The Fallen

~
Gerard's P.O.V

I rang the doorbell timidly. Mikey patted my shoulder from behind because I was still shivering. I’d insisted he come along, too, because I was terrified that Frank would try to kill me because of what I am.

The door opened and Frank was standing there. With out a word, he opened it wider to let me in. I trudged inside with my head down, Mikey right behind me.

“Why is he here?” Frank asked tartly.

I sighed quietly, “Because I don’t want to die today.”

“As good as there already, “He mumbled as he led us up the stairs to his room.

I flinched, but followed him anyway. I heard Mikey make a soft growling noise behind me, he was defensive of me, which made me feel warm.

Once we were inside Frank’s room, He gestured for Mikey and I to sit on his bed, which we did rather uncomfortably. He locked the door. I swallowed dryly.

“Alright, Gerard. I realize what you are, or what I think you are. I want to know if your wings have been stripped or if you still have them. I want to know why you got kicked out of heaven, or whatever the Archangels call it.”

“What gives you the right to know?” My tone was non-threatening, just curious.

Frank made a noise that sounded like a human’s attempt at a growl, “Because if you don’t tell me, I’ll tell everyone you’re a demon who betrayed the Angels and got kicked out.”

I sighed, “Okay, okay, I’ll tell you anything you want to know. First, we call it Tannin, which is Dragon in Hebrew. I still have my wings, but obviously I’m not an Angel anymore.”

Frank seemed much calmer, “May I see them?”
I nodded, turning around and pulling my shirt carefully over my head. I heard him gasp as I shook out the ten-foot wings. I flexed my muscles to avoid letting my wings sag.

“B-but the site I read said they shrunk after you left Tannin…” He said softly.

“They did shrink. Before, they were a good fifteen or so feet long.”

“Damn. Can I touch them, Gerard?” I felt a bit happier now that he wasn’t so hostile.

“Of course.” I folded back my left wing, fully extending the right do he could feel the feathers.

“That feather…. It came from your wing, didn’t it Gee? Were you trying to give me a hint on that?”

I nodded. His fingers gently felt from my wing-tip to my shoulder blade, where the black feathers met my skin. He traced a finger along the feather line, causing me to involuntarily shiver under his touch. He kept it up for about five minutes before stepping back. I folded my right wing back and pulled my black band tee over my head.

I turned and sat down next to Mikey, and Frank sat on my other side, “So, um, can you tell me why you got, uh, banned from Tannin?”

I blinked, “Mikey, go.”

Mikey stared at me, bewildered, “What? Why can’t I know the story too?”

“I promise I’ll tell you, but not now.”

He sighed and got to his feet, waved a little sadly at us before unlocking the door and heading back downstairs. I made sure his footfalls had reached the bottom of the staircase before locking the door and returning to my perch on Frankie’s bed.

“Why did Mikey have to leave?” He asked.

“Because this whole story begins with him. Mikey what an Archangel, his father was the head Arch. Mikey was…. Everything any of the Arch or normal Angels could have wanted. His father was so proud when he decided to follow in his footsteps. But Mikey was on a soul-fetching mission one day, and things got complicated.”

“Wait,” Frank spoke suddenly, “What’s a soul-fetching mission?”

“Well, when a human who was pure dies, an Angel, usually a younger or lesser ranked one, is sent to collect it and bring it the Tannin Gates, where it is judged. If it is truly pure, it is turned into an Angel. Well, anyway, the Angel who was supposed to be completing this mission was doing something else, so Mikey volunteered to collect the soul. Quite unfortunately, while Mikey was on Earth, he fell over himself for a girl. Her name is Midnight, but that’s beside the point. When his father and the other Arches found out that the Head’s son had fallen for a human, they were very upset. They couldn’t strip him as they would any other Angel, so his Father decided to take his memories and send him to earth as a human. The difference is, when an Angel is stripped, he or she is left with a distinctive V-shaped scar from where the wings were ripped out. Mikey doesn’t have that scar because he, as far as he and anyone else besides me, knows, he is a human.”

