Starfishing [3/?]
Title: Starfishing
Pairing: Adam Lambert/Tommy Joe Ratliff
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 4,137
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the human and angel characters and this is a work of fiction.
Summary: Adam learns that there’s a tricky plan to get him back home. Luckily, there seems to be some time to work out the kinks. He has much less luck when it comes to his plan to not get too close to Tommy. He simply can’t help himself. Tommy is lovely and he’s enjoying every single minute with him.
Meow-meow.
“Excuse me.” Tommy got up from the kitchen island. The phone was ringing.
“Sure.” Adam dove back into his plate of pancakes. Apparently they didn’t have lousy food in Heaven-unless you were a bad cook and you cooked food yourself. They only had amazing food and more amazing food. And, he had no doubt that these pancakes belonged to the second category.
“Hello?” Tommy picked up the phone in the living room. Terrance had promised yesterday that he would call with a way for Adam to go home.
“Hey, boo.”
Tommy grunted. Terrance only called him ‘boo’ when he had done something wrong or was about to give him bad news. “Let’s hear it. It’s not like we expected good news anyway.”
“There are two things, boo. One, this was supposed to be a secret, but many angels know about it. And, two, it might be tricky to pull this off without getting caught.”
“Wait a second. What do you mean many angels know about this?”
“Well… I had to ask my mentor, right? And, he had to ask his mentor and she had to ask her mentor and so on.”
“Urgh, did they have any idea how it happened? Did someone screw up or was it my fault? I thought there were layers of stuff down there that separated our world from the humans’!”
“There are. And, they don’t think it was your fault. No angel in any Heaven has that kind of power. They think it was either an accident or God’s doing. We’re working under the assumption it was an accident, of course.”
Tommy paled. “But why would God do such a thing? I was fishing at the wrong time when he was fixing the layers?”
“I don’t know, Tommy. Your guess is as good as mine.”
Tommy sighed. It would be hilarious if God already knew about this when he was desperately trying to keep it quiet. “Have they heard of something like this happening before?”
“No. We’ve all heard the word ‘fallen angel’, but not ‘risen human.’”
“That’s true. So what did they propose?”
“They think he could go down on the next full moon. We already had a full moon on Wednesday, so it’ll be another twenty-six days before we get another one.”
“Why does it have to be on the full moon?”
“Because that’s when the fogbow trail appears. It’s apparently the route the Fourth angels take when they need to go down.”
“What in Heaven’s name is a fogbow?”
“It’s a dim rainbow with white edges that appears during a thick fog. This particular one only appears on the night of the full moon. It shouldn’t be too difficult to spot it in the dark with the strong light of the full moon. But they recommended he pack some moonlight of his own, just in case.”
“Oh! I do have some moonlight!” Tommy thought about the bucket of moonlight that he had bought as fishing bait. What a coincidence it was that he suddenly had great need for moonlight when he had been doing just fine without any for the past five years. “So what’s the tricky part?”
“The tricky part is avoiding suspicion. Those Fourth angels will probably know that Mr. Lambert is human. They specialize in humans after all.”
“And, what did the mentors have in mind for that?”
“There’s been talk about potent potions. But they need more time to come up with all the options and think them through.”
“Nobody wanted me to confess to God? I’m causing so much trouble to so many angels, including you. I’m sorry.” Tommy felt himself flush with shame. It had been foolish and reckless not to report the accident, but he hadn’t known that it had also been selfish.
“Hey, don’t worry about me. I get that you were lonely. Maybe you wanted some company. Isaac has Sophie and I’ve been dating Johnny, and maybe I gushed too much about him. I’m sorry too.”
“Please don’t be. I would’ve been totally lost without you. You gathered so much information in such a short time. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And, to answer your question, nobody suggested a confession. They think that no matter what you do, things that are supposed to happen are going to happen.”
“What’s supposed to happen? God finding out?”
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll know soon enough.”
“So what do I do until they come up with a plan?”
“You make sure he knows how to use a rainbow trail. We don’t want him to look like it’s his first time.”
Tommy gasped. “Are you saying I can go out with him?”
“Not as his date.”
