Summary of the chapter: Matthew makes a bitter discovery and someone pays a visit to him and Dominic...
The title of the chapter is from 'Easily' by Muse.
Chapter VII (I) : When you're feeling beautiful will you remember me?
- It's unbelievable! How could this happen to me, the fierce ruler of the Lust circle, the unquestioned master of the most perverse and scabrous arts? Now I'm all puzzled and disoriented because of what this blondie did… considering that even a kiss between whelps is more passionate! - Matthew ponders, with his head comfortably placed on Dominic's wing, as his fingers play softly with his feathers, without damaging any of them.
The devil goes on with his reflections that preceded his sleep and now are welcoming his awakening.
- Look at him, now, peaceful and blessed. He sleeps like a little angel, of course; he is a little angel! - the brunet smiles at that remark.
Dominic pops his eyes open right in that moment, turning to the devil.
"What are you doing? Were you staring at me?" he wonders with a little giggle.
"Uh! Yeah, little angel. I was observing the enemy. What kind of nemesis would I be otherwise?" Matthew justifies, parting from him and hiding his awkwardness brilliantly.
"So, good morning, dear nemesis of mine! Don't you think it's a wonderful day?" the blond stirs, getting up from the bed and trotting around the room.
"What is so wonderful? It's Winter, it's bloody cold, there's such a grey sky that brings depression at the only sight, besides… you shouldn't be so cheerful!"
"No? So how am I supposed to be?" the blond asks him amused.
"Stuck to the bed, with the king of the headaches, in a sort of coma… just like everyone after getting bloody drunk!" the gorgeous devil explains.
"Yeah, sure, me out of play and you free to subjugate poor Chris as you please? I'm sorry to spoil your evil plans, but the post-alcohol hangover doesn't belong to angels!" the heavenly creature informs him, crossing his arms at his chest and challenging him with his look.
"I hate you!" Matthew snorts, glaring at him with his icy look.
"Good, what kind of nemesis would you be otherwise?" the gorgeous angel chuckles, winking at him. "Hey, you look good with some colors on you!" he adds, pointing to the brunet's multicolored T-shirt.
"And you look good all stripped! Nice white boxers, by the way!" Matt chuckles, pointing at the blond's unbuttoned jeans.
"Oh, blessed heaven! I didn't remember that!" the blond alarms, awkwardly, grabbing the two ends of his jeans and jumping around the room as he tries to button them up.
"They are so uncomfortable!" he snorts.
"If you're thinking about your tunic, well… forget it! I… inadvertently burned it as you were sleeping!" Matthew informs him.
"You WHAT?" the blond snaps, enraged. "You know that I can make another one appear!"
"You know that I'd burn all of them!"
"Inadvertently?" Dom asks him rhetorically, raising his eyebrow.
"Of course!" the hellish creature sneers.
"Okay, here's the compromise: more uncomfortable me, more coloured you!" the blond suggests.
"Deal!" the brunet nods, wearing his white jeans.
"Good morning, guys, did you sleep well? Are you ready to face this wonderful day?" Chris almost chirps, reaching them.
"Enough with this story! I'm talking to both of you, quit with this damn, unjustified joy! You make me sick!" Matthew snaps.
"My joy isn't unjustified at all, I just have to think about tonight to be happy. You remember, don't you?" the human smiles dazed.
"Love triumphs!" the angel rejoices, entwining his own fingers and bringing them to his heart.
"And carnal pleasures will overflow!" the devil sneers mischievously.
"C'mon, guys, I have only one hour to play with you, before going to work!" Chris informs them, but the two supernatural creatures don't even seem to hear him, as busy as they are fighting over the umpteenth disagreement.
"Why do you always have to confine your thoughts to that thing? It must be a meeting of souls, first of all!" the gorgeous angel states.
"Well, considering that I have no soul, which kind of meeting were you aiming at yesterday, little angel?" the hellish creature asks him, insidious.
"What's the matter? Yesterday I just drank alcohol. It has nothing to do with the carnal pleasures!" Dominic strikes back.
The only answer that he gets is Matt and Chris' laughter.
"What did I say wrong?" the blond wonders, fluttering his wings in frustration.
"I'll explain that to you one of these days," the curly-headed guy smiles at him.
"No, I want to know now!" Dom strikes back, amazing himself with his insistence.
"What can I say, naive little thing? Very often, between a meeting of souls and a passionate night of wild sex there's only the difference of... one of two too many!" Matthew winks at the blond, as he plays with his own tail.
Shocked, Dom looks for confirmations, turning to Chris.
"He's right, Dominic," the bassist nods. "Alcohol loosens people's inhibitions and makes everything more flowing, if you know what I mean!"
