Ronald fidgeted while I gently cleaned around his eye. More then once I had to hold his head still so I could exam it. Upon closer inspection, I saw a cut that had to have been made with one of Adrian's talons he called fingernails. I sighed as I watched it slowly heal to make sure it wouldn't damage the eye later. Once I did all I could with his face, I ran my gaze over the rest of his form while he spoke with my lover.
"Uh…Mr. Spears wanted me to inform you on the Council's motivations. There has been more discussion on the topic of the boss man's grand- Owww!" I poked at the left side of his rib cage that he was still holding. He squirmed away from me with a glare on his face. I lifted my eyebrows at him. Either I must have kicked him harder then I thought back there or the silver haired man got in a shot at the same spot.
"Take off your shirt." The blonde sputtered out protests, but I just crossed my arms and looked at him expectedly. He casted a look over to the former undertaker, but the man only gave his permission with a wave of his hand. Ronald hesitantly stripped off his suit jacket, tie, and white button up shirt to reveal a nasty dark blotch of skin on his ribs. I took in the damaged skin and hid a wince. I lifted the younger reaper's arm so his elbow was parallel to his shoulder as I knelt to the floor to get a better look.
"Right. Like I said, you got one hell of a kick, miss…." His word trailed off as I checked the edges of the bruise before I probed further. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adrian take in the aftermath of my attack with a look of pride. I rolled my eyes with a small, hidden grin that showed how pleased I was with his admiration. I realized that Ronald was waiting for my name after a few more seconds.
"Call me Cal, Blondie. I have a feeling we will be working together for awhile until this mess is over. By the way, sorry about this." I never looked up, but I could guess he looked puzzled over my words. He had just put his glasses back on his face as he tilted his head to try and see the damage.
"Sorry about wha-Owwww! Son of a bitch!" He flinched back away from my hands, but I managed to grab ahold of his arm and pulled him back to me. He fought me like a stray cat, but I didn't release my hold when he gave me a soundless snarl. I felt along his ribs to check to see how bad I injured the younger man.
Then the war of snarkiness began.
"I said I was sorry. Stop squirming! It'll only hurt more if you don't relax!"
"You try and relax when you have someone pressing on a few broken ribs, you hothead!"
"Oh, please! It's not all are broken only one is, you wuss! And who are you calling hothead, you scrawny runt!"
"I'm not a wuss or scrawny! And if the shoe fits, hothead, or do you like ginger biscuits!?"
"At least I have a consistent hair color, cowlick boy! And stop moving!"
"Hey, my cowlick is-Ouch! Where did you learn bedside manners, at the morgue?! Stop poking it you rusty haired devil woman!"
"How else am I supposed to make sure it heals correctly!? Do you want it to puncture a lung, goggles!? And my bedside manner is fine!"
"Sure if you're one of the dead, ginger snap! And leave my glasses out of this!"
"No one's ever complained before, goldilocks! I mean it! Stop moving or I'll tie you to the chair!"
"Of course they haven't complained about it before! They're either dead or afraid of getting roasted, tomato top!"
"Then maybe I should roast you, reaperling! Nothing to complain about then! I said hold still!"
"Sure, frying me will just solve everything! You already tried that back on the ship, shortcake!"
"You're not much taller then me! Call me that again, and I'll show you what I learned working in the morgue!"
"Not so tight! I'd like to be able to breathe, devil woman! Owwww! Quit it!"
"It has to be tight, sissy boy! Pick a new insult! You've used that one already! Oww! Don't pull my hair!"
By now both of us are glaring at each other with Adrian laughing in the background. I was halfway done with wrapping his ribs with the bandages pulled tight, and he had a hand full of my bangs in one of his hands. Neither of us was willing to back down, but we looked over to the other being in the room as his volume kept increasing.
"Shut it, you crazy old man/you manic!" We shouted at him, but he just laughed harder with his arms holding his stomach as he fell off the chair. Tears were streaming down his face as he rolled in the floor, and I just huffed at the mad man. While I was happy he found some entertainment, I wish it wasn't at my expense. I pulled the bandages tighter to finish binding Ronald's ribs, and I took sadistic pleasure at the yelp above my head…until he yanked on my hair again.
"Let go, you baby! I'm almost done!" I managed to smack his hand away from my copper bangs.