“Hold on, what does this have to do with you falling?” He asked impatiently.

“I’m getting there. Alright, so Mikey and I were close friends in Tannin, and once Mikey was safely on Earth living the life of a human, the Head, his father, was devastated. But the law said someone had to be punished. The only friend that Mikey ever talked about to his father was me, so he tricked me into surrendering my powers and he blackened my wings and sent me to live a crippled half-life drinking the blood of the creatures I had sworn on my life to protect.”

My head fell as a blanket of silence enveloped up. It wasn’t awkward silence, just sad. I felt his arms around me, and I shifted myself, pushing my head into the crook of his neck. For the first time since my arrival here, I began to cry. I wasn’t sobbing or throwing a fit like that first time, silent tears streamed from my eyes.

I pulled myself just a little away from Frank and pulled him into my lap, “So, once I got here, I found Mikey and his foster mom, who he thought was his birth mother, and she adopted me. Mikey always refers to me as his step-brother, but really, we’re closer related than he and his ‘mother’. Well, that’s about all, I guess.”

Frank was quiet a long time. I was terrified he would hate me because of my diet, or because it was somehow my fault I fell, or because I’m a monster. Finally, he whispered, “I hope you know I don’t think you’re a monster. What happened to you was stupid, and it wasn’t your fault. That’s injustice, if I ever heard it.”

I nodded and rested my chin on his head. It felt nice to be this close to him, to have him understand me, “Frank, you can’t tell anyone what I am. I’ll be killed.”

He nodded, I was surprised he didn’t ask more questions, but I was also pretty sure he had figured out by now what it meant, and who would kill me. Suddenly, he turned in my lap so he was facing me. I stared at him for a moment before he brought his hand up and whipped away a stray tear with the bad of his thump. For a second, we just sat like that, I stared into his intensely hazel eyes, and he stared into mine.

Then I felt his hand on the back of my neck, bringing my head down. This time, he kissed me. And it was sweet, but I dared to run my tongue along his bottom lip, asking for entrance. His soft lips parted, and I explored his mouth, my eyes closing. He tasted amazingly good, and his tongue met mine. They wound together, not aggressively; I had decided I wouldn’t be aggressive with Frank unless he asked for it, but lovingly. When we pulled away from each other, I laid my forehead against his and studied his eyes some more. I was surprised by the happiness there. Did I make him happy?

His arms wrapped around my neck and pulled me back down. We shared several more kisses before I whispered, “I don’t quite know if you’re kissing me out of pity or not, but thank you.”

He smiled at me and rested his head on my shoulder, “Am I not allowed to enjoy kissing you?”

“Of course you are, why you would, I will never know,” I mused.

He giggled and then we sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Until…..

We heard banging on Frank’s door, causing Frank to jump in my arms and stare wide-eyed at me. Then Mikey’s voice, which at this sweet moment seemed to be the most obnoxious noise in the world, “Hey, are you guys done fucking yet? It’s been two hours you know.”

I rolled my eyes and responded slyly, “Yes, we’re done, but we’re both naked and sweaty. Would you like to join us in another round?”

Mikey made gagging noises on the other side of the door.

“Wait,” He stopped gagging long enough to say, “Are you serious?”

Frank ruined it, though, buy bursting into hysterics. Mikey yelled sourly through the door, “Very funny, guys. Now, I’m going home. I’m tired, I’m hungry, and you are annoying me. Coming, Gee?”

I made to stand, but Frankie was still in my lap. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Would you like to stay the night?”

I smiled my first real smile in what felt like forever, “I’d love to.” Then louder, “Go home, Ugly, I’m staying the night here.”

“His mother won’t appreciate the moaning.” Mikey said, “But whatever. Bye, Gee. Bye Anthony.”

“Bye James. Get the fuck out of my house.” Frank screamed in mock- anger.

Mikey went back down the stairs and out the door. As soon as it closed, I turned to Frank, “So, baby, what are we gonna do tonight?”