"But I loosened nothing. First I slept on the sofa and then I slept in the bed, I don't remember anything else!" Dominic explains, as he places himself at the drums.
Matthew begins to laugh and if it wasn't for the strap that holds it, the guitar that has just slipped from his grip would have ruinously ended on the floor.
-What does it means that he remembers nothing? Anything, really?-
"So you have nothing to worry about!" Chris smiles at the angel.
"That's right. I was sleepy and Matthew helped me... " Dom says and then he jolts. "Wait a minute. You were wearing the tight-wrap... the boxers ... and my jeans were unbuttoned!" the celestial creature worries, throwing the drumsticks in the air.
"Yep, because you asked me to unbutton them for you!" Matt explains as he checks if the guitar is tuned, just like Chris has taught to him.
"I asked you to do... WHAT?" the blond feels as if he was missing air, as he picks the drumsticks from the floor.
"They jeans were bothering you because they were too tight, what the hell did you understand, you, moron?" the devil snaps, already nervous because of the fact that Dominic forgot everything.
"So... you didn't take advantage of me, did you?" Dominic wonders.
"I did not!" Matt snorts as he tunes the E string.
"How can I believe you?" the beautiful angel frowns.
"May I be damned if I'm lying to you!" the beautiful devil hisses, as he's working on the A string.
"Thank you so much, now I really believe you!" the blond snorts, crossing his arms against his chest and pouting. "Oh, pretty please, show me that I can really trust you!" the blond insists, rolling with the drums as he waits for Matt to speak.
"Okay, may I be blessed if I'm lying to you! You're still pure and candid like a stupid white unicorn running over a stupid blanket of stupid white and immaculate snow!" the brunet grumbles, as he finishes tuning the D chord.
"This is what I really needed you to say!" Dom grins, as he hits the cymbals satisfied.
As long as he didn't admit it, Matthew hasn't realised what he effectively did… or rather did not.
-I did not take advantage of him. How can it be? He was served to me on a silver plate… and I did nothing!- Matthew ponders, as he plays the G chord and goes to the B chord.
-He was there, not fully aware of what was happening, prey of an overwhelming drunkenness, I could have done anything to him, he would have screamed, asking for more, begging me, adoring me, adoring me, not his stupid, useless prig god!-
"Matt," Chris calls him, but the devil doesn't even seem to hear him, as he keeps twisting the key to tune the string, following the stormy sea of his thoughts.
-I would have made him have pleasure as he didn't even begin to do that and then, the day after, I would have told him what had happened, with every dirty, lusty detail. For bad measure, I would have shot him with a camera! So the little angel, all shocked and anguished would have seen the exact moment where he said bye-bye to his unbearable purity that burnt away like ashes in the wind. That would have destroyed him, he would have been humiliated, eternally stained by the shame. In his kingdom, his boss would have given him a hard time, he would have degraded him or maybe he wouldn't have even taken his little angel back!- Matt daydreams as he stares at the angel as he's practicing at the drums, with his eyes sparkling with joy in that storm of undefined colours that the devil could spend hours trying to decipher.
"Matt," Chris tries again, uselessly.
-Why the fuck didn't I do that? I've never questioned myself if someone really wanted or not what I was doing to him or her. What does he have so different? He can't have knocked me out with that whelp kiss. He must have done something else to me, he bewitched me. No, wait, witchcraft is not angels' stuff, angels don't do such things! So why… -
"Dammit, Matthew! You'll end up breaking the chord if you keep twisting its key that way, quit it!" Chris takes the hellish creature's mind away, kind of rudely.
"Uh! Right, it's just that I wanted to be sure of doing a proper job!" the brunet shrugs, setting the B chord and tuning even the E chord again.
"Hey, Chris, do you write songs, too?" Dominic asks him.
"I try. Why?" Chris asks curiously.
"Because I think you should write a song about respect… the respect Matthew had for me tonight!" the blond explains.
That word is like a stab through Matthew's heart, but the warm smile that the angel shows him immediately after is a soothing balsam to heal that wound.
"I'll think about it, after all I owe you so much, for being always so supportive with me. So if this is a way to repay you, I'll do it!" the human assures.
"Why don't you owe a lot to me?" Matthew barks.
"I don't even want to imagine the way I would have to repay you!" the bassist rolls his eyes.
Pleased by that answer, Dominic keeps enjoying the clinking sound of the cymbals, as he thinks about what happened.
-Wine and me don't get along, now I know that. Lucky for me, Matthew did nothing to me. – he recalls, relieved, but it's an ephemeral relief.