"I'm not a baby! You're pulling it too tight, fireball! I can't breathe!"
"You're a reaper! You don't need to breathe! Suck it up and be a man!"
"I am a man! Just because I don't need to breathe doesn't mean I don't want to!"
"Well, you could've fooled me with your manliness! I know girls that are tougher then you! Maybe I should call you Rhonda if you're going to whine!"
"Grrrr! I'll show you just how manly I can be! Damn it! Stop pulling!"
"Sure you will! Right after you ask Adrian to-There, done!"
I sat back on my heels looking quite pleased with my handy work. Ronald just muttered under his breath about vicious redheads while he slipped his arms back into his shirt. My lover was still laughing, but they were dying into chuckles now that we were shouting anymore.
"Hahahahaha! Oh, kitten!~ I needed that!" He said as he pulled himself back upright. One he got seated again, he snatched me up off the floor to place me on his lap. I could still feel a few chuckles shaking his body as he wrapped his arms around me. I leaned back into his warmth with a smile as Ronald finished buttoning up his shirt. He gave me one last glower before clearing Adrian cleared his throat making the active soul harvester look up at the silver haired man.
"Right, lad. You were saying?" Realizing that play time was now over, the younger man composed himself to finish with his message. I couldn't help but think that he looked more relaxed in the company of my tiger now. I certainly didn't plan on it happening that way, but I'll take what I can get. Men….
"The elders still don't know you are her protection. In all honesty, I think they think you're dead, and that has made them arrogant. I've heard stories about your escape while keeping your scythe, and man…after I saw the way you fight, the rumors don't do you justice. The old guys were terrified of even the smallest hearsay about you, and they still flinch at the mention of your name." This made the older man give a smile full of sharp teeth that I caught in my peripheral vision.
"They don't know you are in contact with the boss man. They do know she has his death scythe though, so the Council has ordered more hunting parties to search for the ginger snap here. I'm sure you were already aware of the last fact, right?" I glared at the nickname he used as I saw the mane of silver bob as he nodded.
"Ok, great. So, Mr. Spears is currently looking for all other reapers that are against the old folks. You wouldn't be surprised at how many people are pissed at those bats, but they are reluctant to act without proof of her," he said as he pointed at me. "The fossils on the Council are still powerful enough to make most of us younger reapers think twice about revolting, but with the two of you leading us, Mr. Spears thinks we can succeed in putting them out to pasture."
He paused for a moment to catch his breath, and I briefly wondered if I did pull the bindings on his torso to tight. The blonde gave me another glare as I thought it over, and suddenly I stopped feeling so guilty. Ronald could handle it just fine. He would need to get use to it if he was going to be our contact reaper as this mess went on. I gave the younger man a sweet smile that made him try to shoot daggers out of his eyes, but he looked very serious as he continued with his message.
"Mr. Spears also wanted you to know that the Council has informed the Lower Choir of Angels of Cal. They want to give her over to them after they finish whatever twisted scheme they have in mind for her." This made Adrian stiffen tighter then a bow string. I tensed a bit myself at the information, and I felt like cursing myself for not even thinking about the angels at all. They say hindsight is twenty twenty, but still…
"What about the Upper Choir? Surely they would support Zion's release." The former mortician asked the other man in the room. Ronald just shook his head in dismay, and he scrubbed his face with his hands being careful to avoid his tender skin around his healing eye. The older man used one of his hands to push his bangs back, a habit I noticed when he's worried about something.
"The Upper Choir is currently busy trying to keep demons from entering in this realm to look for her. I think Raphael or Gabriel is the only one overseeing things in the Holy Realm at the moment. The majority of both Choirs are fighting with the demons, but…well…you can figure it out." I turned to look up at my lover. His eyes glanced down at me, and read my unasked question. He ran his hand through his hair again with a sigh.
"Most angels belong to the Lower Choir in the Holy Realm. They are soldiers, messengers, guardians, and what nots. The Upper Choir consists of the archangels. They're like commanders and supervisors of the lower angels. I'm sure Zion has told you some of the workings of the Holy Realm?" I nodded to the question feeling like the situation was getting worse the longer time went on.
"The archangels have the power to punish any regular angels that break the laws, and when Zion was sealed away, Raphael stripped those responsible of their wings and banished them. He was very close to his brother, and took the whole thing very bad." Adrian paused and I watched as his eyes went a bit unfocused as he sifted through his memory. Ronald picked up the story again after a few minutes of silence.