“Terrance, I wouldn’t… I didn’t mean it that way. I meant, go outside.” Tommy glanced at Adam who was humming and scribbling away in his notebook.
“I know, Tommy. But I saw how you guys looked at each other. Remember he’s going home next month. Don’t fall for him.”
Tommy laughed. “Relax, Terrance. I’m just a fan.”
“And, I can only hope it stays that way.”
Tommy thanked his mentor and put down the receiver. Terrance had nothing to worry about. He would surely get closer to Adam, but he wouldn’t fall in love with anyone in less than a month. After his death, he had become way too bitter for that. His ex-girlfriend had drilled that knowledge into his skull.
“Tommy, you’re coming? I can’t guarantee the safety of your pancakes anymore.”
Tommy chuckled and decided to forget about Terrance. His mentor always worried too much.
“Twenty-six more days?” Adam tickled his arm with a new feather and sat back on the couch. “That’s a long time.”
Tommy took a good look at Adam’s face. Was Adam smiling because he was tickling himself or was he actually excited? And, out of all the details that he had just poured out, that was what Adam wanted to talk about? “So you’re okay with it?”
“Sure! I don’t have any commitments for a few weeks. But it would be great if I could let my mom know I’m okay.”
“Ah, I know a carrier pigeon company. They have sneaky mailbirds that deliver notes everywhere without getting noticed. They’re small enough to fit through the air holes in all kinds of layers.”
Tommy gestured at Adam’s pen and notebook on the coffee table. “Do you want to write that note now? We can give it to a mailbird on our way out.”
“We’re going out? To try out that rainbow trail?” Adam held a feather in each hand and moved his arms as if he was flapping his wings.
“Haha, yeah. You’ll need your rainbow socks. You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
“I’m not. But why would I need my socks?”
“You’ll see.” Tommy grinned. He had a feeling that Adam was going to love it.
“What about my appearance? I don’t have any wings.”
“That’s okay. Nobody’s going to even imagine there’s a human up here. They’ll just assume you lost your wings in an accident.”
“That’s a relief.”
Adam scratched the back of his head. “Do you think anyone might recognize me?”
“Hmm, I doubt it. We don’t care much about what’s going on downstairs. We have our own entertainment.”
“Okay. Just give me a few minutes.” Adam picked up his pen.
“Take your time. I have to call and see if my favorite mailbird can come by.”
“Okay.” Little did Adam know that this pigeon wasn’t an ordinary bird by any sense of the word.
Tweet-tweet.
Adam raised his eyebrow at Tommy. The doorbell sounded softer and a little higher. Did it need to be fixed? “Should I get the door?”
Tommy chuckled and looked around. They were still in the living room. “Nah, he already flew in through the window. That was his impersonation of a sparrow.”
“Oh…” Adam tried to look for a pigeon with a sense of humor, but there was nothing to see… until it materialized on the coffee table. The pigeon was green and had grainy skin.
“Oh, hey! I didn’t see you there!” Tommy giggled and scratched the pigeon’s head. “You even closed your eyes and hid your claws, huh?”
Adam felt his heart melt when the pigeon sat on Tommy’s shoulder and nuzzled his nose. Tommy looked like a Disney prince.
“Adam, meet Satan. He’s a hybrid of a pigeon and a chameleon. Satan, this is Adam, my accidental guest.”
Adam now knew better than to ask Tommy if he had heard things right. He had adapted. He was actually making eye contact with a pigeon that was the master of camouflage and that had the audacity to work in Heaven as ‘Satan’. “Hi?”
The pigeon cooed before flying back to the coffee table. Adam watched as he checked his mother’s address on the back of the note and rolled the note with his claws. His saliva had to act like glue since a long tongue came out and licked a few spots to keep the roll intact. Satan then used his beck and tongue to push the note into his mail pouch under his right wing. The note was ready to be delivered.
While Adam replayed the shocking scene in his head, Tommy pulled a handful of star candies out of a jar. He let Satan sit in his lap and scratched his wings while he enjoyed his treat.
“Thank you.” Adam felt like it was the least he could do for someone who was going to spare his mother new worrylines. The pigeon cooed again and flew out the window as he and Tommy waved him goodbye. It had been a magical experience.
