Chapter 7
Review if you like
Enjoy~
/ / / / / / / / /
When Arthur and Alana sat down at the dinner table with the rest of the flock at 8 p.m everyone fell silent. Hundreds of questions filled their minds but no one wanted to scare them off. They didn't talk about their past if they didn't want to; it was an unspoken rule. Everyone in the flock had terrible and tragic lives...Was it any wonder no one wanted to speak of them?
"I know you all must have questions" said Alana in a soft, almost hoarse voice.
"Did Feli really see Arthur's wings?" blurted Lovino and they both turned crimson.
"Didn't think ya had it in you Art, you being such a prude and all, congrats!" sniggered Gilbert, getting completely the wrong idea.
"Oh do shut up Gilbert, he had the misfortune of disturbing me and Arthur came to my aid. Arthur just so happened to be stretching his wings; it helps with the pain. Do keep your mind out of the gutter!" Alana's tone was cold as ice when she spoke, Lovino could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped.
Jeez, chill your tits Lanney
Roderich slammed a hand over Gilberts mouth and shot him a furious glare; saying that would have been a death sentence. Arthur raised an eyebrow and Roerich shook his head and rolled his eyes, causing Arthur to nod knowingly in response before glancing worriedly at his sister.
"Anyways" said Alfred, jealous of their ability to communicate without words that was painfully obviously developed through a very long and intimate relationship.
"What was really wrong with you?" finished Matthew taking the lead and giving them a look that contained half relief and half concern, just the right amount of each to make them feel guilty enough to spill the beans. Yes, Matthew had been practicing such looks and gathering information about their pasts- which surprisingly no one knew much about at all.
"Me and Arthur are molting, our feathers are 'falling off' for lack of a better term and new ones are growing in their place" explained Alana, giving him a gentle smile in reward.
"I thought your wings were made of energy" frowned Francis, holding a champagne glass filled with blood that smelt too sour for Arthur's tastes.
"They are, it's a symbolic process of rebirth. With a new set of feathers comes a new start" said Arthur in an exhausted voice.
The two of them looked...Drained.
"And the pain?" asked Kiku
"Change doesn't come without hard work, it's to show us we aren't above pain and loss but we can also change and become better." Arthur's voice was serene and his words common knowledge to Angels.
"...Ve~~~ Your wings were soooo pretty!" said Feliciano, unable to stop himself from saying so and Arthur turned crimson again.
"F-Feliciano c-could you please forget what you saw?" he requested meekly.
/ / / / / / / / /
Arthur wanted him to forget something so beautiful! He had tried drawing them from memory many times but it was nothing like the real thing... It was like being given a delicious bowl of pasta and then being told not to eat it! He had lain sleepless ever since-just imagining him over and over again!
Arthur, without his shirt and his wings extended gracefully, the perfectly smooth joint between them and his back in plain view. His golden hair tussled and his emerald eyes wide and vulnerable.
Yes, Arthur was beautiful...
Then he realised everyone had been waiting for his reply and snapped back to reality.
"Ve~~~ Why!?" he asked, giving Arthur amber puppy dog eyes.
"...Because looking at his wings is even worse than walking in on someone naked, it's the most intimate part of an Angel- they use them during mating season which is coming up quite shortly."
Everyone turned to stare at Herakles in shock. Arthur turning crimson even further and Alana was the first to unfreeze.
"Thank you Herakles, for sharing those two very personal facts I told you in complete confidence!" spat Alana violently, slipping out of her chair and stomping up to her room.
"...What did I say?" he asked horrified.
"You struck a nerve Hera" muttered Gilbert.
"More like tore the stitches open on a life threatening injury!" Arthur said murderously.
/ / / / / / /
Wait...What?
"W-what do you mean?" asked Herakles, as if he was almost afraid to ask.
"Heat is our mating season, Angels choose a mate for their entire immortal lives. Alana..." Arthur faltered, unable to finish his sentence.
"Alana's mate is dead" said Gilbert bluntly.
A hushed silence descended on the room again and Arthur had had quite enough. He was so tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week.
"I'm going to go and rest" said Arthur, leaving the room with complete despair in his eyes.
/ / / / / / /
Lovino worried his bottom lip as he watched Arthur leave. Why did he even care so much? Why did he feel empty when he was gone? Sure, he lusted after him but that was what Incubus's do! He felt so alone and desperate without Arthur at his side, his heart ached and he couldn't just fuck anyone anymore- he didn't drink blood after all.
But for Arthur? He wouldn't touch anyone else, not that they were even appealing anymore. In fact, he was disgusted at the thought of having anyone but Arthur. And the thought of Arthur with another? It made his blood boil and his hand reflexively twitched as if to grab his whip.
It scared him.
"You love him" said Feliciano darkly.
Then it all clicked.
"Shit"
This wouldn't end well...Because Feliciano wanted him too. But Feliciano was straight! Right?
He fled, going back to his room. He needed to think and try to think of a way to get Arthur to love him back...
Looks like he had some research to do about... Mating. The thought made him blush but the idea of Arthur being his forever? It was terrifyingly appealing and his desire for it to happen was growing by the second.
/ / / / / /
Not once did it cross his mind that he could be a viable mate- one of very very few options Arthur would be given but Kiku knew.
And Kiku was one too but he had the advantage; he knew about the courtship processes of Angel mating and could get ahead by doing some very simple, very easy acts. He just hoped no one would catch on.
/ / / / / / / /
Feliciano was getting handsy, that was what told Toris something was wrong. Felix never let anyone touch him, the last person to do so got their hand ripped off! He always kept a certain distance from everyone...
"Felix you're freaking me out" he snapped.
"Sorry Toris but I like totally can't help it!" replied Felix distressed.
"What's your problem?" Toris frowned
"I'm in heeeaaaaat!" he whined pitifully.
"So?"
"Soooo I have no one to ease the symptoms! Usually higher Angels groom the feathers of those with lower status to try and ease the pain" sighed Felix woefully.
"Let me guess, Arthur used to do it?"
"Like I'd let anyone else! I was one of the few fledglings he trained. He taught me everything I know" said Felix proudly.
"Did you fight in his squadron?" asked Toris curiously.
"No I was in the medic bay with Alana before she went off to the front lines" replied Felix, his face falling at the reminder of memories he missed out on.
"Who was the war against?"
"The first was against the demons and the second the full blood angels" said Felix, his face brightening about things he did know.
"The full blood angels?" asked Toris alarmed.
"Yeah, they believed us to be like impure and wanted to kick us out of Heaven. We've been hunted ever since."
"That's sad..." being forced out by your family when you haven't even done anything wrong and told your existence is a sin.
"But we had each other and that made it better"
And now he had Arthur again...Right at mating season. If Toris didn't know any better he'd say his friend had planned this.
No, he did.
Poor Arthur was fucked.
/ / / / / / /