-Matthew didn't harass me because he respects me, but because he doesn't care about me. Why should he ever show interest for a creature that he considers boring, pestering and not funny at all? Probably not even alcohol made me funnier!- he jumps to his own conclusions, as he feels the urge to give vent to his frustration with something less delicate than cymbals.
-Of course, I just have to be happy if Matt didn't put even a finger on me, sure! No wonder why, he surely must be more attracted by beings like him, because he doesn't have to bother much to get what he wants, because it's what they want as well. Stupid, immoral behavior! Matt must surely miss his stupid friend, whatshisname… Billie Boh or the other one, the stupid, hellish, simpering girl!- he ponders as he hits the toms violently, without even reminding himself that he shouldn't ever be feeling something like envy or jealousy.
"Okay, Dominic, it's enough!" Chris takes his mind away, as Matthew was enjoying that's how, even more when he sees the angel starting to sweat because all that working out.
"We did enough warming-up, now let's try to play one of the songs I taught to you!" the human exhorts them.
They start a song from Nirvana, but Matthew stops immediately, staring disappointed at his guitar.
"What's wrong, Matt?" Chris asks him.
"I don't know, this guitar is just too mediocre. It doesn't fit me, it doesn't fit my personality!" the devil grumbles, before closing his eyes to concentrate for few seconds.
He opens his eyes again and stretches his finger to the instrument that instantly changes from black to flaming red, covered by glitter.
"Now this is fucking better!" the devil smirks, pleased.
"Do whatever you want to the guitar, but stay away from my bass!" Chris growls, but Matthew deliberately ignores him, as busy as he is staring at the ground.
"Hey, Tom, before you dare to give me another fucking speech about the abuse of magic, let me remind you that Dominic brought time back yesterday… which seems to me a little more demanding magic than mine!" the hellish creature justifies.
Hearing that news Chris stares at Dom, dumbfounded.
"Did you bring time back? When?"
Dominic doesn't even hear him, as busy as he is staring at Matt, with his holy mouth opened in an 'O' shape.
"You… you called me by my name!" he blathers astonished, before a mad grin takes place on his face.
"Did Dominic bring time back? Why?" Chris wonders again, this time turning to Matt, but with the same unsatisfying result.
The devil is looking at the angel with his eyes clouded with gloominess, mixed with disillusion.
-Little angel, you don't remember any single thing about last night!-
However, he reminds himself who he is and fixes everything up to maintain his bad reputation intact.
"Well, yeah, I called you by name, so what? After you have spent whole days pestering the damn existence out of me, as you kept repeating your bloody name, I've just showed you that I got the sodding message; but don't make it a public affair, little angel!" the brunet shrugs, with a bitter tone, as he pretends total indifference.
"But this is a public affair, little devil!" Dom sticks his tongue out at him, with a cocky smirk that Matt didn't even know that angels were capable of.
Both of those facts make him smile.
"Hey, Matt, weren't you supposed to get scarily pissed off if someone dared to call you that?" Chris reminds to him.
"Shut the fuck up!" the devil growls, rolling his eyes.
As if Matt hadn't already many troubles to worry about!
"Well, at least you changed sentence, you seemed a broken record with that damn 'you brought time back!' issue!" he adds immediately after, with the insolence so typical of him.
"So you did hear me! But you don't want to answer me anyway!" the bassist pouts.
"Right, sonny. These are details that humans are not supposed to know, this is the only answer I can give you," Dom replies and then he looks above, at an indefinite spot of the ceiling.
"Archangel Morgan, if I'm not wrong, you should have a sort of sphere that records all that happens here while Chris is with us, right? If I'm not asking much, you could save for me the recording of this morning, pretty please? At least the part where Matthew called me by my name, it's such a unique event!" the beautiful angel requests.
"Of course, I'm asking for it as an unquestionable proof of how we angels can have a good influence on these tremendous devils, when we try really hard!" he adds immediately after, but to Matt's ears sound so much like a pathetic excuse.
"Good influence on me? You? Don't make me laugh!" the devil barks back.
All of the sudden, the whole garage shines with a blinding light, a baby blue light, with a tinkling that increases second by second.
"What's going on?" Chris wonders, agitated.
"We're about to receive a visit!" Dominic smiles serenely at him, as he keeps staring above. "Maybe he's going to give me the recording personally!" he gloats with dreamy eyes.
"I guess he's going to punish you for the bloody crap you said before!" Matt snaps, as he stares above as careful as the blond.
Chris begins to figure out what it's about when he sees the first feathers that increase their number, becoming a wonderful pair of majestic, white wings.
The owner of those wings smiles benevolent at Chris. It's a smile that can calm every soul down.
