Wesley’s eyes were locked on Spike’s as they both straddled chairs and waited for Angel to complete his marks. His arms hugged the back of the chair and Spike’s ran over them soothingly. He tensed as another particularly harsh burn began, then relaxed as it faded to an aching throb.
It wasn’t as painful as he’d thought it would be. It hurt, but he’d had worse pain. There was something hypnotic about it, the buzz of the machine as it worked, the prick of the needle on his upper shoulder as Angel created his mark. He could smell his own blood in the air, combined with the rather unusual scent of the ink Angel was using. He wondered how well the vampires were faring.
Spike had gone first when he sensed Wesley’s nervousness. They’d both agreed to let Angel mark them, to let him create one of his masterpieces on their skin. With what they were soon to face, all of them needed the reassurance, the connection. Angel most of all. Now that all his senses were being engaged as Angel worked, Wesley realized how much he had needed this too. He’d never felt so much a part of them before.
The buzzing paused and Wesley felt a wet swipe over his skin. It burned, then soothed, but the throbbing ache remained. He turned to look, realizing that it was Angel, licking at his bleeding skin, healing it as he worked. Wesley had watched him do the same on Spike, and the tenderness he’d seen had eased his fears of having this done to himself.
Spike softly grabbed his chin and turned his head back. “No peeking,” he whispered, and leaned forward to capture Wesley’s lips in a kiss. Wesley was momentarily distracted from the pain, and Angel continued to clean his tender flesh. The buzzing started again, and Wesley couldn’t help but tense in Spike’s embrace. He met Spike’s eyes and waited for the pain to fade into the background of his thoughts.
Angel hadn’t told either of them what he would do. Wesley thought he may not even know himself. He knew it would be something stunning, something just for him. Angel’s tattoo was of a griffin, that mysterious magical creature. Mythologically, it was known as one of the most powerful creatures, with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. It was known for protecting treasure, a guardian of anything held dear.
Wesley thought it suited Angel perfectly. The world couldn’t ask for a more dedicated guardian. With all of Angel’s faults, and Wesley wasn’t blinded by emotion enough to see that there weren’t many, he still held the world and the people in it dear. The fact that Wesley ranked high in his regard was a bonus, something he rarely considered until moments like this when he was shown how much he was cherished.
Spike hadn’t yet let him see what Angel had created on his shoulder. In fact, when Angel had been working on Spike, the vampire kept him distracted and he never thought to look. How Spike managed to practically seduce him while sitting motionless in a chair was beyond Wesley, but the vampire had done it. He focused his gaze back onto Spike and smiled.
His daydreaming must have lasted longer than he thought, because before he knew it Angel was finished, lifting Wesley up and running his fingers over the tender, decorated skin. “Beautiful.”
At Angel’s whispered word, Wesley turned and let his eyes meet Angel’s. He heard a gasp from behind him and looked back over his shoulder to see Spike’s wide-eyes staring at his tattoo. “Oh, luv, it’s perfect.” Spike rose up on his knees and leaned in. Angel wrapped an arm around each of them before guiding them all to their feet. Leading them into the bedroom, Wesley got his first look at Spike’s tattoo. It nearly took his breath away.
There were two griffins on Spike’s back, their backs facing each other and wings spread wide. Clenched in one paw was a railroad spike, in the other was the letter A. Angel’s Spike. That he was. The vampires rarely showed tenderness towards each other, their prickly attitudes guarding their feelings. With this, Wesley knew beyond a doubt just how strongly Angel felt.
Angel led him to a mirror and turned him around. Wesley met Angel’s eyes again before looking back over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of his own marking. Another griffin, this one holding a book and a sword. Its wings stretched wide, and on one was Angel’s A. The other held an S, its side pierced by a spike.
Wesley had to grab Angel’s arm for support. He’d never seen anything so lovely. He ached to run his fingers over it, to study it more closely and memorize every line, every nuance of its meaning. Strong hands guided him onwards though, and Wesley let himself be led to the bed, where the vampires settled beside him.
Spike lapped at Wesley’s shoulder, adding an extra layer of healing and Wesley could feel Angel doing the same to Spike. They would be healed before the night was over, healed when they faced their final battle.
Angel knew that they probably wouldn’t survive. Wesley knew that out of all of them he had the least chance for success. He tried not to think about it as cool hands caressed him and brought him to the edge of release over and over again, until finally, Angel slid into him and Wesley couldn’t think any more. Surrounded by his vampires, Wesley succumbed to his emotions and let his senses carry him away.
When he was crying out for them, they struck in unison, fangs sinking into opposite sides of his neck, creating yet another safeguard for him in the coming battle. Whatever tomorrow brought, Wesley could face the evil knowing that not only did he have Angel’s protection, but also that he was treasured by two of the greatest guardians of them all.
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