When the sunlight was beginning to shine through the window, signalling that a new day had already started, a single ray fell upon Arcos's closed eyelids, causing him to stirn. Slowly blinking his eyes open to adjust to the light, he was puzzled when he found himself on the ground. That was… not where he would normally fall asleep…

However, just when he tried to remember what had led to this, he froze in place when he laid eyes upon the form of a certain Archangel beside him, for they were nestled close to one another, her hooded face close to his own. And his sudden movement was enough for her to notice that he had finally awoken.

"Rise and shine.", her voice was almost melodic as she moved into a sitting position, regarding Arcos with a hidden smile as he obviously just remembered the day prior. He had fallen asleep in their embrace, and after she could finally resolve his inner conflict, she stayed for the night, watching over him in his sleep. She had no use for resting like he did, but Auriel was more than content to simply stay by his side, making sure that nothing could ever harm him again.

And yet, just as the silence began to reign in the air, she tilted her head ever so slightly when he glanced at the ground, an emotion reflecting in his eyes that she was more than familiar with by now. Much to her dismay.

"You… decided to stay? But I'm certain that-"

He still believed that she was wasting her time to be with him, and she didn't allow this kind of thought to reside in his mind anymore. Not any longer.

"The council will be fine on its own without me being present for the time being…", even when he still didn't meet her gaze, she gently reached out to place a gauntlet against his cheek, slowly but surely guiding him to finally meet her concealed eyes. And he could feel the expression she was holding, despite her hood.

"... it will come to terms with the fact that you are more important to me…", a barely audible gasp escaped him, her voice a soothing whisper. So many emotions and feelings began to surface within him, reminding him of the previous night that would change his life forever. And unlike ever before, he felt…

… happy.

Witnessing this, Auriel inwardly smiled with glee before she gently closed the small gap between them, hugging him against her with her hooded face behind his neck. Arcos couldn't help but notice that her wings were suddenly fluttering slightly, wondering if she had always subconsciously moved them…?

The atmosphere around them changed, and any tension that might have remained gradually began to fade away, leaving Auriel with the intent to remove any last boundaries and walls that might still exist between them.

And for that purpose, she would stay for a while longer… she was aware that it would be frowned upon, especially by Imperius, but in the end, they would be forced to accept her decision. After all this time, and after everything that had transpired, she was this close to fulfil her dreams, and for this once… she allowed herself to be selfish.

She slowly pulled back when she noticed the subtle movement of him, signalling to her that he wished to part. Witnessing that his eyes were glancing at her armor out of the corner of his eyes, an unasked question residing in his mind, she decided to ease him of the pressure of having to speak it out aloud on his own.

"Is something the matter…?", feeling her curious stare upon him, Arcos slightly shifted in his place, unsure whether or not this question was appropriate.

"Do you… always wear your armor? Even while you are resting?", hearing this, Auriel's curious stare changed into one of slight amusement. He couldn't have known.

"In truth, we angels are luminous beings, not this crude metal. Our armor is merely a manifestation of our soul, a way for us to separate ourselves from one another. I don't possess a physical body like you…", Auriel watched as his hand subconsciously lifted to reach for her hooded face, his eyes similar to the ones of a small child that was witnessing something it had never once seen before, filled with a pure sense of wonder and curiosity…

… before he suddenly caught himself in his act, immediately stopping it with a burning feeling of embarrassment, albeit Auriel merely chuckled lightly. Placing his hand into her own, she raised it close to her face, which was always concealed from view. The moment when Arcos believed he would feel… nothing… for the lack of a better term, his hand was suddenly met with a gentle warmth, feeling as if he was holding his hand against the rays of the sun.

Even though he could not truly feel a firm physical manifestation, he could still feel the gentle warmth her transparent skin was emitting, albeit beneath her hood, it was hidden from the view of anyone who looked at her. They were beings made of pure light…? He could only imagine that her actual skin was glowing…

Unable to resist her inner feelings of joy and amusement, she leaned slightly into his touch, his hand only shyly keeping close to her once she released it from her gauntlet. And even though Arcos only absentmindedly took note of it, he witnessed once again that her wings were suddenly fluttering again…

"We are able to disguise ourselves with a form that resembles one like yours more closely, but I much prefer to simply be myself. Now you know that the armor of our kind is not merely a means to protect ourselves…", before long, she slowly but surely wrapped her wings around him, bringing them closer together once more just as their bodies met, her hooded face mere inches away from his own.

Intertwining their hands, her voice was all the more lighter, reflecting her inner happiness while tilting her head slightly.

"Now then… I would love to spend the day with you here in whatever way you see fit, what would you like to do…?"

Somehow I always felt inclined to add a little more, though by now, I could picture even more than that in my head. Though I'm not certain yet, so I hope you enjoyed!