The tinkling and the light fade way as soon as the winged creature puts his humble shoes on the ground.
Chris observes the creature more carefully: he's tall, nothing more than thirty-five years old, he's blond, but his hair is darker than Dom's and his halo is brighter, almost white, as Dom has a golden halo.
"Archangel Morgan!" Dominic cheers, getting up from the drums and running towards him.
"There are way too many plumed guys here!" Matt snorts, as Chris is lost in his own thoughts.
- If this is an archangel and appeared to me in such an imposing way, I don't even want to imagine how it would be if… -
He doesn't even the time to end his mental consideration because the ground starts to tremble, as if there was an earthquake.
"Here comes the reinforcement, so we can play even!" Matthew sneers satisfied, moving towards the drums where all the others are.
The floor opens in many gulfs, spitting out high flames that devour everything but the spot where the four people are.
"My sofa! My TV! My sink! My piano!" Chris despairs, as he watches impotently that sad show.
From the highest flames a dark figure pops out. He doesn't seem to be older than thirty years old, he has black horns, a little bigger than Matt's, and a wicked sneer on his face, as an evil light sparkles in his eyes, as black as his hair.
"Excuse me for being late!" he cheers, as the flames fade away, until they're gone.
"Tom!" Matt greets him.
"My… my poor garage!" Chris whines, in utter shock.
"Oh, c'mon, big guy, how many times did I tell you that devils like way too big special effects?" Dominic rolls his eyes.
"He's right, sonny. Look!" Morgan smiles quietly at the human.
In just few seconds, every gulf closes up and from the ashes every item and every object is reborn again until everything is fixed up, to the human's big relief.
"This is what I call a proper entrance!" Tom brags, as he stares at his nails.
"One day I'm going to reach his same level!" Matt asserts ambitiously to Dom, as he stares at Tom with deep admiration in his blue eyes.
"Why did you reach them? If I got it straight you are their bosses, right?" Chris asks them, after recovering.
"Did you bring me the recording as I asked you to?" Dominic asks his chief, as his emerald eyes shine with great expectations.
"Did you come here to punch the plumed blondie because of the huge crap he said before?" Matt asks his chief, rhetorically.
"No!" is the harsh answer they both get from their bosses.
"After all, sonny, I'm here to give you something," Morgan announces, as he draws a white wallet from his pocket and gives him to his subordinate.
"Is it for me? Really? Thank you so much!" Dom grins thankfully, putting the wallet in his pocket.
"Hey, I also have something for you, little bastard!" Tom chuckles, giving Matt an identical wallet, but red.
"Saving the fact that I don't need this bloody, sissy accessory, there are things like these even on Earth, even with a better and much more modern design!" Matt snaps.
"You're always so insolent!" Tom hisses, slapping his nape. "They're not normal wallets, you bloody idiot! They are magic ones and they fill themselves with money whenever you need it!" the arch-devil explains.
"That's right. Chris, my darling, forgive our intrusion, but, you know, these are things that you can't send with a recorded delivery, you can't trust in celestial Postal service!" the archangel rolls his eyes.
"And it's the same for hellish Postal service! As I always say, if you want a proper job, do it on your bloody own!" Tom shrugs.
"Why are you giving us such a gift?" Dom questions them.
"Because we saw your chores yesterday morning at that lovely old lady's house, but, Dominic, I'd rather you to address your heavenly energies towards a more noble goal!" Morgan grumbles, a little awkwardly.
"Damn you, Morgy, what an endless, useless paraphrase to say that they were pathetic and made a poor impression for both of our kingdoms. Such a thing must never ever happen again!" Tom snaps, less kindly, of course. "Anyway, it was a great gate, my dear failed housepainter!" he makes fun of his subordinate who glares glacially at him.
"It's what I tried to say, as well, it's just that was more tactful, but I don't think that this is a word that you can find inside your evil, wicked and depraved vocabulary!" the archangel snorts as Dom nods vigorously, glaring at Matt.
"However, Dominic, this is only for necessary purchases, not to depend on the good Chris who already was at your disposal!" Morgan states.
"I don't think so. If Chris was at their disposal, he would have already given his soul to my pupil!" Tom barks back and this time it's Matt the one who nods vigorously.
"Ignore them, Chris!" Dom suggests him.
"I've already learnt how to do that for long!" the human shrugs.
"Anyway, Matt, you heard him, didn't you? Only for extremely necessary purchases. So don't even think that you can use that wallet to buy…I don't know, a rucksack with a jet engine or a robot, because the wallet won't spill out not even a pound! And knowing you, I know that you would be able of it!" the arch-devil reproaches Matthew.
