Fee's Writings
An Angel's Touch: Chapter Eight
Warnings: None
It had been a week since that surprising meeting, and Natalie had already noticed how much more settled her strange guest seemed. He smiled more easily, even chatted her though he was still hesitant occasionally when speaking. For some reason, she had been expecting to see Sae again, but she supposed that a demon had better things to do than go chasing after a mortal and a fallen angel who he didn't even like.
Three weeks. How much trouble, Natalie wondered, could she get into if someone discovered that she had been harbouring an illegal foreigner? Though, she wasn't losing any sleep over it. As ever, Natalie slept eight hours a night and even the young man seemed to be slipping into a comfortable sleeping pattern.
Saying that, however, the times when she did see him asleep often showed him as very troubled, and he nearly always woke on a sharply indrawn breath, as if from the middle of a nightmare.
Still, also, he wouldn't let her too close. It was as if he thought she might hurt him, and his limitations by way of language even if his progress in learning it had been astonishing prevented him from explaining exactly why that was. She was intelligent enough to make an educated guess, though.
She was thinking about this as she watched him. He didn't know she was there, and was sat quietly with Suzie's head in his lap and a cup of lemon tea in his hands. He wasn't ill any longer but he still had a fondness for the drink.
A knock at the front door drew her attention away from him, and Suzie growled low in the back of her throat. Natalie frowned, crossing the room. Ameron's eyes followed her, then flicked down as she disappeared into the front porch.
As soon as she opened the door someone stepped in.
"Hey-!"
"Close the door. You dont know who might be watching."
"What-?"
A strong arm closed the door, and the person who had pushed in leaned heavily against it, half-looking over his shoulder as if afraid whoever was chasing him might be able to see through the door. He seemed a little breathless, which Natalie thought was odd, but the second thing she noticed was that he looked like absolute-
"Can I come in?"
She raised one eyebrow slightly, glancing over his shoulder then back to his face. "I think you already did."
"Oh... Sorry about that."
The mortal shook her head. "Nevermind. You can come in, just don't upset Ameron."
"Wouldn't dream of it..."
To finish the thought, Sae looked like a truck had hit him. A livid scratch stood out starkly against his pale skin, running right across his temple. It didnt seem to be bothering him though. As she walked back into the front room followed by the demon Ameron looked up and tensed, calmed by a small gesture from Natalie. He still didn't trust the demon, but Natalie didn't seem to think he was going to do any harm, and besides, he looked a little too beaten up to be doing any kind of serious damage. He lowered his eyes to his drink and took a sip, watching over the rim of the cup as Natalie motioned for Sae to take a seat, noting how stiff his movements were as he did as he was told.
"So," Natalie began once they had both gotten settled. On the outside she seemed very accepting of the presence of what she now knew to be a demon, and a fallen angel, but inside she was freaking out. Should something else supernatural turn up right now, she had no idea what she'd do. Demons and angels were things that no mortal should be subjected to seeing and it was only because of her blissfully ignorant compassion that she was in this situation now. If she hadn't stopped to help him but then, she could hardly have left him behind, like that.
She glanced at him and smiled fondly as he met her eyes, his gaze as always innocent and child-like. The look didn't last long, however, and she returned her attention to Sae.
"Why are you here?"
"I..." Sae frowned and glanced away, then chuckled. "I can't believe I'm explaining myself to a mortal..."
Natalie scowled lightly, leaning back and folding her arms over her stomach. "Oi, you came to us." she told him. Just because he looked like he'd been through the wars (she didn't care what he was at the minute) didn't mean she was going to put up with any rudeness off him. Ameron glanced at her, wondering briefly what the word 'us' meant before it came back to him.
"So you'd better explain yourself, Azriel - I'm guessing that's your real name." It had only been through eavesdropping and clever guesswork that she'd been able to work that one out, and careful questioning of Ameron later had confirmed her suspicions.
Sae almost seemed to wince, bit whether that was from some physical discomfort or the iciness of Natalie's tone, it was hard to tell. Probably the former, Natalie thought. After all, why would a demon be intimidated by a mortal?
"It is." Sae murmured, eyes cast down. There was a moment when everyone was silent, then the demon looked up. "Alright. I have been as I am now for the past... well, as far as your human history goes and more, and every second of it had been torn with regret. Unlike our dear Ameron is - or was - I am subject to all seven of the Deadly Sins, and no one sins like a demon... it's how they keep us down there."
"How they-"
"Can't have demons escaping every which way, can they?"
"I suppose not..."
Natalie frowned. Why was he telling her all of this? Come to think of it... why was he speaking to her at all? "Listen, Sae... you've still not explained why you're here. I don't understand any of this stuff as it is, I'm only a human being for Heaven's sake."
"Of course." The demon ran a hand through his hair. "My sister has asked me to help you."
"Sister?" Natalie frowned as he said that - she hadn't been aware of any sister of Sae's until then.
