Blackened Feathers

Distraction

They walked back to the Abbey through the midafternoon sunshine and picked up some lunch before heading up to Omega’s room. Seren said she wanted to check how Alpha was doing and make sure that the pendant was working as it should. She grabbed her medical kit on the way up so she could cast some more healing spells on his hand.

When they got back to the lair, Water was sitting on the floor of the hallway reading a book. He looked up when they approached and got to his feet.

“He’s in his room,” he said, pointing to the door opposite Omega’s. “Said he felt better.”

“Thanks,” Omega said as he went and knocked on the door.

He heard a muffled, “Yeah?” and opened the door. Alpha stood up from the sofa, gently putting the guitar that he was holding down. Omega saw frustration and sadness shrouding him like a dark cloud. He sighed and gave them a half smile. “I just wanted to hold it. I know I can’t play yet. I just missed the way it feels,” he said, casting his eyes downwards. “I want to relearn. Surely I can play something?”

Omega smiled sadly at him and walked over, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Let your hand heal up first and then take it from there, okay? Just don’t put too much pressure on yourself too soon.”

“Can I look at it for you?” Seren asked. Alpha nodded and sat back down. She went to sit next to him, putting her healing kit on the table. She held out her hand for his and he gave it to her. Seren rested it on her lap and carefully started unwrapping the bandages. “Is it giving you a lot of pain?”

“A little. It just feels weird. Like numb. Like the fingers are still there, but I can’t feel them.”

Seren nodded and gently took off the gauze covering the wound. Omega cursed. He knew what had happened and that he’d lost his fingers, but hearing about it and seeing it with his own eyes were two different things. The wound was healing well and they'd stitched it up, but he hated seeing the physical result of Alpha’s time in the pit. Alpha couldn’t take his eyes off it, and Omega tried to temper the shock and the panic that Alpha suddenly felt at seeing what lay hidden under the bandages for the last few days.

“Well, it looks a lot better than it did, at least. I’ll clean it up for you, cast another healing spell on it and wrap it again if that’s ok? It won’t take long,” she said. She briefly inspected the pendant and he saw the magic in it surge, which earned a satisfied hum from Seren.

“Thanks," he said simply as he looked up to Omega, his eyes haunted.

He felt everything from his friend in that moment and all he wanted to do was curl up with him and tell him it would all be ok.

When Seren was done, Omega asked if Alpha wanted to hang out. He said he and the other ghouls were going to watch a movie. A few months ago, Terzo had arranged for one of the unused rooms in the Abbey to be converted to a cinema room for the ghouls. The Siblings had one in the main building too, but he thought it would be good for the ghouls to have their own space just for them. They used it frequently, although less so in recent weeks.

“Are you coming?” Alpha asked.

Omega looked at Seren, who smiled back at him.

“Actually, I think me and Seren need to talk, but definitely next time. If I see Ifrit, I’ll let him know where you all are.”

“Oh, did he not run with you in the end?” Alpha said, curious.

Omega huffed a laugh.

“Nope, he had a better offer. Or a better looking one, I should say.”

Alpha snorted, his mood lightening.

“He’s definitely been enjoying himself since he was summoned. I like him; he’s like my youngest brother, and just as annoying. I love that he’s making the most of it, although at this rate he’s going to fuck his way through all the Siblings soon and find himself at a loose end.”

Seren chuckled.

“He certainly seems to have plenty of energy.”

They left Alpha to his own devices and went to Omega’s room. He made them drinks to go with their food and they sat down to eat.

“So you’re going through with communing with Inigo, then?”

Seren put her drink down and sat back. She pursed her lips in thought and he felt the bite of sadness that he now associated with when she thought of her mother. But as with her other emotions, he didn’t get the compulsion to balance them out. She seemed to do that herself fairly efficiently. He sent her a bit of mojo anyway, though, because he didn’t like the thought of her being too sad.

“Yes. My mother was a different witch to me, her magics worked differently, so I shouldn’t be in any danger. It was kind of an accident, anyway. The demon didn’t purposefully take her, he just stayed too long and her body couldn’t take it. I wasn't there with her that time, and I've regretted it every day since.”

He saw the tears welling up before she took a deep breath and composed herself.

“I worry about you. The Elementals scare even us. It’s hard to get past that. I would hate for something to happen to you because you were helping us.” 

“Well, this is what I signed up for, so there’s no backing out now,” she said with a shrug and a cheeky smile. “Terzo wants to do it as soon as possible. He was thinking tonight.”

Omega could feel her resoluteness and Terzo’s words sounded in his head. He should have more faith in her. Terzo believed in her abilities, and so did she. He should back her up, too. He sighed and took her hand.

“Just be careful. Terzo has dismissed me for this week, so I doubt he will let me sit in. I’m going to be frantic until it’s over. Just so you know," he said with a smirk.

“What are you trying to tell me, Omega?” she said with a sly smile.

He leaned in to her and kissed her. He could feel her smiling, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The kiss was sweet and hot, but he pulled back because he knew that if they went down that road, he would want to keep her in his bed for the rest of the day. She needed to prepare if she was communing with Inigo later, and he didn’t want to distract her from her work. He took a deep breath to calm himself, but the way she looked at him wasn’t helping.

“As much as I would love to hold you hostage in my bed for the next few hours, you need to prepare, and you need your energy for tonight. I’d never forgive myself if something went wrong because I had distracted you.”

She smiled sadly and rubbed his arm.

“Thank you, Omega. As much as I hate to admit it, you’re right. I should go. Tomorrow, though, I’ll be all yours,” she said with a sultry smile that made his eyes flash with icy blue flames.

She left and he figured he should join the others. They could distract him and stop him from doing something stupid like snatching her away and driving off to somewhere the Clergy couldn’t find them until this whole mess had blown over.

He left a note on Ifrit’s door in case he came back to the lair and wondered where everyone was, before heading downstairs to the cinema room. It was early evening by now and he walked in to a pile of ghouls lounging on various beanbags in front of the massive screen that was playing The Little Shop of Horrors. It was Mist’s favourite, and he saw the little ghoulette snuggled up in the middle of the tangle of ghouls. He spotted Ifrit in amongst them, so the only one missing now was Special, who was on duty with Terzo until later that night.

Omega got himself a box of popcorn and went to sit down with them, feeling their contentment at being together like this for the first time in too long. Zeta put his arm around Omega’s shoulders and pulled him closer. He must have sensed the nervous churning he felt in his stomach at the thought of Seren dealing with one of the most powerful forces of nature. He leaned into the smaller ghoul and tried his best to get lost in the movie.