"James Hathaway, I take it that you have lived here all of your life then."
James raised an eyebrow at him, clearly he was missing something.
"Normally when someone introduces themselves, the other person tell them their name."
For some reason the posh drawl grated on him, Balthazar didn't know why. After all James had been sitting with him for almost a hour and he had yet to be irritated by the other man, but for some reason he felt like he was back at home being mocked. As he went to stand up and leave he felt a hand grab hold of him, he looked down at the long thin fingers and wondered why the other man had tried to stop him.
James wasn't sure why he had offered the man a tour, a man whose name he didn't know. Then he had some how managed to offend the other man and he had no idea how he had done so, when the other had went to stand up he knew that if he let the other man walk away he wouldn't see him again. Something that didn't sit right with him for some reason, so he had tried to stop the other man from leaving earning him a glare for his efforts.
"It seems that I have offended you in some way."
James knew that reading people was not easy, but there were always small signs that gave them away. He knew that what many Detective Inspectors learned they learned from years of walking around talking to people, and handling crimes such as shoplifting and pickpocketing. Things that he hadn't done as he went to being Lewis's bag-man straight away, but he liked to think that he had enough experience to tell when someone was lying to him. Lilac eyes looked at him and James felt that he was being judged for something, it unnerved him.
"It's fine, not like you meant to. Statement hit a little too close to home, that's all."
James watched as he sat back down and wondered just what it was that had caused him to get so riled up, but at least he was sitting back down so James counted it as a win which was better than nothing. James wished that he knew the other man's name, as he couldn't keep calling him the other man. Not only did James find that it was rude he wanted to know what his name was.
"Gabriel."
James watched as the man shifted and quickly came to the conclusion that it was either a middle name or last name, which made him wonder did he really hate his given name so much? If so then why did he hate it? James put each question to the back of his mind and made a mental note to ask about them later, and by later he meant when the two of them knew each other better. Still it was a start and that was what counted.
It had been a few weeks since Balthazar had met James, and while he was happy that there was a break in-between each of their meetings he could tell that there was something weighing the other man down. They may not of had the best start but he had come to care for James and would burn the world for him, he didn't have many friends and those that were his friends now lived in another part of the country. Balthazar was happily sat on what had now been named as 'their' table, it was where he and James would meet. He looked up and saw that James was walking over to him, his shoulders slouched as if he had the weight of the world on him.
He didn't even have time to say anything when he found himself being kissed senseless, at first he was too stunned to really do anything then his brain caught up and he began kissing James back. When the two of them pulled apart they were both panting heavily, James rested his forehead against Balthazar's and for some reason Balthazar found that things wouldn't be the same again, and looking at James he knew that James agreed.