He just nodded. "That girl you saw me with, Sirae, is my youngest sister."
Natalie just stared as the implications of that hit her full in the face. "But you're a demon!" she blurted out, rather stupidly she realised moments later as Sae sighed and briefly lowered his head to his hands, rubbing his temples somewhat viciously before he looked back up.
"I know that. Don't you think I know that? I know I'm a fucking demon, alright?!" His eyes sparked red and Natalie shrank back, her own eyes wide. In a flash, and faster than she had ever seen him move before, Ameron was by them, a hand on her shoulder.
"Be still." he murmured softly, storm-grey meeting crimson-flecked brown. Sae glowered darkly at him, but he barely even flinched, and after a couple of seconds the demon sat back, almost seeming exhausted, one hand resting against his forehead to shade his eyes.
Ameron smiled a little. That had been an achievement on his part and the fact that Sae had listened to him had confirmed several things to him, the most important of these being that Sae wanted to change, and wasn't just doing this as a ploy to keep him Earthbound. Otherwise he would have just lost it.
The other male took several deep, slow breaths, then lifted his eyes. "Sorry."
"Diansal ce'lotis, Azriel." [Control yourself, Azriel] The blonde said, his tone almost gentle.
"Ce... Ce ghaska... Arasten." [I... I know... Sorry.]
Natalie's gaze was flicking from one to the other, a look of frustrated incomprehension on her face identical to the one which had been there when Ameron, Sirae and Sae had been talking out on the fields.
"Anyway..." Sae resumed after he had regained his composure. Clearing his throat lightly he pushed dark curls back off his forehead and sighed. "Sirae is my sister, we have that part covered. She was the only one of Maz, Sari and myself who didn't fall. Maz... Maz went insane. Long story. Sari was with them from the beginning, and I? I was simply too weak willed. Unfortunately it was always a failing of mine - I used to be able to heal with a touch, similar to my brother and to Sirae, but I gave that up because I thought I couldn't handle the responsibility." He exhaled slowly. "Michael always said it would come back when I was ready, but it hasn't yet."
Natalie nodded. Now she understood a little better, she was beginning to realise why Sae was wanting to help them - and she believed he really wanted to help them. He wanted something in return... and it wasn't really all that selfish, when she thought about it.
"Sae?" she said, catching his eyes as he looked up. "How badly do you want to go home?"
The demon looked away, and he smiled. "I'd do anything."
Nodding firmly, Natalie got to her feet and nodded firmly. "Alright, then. You help us, we'll help you. I want you to tell me how Ameron can get back."
* * *
To Natalie it only seemed like an hour but when Sae finally left it was pitch black outside and looking at the clock revealed it to be almost midnight. The woman shook her head, briefly massaged her temples and coughed, sitting down beside Ameron (who was half-asleep by this point) and flicking the television off standby. There wasn't really much on at the moment, but there were a couple of films on Sky, so she stuck that on, and settled.
A few minutes later, a gentle pressure on her shoulder announced that Ameron had slid to one side and currently had his head resting on her. She smiled a little, and gently took his hand, linking her fingers through his and running her thumb along the back of it, occasionally glancing back up at the television. The young man let out a soft sigh that sounded almost content, and it seemed that in sleep and away from his conscious trauma he actually did enjoy being close to other people.
And he was such a sweet person he really was. So honest, kind and just downright adorable.
As she held his hand his fingers twitched, then curled around hers, and she felt... well, really, she didn't know what, but it almost prompted her to squeal in a very immature and fangirlish way that would have undermined her entire gender should anyone else hear it. Instead she settled for biting her lip and very quickly the moment had passed.
'The only way he can return is if he falls in love - truly in love - with another... without doubts, or fears. It's the only way for him, Natalie.'
She sighed as Sae's words came back to her. At this rate, Ameron was never going to get home and she wouldn't be able to support him for the rest of his life.
"What am I going to do with you..." she murmured fondly, tilting her head a little so she could see his face.
Aw... he looked cute asleep. But then, most men did. At least when men were asleep they weren't demanding food, or the paper, or sex.
Not that Ameron ever demanded anything.
He really was the perfect man, if she thought about it. Quiet, unassuming, polite, sensitive, a good listener - she knew full well he understood more than he spoke - willing to do chores without complaining about it... She didn't mind having him around. Not really.
Suzie wandered in to the room, and sniffed Ameron's ankles, then proceeded to jump clumsily up on to the couch and crawl into the male's lap. The dog huffed lightly, and Ameron stirred, opening one eye very slightly to see what it was that had woken him up. Once he figured it out, however, he simply settled back down again and even briefly squeezed Natalie's hand, though she realised that was probably unintentional.
Oh well... looked like she was sleeping here tonight. It didn't matter. It was cosy, the fire was lit, the TV was on, and she had everything she needed right there.