“Do you think I could have some of those candies too?” Adam pointed at the jar with his chin.
“Sure. Help yourself.” Tommy opened the lid and laughed as Adam took full advantage of his big hand. That was a real handful. “Stay close to me out there, okay? Don’t follow any strangers even if they dangle candy in front of your face.”
“Yes, mom.” Adam got slapped on the arm by Tommy’s wing, but it only made him laugh. “Do you want some?”
Tommy rolled his eyes as Adam dangled the candies in front of his face.
“Come on. Just one. It’s delicious.”
Tommy was about to refuse when Adam held a candy right in front of his mouth.
“Open up. Ah.”
Tommy sighed and let Adam push the candy into his mouth. But maybe he hadn’t opened his mouth wide enough because Adam’s fingers brushed his lips, giving him a tremor.
“Um, do you want another one?”
Tommy shook his head and looked into Adam’s eyes. What was this emotional charge between them? They were just having candies. Was this what Terrance had warned him about?
“Let’s go.” He shot up from the couch and opened the door.
Adam nodded and tossed the rest of the candies into his mouth. He couldn’t believe that he was about to explore other parts of Heaven.
He took baby steps as they walked from cloud to cloud. He was enthralled by all the different colors and sizes of angel wings. Each pair was unique and had its own charm. He liked Tommy’s wings the best though. They weren’t dyed or big, but they suited him beautifully and had a natural shine that made his fingers itch.
“Bless you, brother.” A female voice surprised him from his left. “I hope you get new wings soon.”
“Oh, thank you.” Adam tried to convey gratitude, wistfulness, and hope through his eyes. Thank God he had been trained in Broadway.
“Would you like a hug?”
“Excuse me?”
“A warm hug to help you feel better!”
“Sorry, sister,” Tommy butted in. “He and I just started seeing each other. I’d like it if nobody hugged him right under my nose.”
“Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay.” Tommy curled his arm around Adam’s waist. “Have a nice day.”
“Thank you. You too!” The angel flew away in a hurry, clearly embarrassed.
“What was that about?” Adam knew that he shouldn’t get hopeful, but he couldn’t stop smiling. “Were you jealous?”
“Nah. Giving out hugs is a tradition of ours. God puts a lot of emphasis on hugs. Of course you have to hug like you mean it and be respectful of the other soul.”
“What a wonderful tradition!”
“Yeah, I quite like it. But it’s also an easy way to earn angel points. I couldn’t let her hug you and find out later that she hadn’t gotten any new points. You’re not a registered soul.”
“I see. Good call then.” Adam thought about how nice it would’ve been if Tommy could earn points by hugging him. What a shame things didn’t work like that.
“Whoa, are those the trails?” He pointed at a double rainbow. It was the longest and widest one that he had ever seen.
“Yep. We’ll go to the music store on the right one and come back on the left one.”
“Okay.”
Tommy held Adam’s hand and led him onto the edge of the trail. The violet lane was the slowest, perfect for beginners. He stood close to the indigo lane and let Adam stand on the other side so the other passengers would see less of him. “You see how other angels glide on it? We’re going to do the same.”
Adam saw everyone go up and down the trail while standing in their rainbow socks. As ridiculous as it sounded, it looked like their socks were linked to the rainbow. Some angels were chatting on the phone, some were reading, and some were even dozing off. “What do I have to do?”
“Just wait for it. This is going to make you feel like you’re in a cartoon.”
Adam wondered what Tommy was talking about when he felt it. He moved his right foot back and forth, amazed at how it clung to the rainbow.
“Yeah, that’s going to keep you from falling off the trail.”
“Oh, wow.” Adam took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”
“Remember not to scream. We don’t want any unwanted attention.” Tommy squeezed Adam’s hand and pushed them forward.
Adam beamed as they slowly glided down the rainbow. It wasn’t too difficult to keep his balance, especially since Tommy was holding his hand. “You know, this is definitely the gayest thing I’ve ever done. I’m riding a long, thick rainbow, wearing angel pants and rainbow socks. I’m even holding hands with a guy who’s dressed the same.”