"Killjoy!" his subordinate mutters, crossing his arms against his chest, vexed like a child who can't play to his favourite game.
Uncaring of his continuous grumbling and intelligible swearwords, Tom stares intently at Dominic, cold and impassible.
"Hey, one-thousand-feathers, your one-hundred-feathers brought the time back, didn't he?" he turns to Morgan, but without taking his eyes off the angel.
"Yep, I did, so what?" Dom bravely faces the arch-devil.
"Well, well, such an audacious bloke, my compliments!" Tom smiles at him.
Honestly, Matt doesn't like all that attention to Dominic from his boss.
"Well, now that you gave us these very useful gifts, there isn't anything else that keep you here, is there?" he exclaims, trying to sound as kind as he can but failing miserably.
"Hey, wait, at least you two, could you tell me about the issue of bringing back time?" Chris dares to ask, devoured by curiosity.
"I already told you, Chris, we can't reveal anything to you!" Dom repeats.
"Well, considering that in this mission you're already breaking tons of rules, one more, one less, it's not such a big damage!" Morgan declares, very permissive.
"Right, my hated nemesis. So, big dupe, you must know that, as you were babysitting those two fashion victims who didn't want to leave the stores anymore, you lost the sense of time and you realised it only when it was too late to run to the park to see your pretty girl!" Tom reveals.
"Yeah, but when he saw you so upset, with his golden heart Dom couldn't resist and decided to do something for you and," Morgan goes on.
"He brought time back, so I could arrive in time to the Den!" Chris figures out, showing Dominic a smile full of thankfulness.
"Can't you see, Tom? If you didn't bothered the fuck out of me about the abuse of magic, I would have anticipated Dom, offering Chris to bring time back if he gave me his soul, so now we would be the unquestionable winners!" Matt makes his boss notice. "Instead, the bloody Good Samaritan came and do that favour to Chris for free!" he adds, glaring at Dom.
"I would never accept it, so save your breath for something more intelligent to say!" Chris snorts.
"I like how you cope with my pupil, you big dupe!" Tom chuckles.
"Do you like it so much that you can quit calling me 'big dupe'?" Chris hazards a request.
"Nope, but I like the fact that you asked me that!" the arch-devil laughs.
"Well, Tommy, as the dear Matt already made us notice, we are done here, let's leave the guys to their mission!" Morgan exhorts him.
"That's right, but since we are here, why don't we take advantage of it? Let's go take a walk here in England, in the name of the dear old times!" Tom suggests.
"Old times?" Dom repeats curiously.
"Does it mean that you were on a mission on Earth, too?" Matt asks, as intrigued as well.
"Of course! We rose through the ranks, like everyone did, sonnies!" Morgan chuckles. "We had a lot of missions."
"But only one when we were fighting for the same soul, just here in England, but more than five-hundred years ago!" Tom explains.
"He's right, back to that time we were just like you!" the archangel smiles.
"Who won at the end?" Matt asks eagerly.
"Yes, please, be kind, tell us!" Dom exhorts them.
Tom and Morgan exchange an understanding look, and then they both shake their head negatively.
"We're sorry but we don't want to interfere with your deeds so far, my dear guys!" Morgan justifies.
"This is just a bunch of fucking craps! Truth is that we want to make you die with curiosity, until you'll explode!" Tom laughs.
"The most important thing is that you keep doing your best. Maybe not you, Matthew, do not try too hard!" the archangel jokes.
"You wish!" Matt challenges him with his fierce look.
"C'mon, let's go to London, I want to see the technology stores. Humans invented so much stuff! I want to know more about cameras, you know, they are so much more practical than our spheres, they capture the images but they can even shoot things, even very long events… I want to know everything about it!" Tom speaks excitedly, thrilled by that subject and all the possibilities that it offers, before disappearing with a high flame.
"Why did I bother myself to go down on Earth?" Morgan rolls his eyes, following his example and disappearing as well, leaving only a feather on the floor.
"Let's follow them and force them to tell us the truth!" Matt suggests and Dom is about to agree.
"Forget it! You are busy with me. We've already lost enough time, let's go to your instruments, now!" Chris orders with authority.
"I preferred him when he was scared and shocked by us the first day!" Dom confesses to Matt, making the devil smile.
As he's about to take his shining and bright guitar, the devil observes the angel as he sits back at the drums, with one thought only in his mind.
-If only someone invented something to bring the memory back!-
(End I)
Probably Matt and Dom will never know who won that mission, but you'll find out next time… in the meantime you can place a bet on, lol! Tom or Morgan? ;P
Hope you'll still like it, please, feel free to tell me e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! ^^