"The archangels can only overpower so many angels, and not even Raphael can keep that many of the Lower Choir on their leashes. And don't even get me started on what the demons are doing! Right now I can safely say there is a major price on your head, ginger snap. We aren't completely sure of all the details, but the Council and the Lower Choir have something horrible planned for you." Ronald softened his eyes at me, and I just sat there in shock. I wanted to scream at the blonde to save his pity, but I was frozen.
How many beings wanted me dead or worse? Adrian turned me around on his lap so he could look at my face better. A claw tipped hand cradled my cheek as he tilted my head so he could look me in the eye. I sucked a deep breath between my teeth as I stated into his unique colored irises. The calm in those orbs made my insides release the tension I had gathered during our conversation, and I couldn't help but feel safe in the silver haired man' arms.
"Love, you know I wouldn't let anything that wanted to cause you harm so much as breathe on you, right?" I nodded as his words and leaned into his hand still on my cheek. I caught a narcissistically proud expression on his face as he preened over my response. The rogue reaper pulled me closer into the shelter of his embrace, and a curtain of silver and black enveloped me, blocking out the Ronald and the rest of the room.
"Good." The word was rumbled out of his chest. "The young reaperling was right when he said the elders fear me. When they came after me for my scythe, the Council sent dozens of reapers after me. When I started sending my pursuers back in pieces, the Council itself came after me with the intent to kill. I fought every single one of them all at once, and walked away victorious. Granted I did not leave that battle unscathed, but they stopped trying after that with the condition to never return. That battle is how I earned my scars, but now I am stronger.
"I will carve all of those weaklings into tiny pieces if they try to take you from me, kitten. I have fought against demons, angels, grim reapers, and other beings you couldn't imagine, and I have walked away every time. They can try and take you from me, but I will slaughter everything in my path to keep you safe. You are my mate, my angel of laughter, my lovely kitten, and nothing short of death will keep me from your side." Despite the darkness in his voice as he spoke, I had never felt more at ease then I did at that moment.
My tiger was nothing but determined, and I knew he keep true to his word. I felt my lips curling up in a smile, and I snuggled into his warmth with a small smile on my face. The scent of cinnamon and sandalwood relaxed me even further. His arms tightened around me as I felt kisses rain down on the top of my head. It was as so sweet that he was ready to dismember the treats against me. The sound of a throat clearing brought me back to the present.
"I hate to interrupt this disturbingly sweet moment, but you're starting to freak me out, old man. Can you at least wait until I'm gone before you flaunt your twisted romantic gestures?" Ronald had a disgusted look,on his face, and he leaned his chair as far back as he could without making any noise. I couldn't help but laugh at his lack of comfort over Adrian's display. I snuggled against his chest, and felt the rumbles of the mortician's chuckles.
"Verrrrrry well, reaperling. Onnnnnnly because yoooou asked soooo nicely!~" The insane laugh was back in his words, and I had the greatest pleasure of watching the color drain out of the younger man's face. I just loved how he did that. He had given up talking like that around me most of the time, and I found myself missing it. Ronald just shifted in his chair with his eyes darting around the room, looking for a way out.
"I think it's time you went back, young one." The poor blonde just tensed further at that statement. My lover stood up with me in his arms only to place me in his now vacant seat. A finger curled under my chin to tilt my head up so I could peer into Adrian's eyes. His signature grin was growing on his face as he leaned down.
"I'll be right back, kitten. I've got to return this pup back to his owner." He gave me a quick kiss, and sauntered over to the still pale active reaper. The silver haired manic gripped Ronald's shirt collar and lifted him out of his seat. The younger man let out a small squeak as he dangled in the rogue's grip. The black clad man walked over to the lawnmower and rested on his shoulder. The blonde started to twist as he was carried like a puppy.
"Put me down! I can walk just fine, you creep!" I shook my head as my tiger just effortlessly manhandled the smaller man out the door with a spring in his step. I couldn't help but hope for Ronald's sake his trip back to his superior wasn't as bad as his trip here. With a fleeting moment of guilt I called out to the former undertaker.
"Don't rough him up too bad, tiger!"
The two reapers disappeared out the door with a weak wave from Ronald and a psychotic grin from Adrian.