“Hahaha… At least, you don’t have to worry about someone giving you a hard time. You’re free to hold hands with whomever you like.”
“That’s nice.” Adam spared a thought for his fellow LGBTQ members downstairs. So it did get better after all.
“Do you use this trail often?”
“Nah, I only started to use it early this year. I used to be afraid of heights.”
“Really? Is that why I’m standing close to the edge while you’re all safe in there?” Adam grinned. He found that he loved teasing Tommy. He expected Tommy to slap him with his wing again, but he let go of his hand. “Oh my god, you’re a cruel teacher!”
“Don’t be dramatic. Even kids learn to ride on their own in a few minutes.” Tommy crossed his arms when Adam tried to grab his hand. “When there’s a lot of traffic, some angels ride the bottom of the rainbow upside down. I’m starting to think that’s a much safer way to keep you out of trouble.”
Adam groaned. This new side of Tommy only made him want to hold his hand even more. He had always had a thing for cute little bossy creatures. “Do they really ride upside down or are you messing with me?”
“I’m messing with you. You can’t ride the bottom of a rainbow.” Tommy flashed a grin.
“Don’t they take off points for lying to poor, innocent strangers?” Adam was careful not to use the word ‘human’.
“When it’s a joke, they don’t!” Tommy flapped his wings and moved ahead.
Adam needed a few seconds to catch up. He didn’t have any wings, so he had used his weight. He was getting the knack of it. “So what did you do before you could ride a rainbow? You just walked and flew?”
“Yeah. If I had to go farther, I took unicorn carriages. They’re like cabs around here. But it got too costly, so I put a lot of courage in my potions and got over my fear.”
“This is much cheaper?”
“It’s free actually. All you need is a pair of rainbow socks.”
“Does it also work with rainbow cushions?”
“Haha, no. I don’t know the reason though. Maybe God doesn’t want us to sit on our asses all day.”
Adam chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you get to enjoy this very gay ride now. And, I think you’re brave, Tommy. Very brave.”
When Adam held out his hand again, Tommy didn’t turn him down.
“Adam, wait.” Tommy held Adam back from entering the music store.
“What for?” Adam couldn’t wait to get a new poster of Freddie’s. He was also hoping to get some CDs if Tommy would kindly pay for them.
“We enjoy everything in rainbows here-CDs, photos, posters, and all. But this store has an antique section that sells paper posters.”
“Great!”
“Yeah, but posters is as far as they go. I can play all the CDs you want back at my place, but I don’t think you could take any of them home.”
“Oh, I see…” Adam couldn’t hide his disappointment. He had been too busy to even think about listening to music, but now he wished that he had spent every second appreciating new music.
“I’m sorry.” Tommy gave Adam a wing hug. It hurt to see him hurt.
“It’s okay. They’re not meant for my ears. I get it.” Adam already felt a little better with Tommy wrapped around his skin. Dirty thoughts knocked on his mind, but he didn’t let them in. He didn’t want to spook Tommy; he was a healthy guy who hadn’t enjoyed any type of physical pleasure in the past couple of days.
“Do you like ice cream?” Tommy pulled back, having enjoyed the hug too much.
“Of course I do.” Adam was grateful that Tommy had given him something else to think about.
“Then we’ll make a stop at the ice cream trees on our way home.”
Adam barely stopped himself from drooling. He was a sucker for ice cream.
“They’re literally ice cream trees. We have many things growing from trees. Seeds come from the Fifth Heaven and we plant them on the clouds. With the right type of fertilizer, it only takes them a few hours to grow.”
Adam didn’t know what to say. He needed to think of new ways to express his excitement.
“Come on.” Tommy pushed the door open. “They say reality could never beat fantasy, but I’d say those ice cream trees look pretty good in reality.”
“I’m sure they do!” Adam followed Tommy into the store, determined to stay conscious. With Freddie’s poster and ice cream trees, he’d be relieved if he hadn’t passed out by the end of the day.
Half an hour later, Adam left the store wearing a cylinder poster case on his back. He snorted when Tommy flew a few inches off the cloud and patted him on the head. He supposed that he looked like a schoolboy.
“Oh my god, Tommy…” He spotted the ice cream trees ahead. They were only a few clouds away.
“Yeah, they look even better up close.”
Adam didn’t waste any time getting over there, baby steps be damned. They looked like ancient oak trees with endless branches spreading out to the sky. Every branch seemed to display a different flavor of ice cream and it was packed with scoops ready to be put on a cone. Angels were picking up star cones from a huge pile and flying around to pick a flavor.
Tommy put his hand under Adam’s chin and helped him close his mouth. The poor thing looked bewildered by the wide selection. “Would you like to look around? I’ll go get two scoops of silver galaxy with a sprinkle of frost. It’s my favorite.”
“Okay.” Adam wanted to cry. He usually didn’t cry much, but Heaven was turning him into a crybaby. It cut him that he’d have to leave Heaven before trying all the flavors.
He walked around, reading the names of the flavors on the lower branches. He figured that he could ask for Tommy’s help if he wanted to check out the higher ones, but his brain was already getting fried. Everything both looked and sounded delicious. After sobbing inside as hard as he could, he picked honey eclipse and cherry aurora.
“Good choice!” Tommy put his thumbs up, hoping that Adam wouldn’t second-guess himself. “I already paid for both of us, so let’s go find an empty cloud. The view is awesome around here.”
“Thanks for paying for everything. I wish there was a way to repay you.” Adam wished that he could offer massages or wing rubs, but that might be inappropriate and go against his plan to not get too close to Tommy. “Maybe I could do some housework?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m having a lot of fun with you and it’s nice to have someone to talk to at home.” Tommy tapped the small cloud with his foot. “How about this one? It’s warm and cozy. They heat up the clouds here.”
“I noticed! This one’s fine. It looks like a heart, haha.” Adam settled down with his legs dangling off the edge. His heart warmed up at all the bright faces enjoying their ice creams. This had to be the happiest place in Heaven.
“Oh my god, this is to die for.” He moaned after his first bite… and his second bite… and his third bite. He was sure that the view was awesome if Tommy said so, but his eyes were closed as he tried to appreciate the taste without any distractions.
Tommy adjusted his pants with his free hand as Adam kept on moaning. This was ridiculous. He had managed to hold off an erection even when Adam was naked, but he was failing when Adam was having an ice cream?
“Oh, Tommy… I love you for bringing me here. Thank you.”
“No problem!” Tommy squeaked. Adam was dragging his tongue all over his ice cream, making him paint a naughty picture in his head. It was his turn to moan now.
He felt a pair of eyes on him and glanced at the angel who was sitting a few clouds away. He tried not to flinch. That wasn’t a look of curiosity or jealousy; the angel looked suspicious. Terrified that he might look at Adam too closely, he calmly took another bite of his ice cream and came up with an idea. It had worked earlier and it might work again.
“Adam, baby.” He stuck their cones into the cloud and wrapped his wings around his human companion. He wanted to hide as much of him as possible.
“Oh, is someone trying to hug me again?” Adam whispered, trying not to sound too excited.
“Something like that.” Tommy figured that there was no need to alert him. It would look more natural if only one of them knew what was going on.
Adam returned Tommy’s hug and kissed him on the cheek. He expected it to be the end of their act, but Tommy’s hands slowly climbed up his back. He shivered as those small hands reached his hair and pulled him down for a kiss. Things were getting even more unreal than ice cream trees.
It was just a peck at first. But Tommy could still feel the angel’s eyes on him and Adam got greedy. A few more pecks did nothing to satisfy him, so he pulled Tommy closer and deepened the kiss.
Tommy heard the angel fly away. His plan had worked. But he couldn’t find it in him to move when he was being kissed so preciously.
Adam caressed Tommy’s cheek and broke the kiss. This felt like too much of a date. They were sitting alone on a heart-shaped cloud and had just shared an ice cream kiss. So much for keeping his distance. “I think I should try silver galaxy next time. It was absolutely mind-blowing.”
Tommy blushed and Adam smacked his lips. They both knew what Adam was really talking about. The silence that followed was filled with the two finishing their ice creams as they dreamed about the same thing that they’d be wise not to dream about.
Soul meets soul on lovers’ lips. - Percy Bysshe Shelly