𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝔂 𝓑𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓭 ~✰ | 18+

Ch. XXI [21] ♡

Angel had the dream being in someone else's body once more. It had become almost a nightly routine, so the shock of it had worn off completely. One of the scenarios that he dreamt included him peering into a mirror. He was... preparing for something—an event, perhaps. Finally he could see who he was.

It was a man that bore a striking remblance to Angel himself except, his eyes were green instead of blue. Angel could hardly believe it. Who was this man?

Angel awoke to a hovering presence over him. Of course, it was none other than Cedric. Literally no one else he knew would creepily be looming over him and watching him as he slept.

"Should I even bother asking?" Said Angel with a sigh. He rubbed his eye to wake himself up a little more.

Cedric sat on the edge of the bed.

"You were dreaming," Cedric stated simply.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"You talk in your sleep."

Angel narrowed his eyes at the vampire. "Oh, so you were watching me sleep. Ha.  Just making sure."

Cedric chuckled, somewhat mischievously. "I always watch you sleep."

"What!?"

"So tell me something about what you saw."

Angel sat up and thought. The most important piece of information was the fact that he saw "his" reflection.

"I saw whose body I was in. A man that looked just like me, but he had green eyes... and he had more mature features than mine... His hair was shorter too."

Cedric said nothing for a good moment. It was Drake; there was no mistaking it. Angel had been experiencing Drake's memories of his and Cedric's life together because, simply put, according to Lucio, Angel and Drake were one in the same.

Cedric delivering this news in such a somber tone was off-putting to Angel, and he found it frankly unbelievable.  What was he even supposed to think?

"Surely that can't be the case... can it?"

Cedric stared and blinked. "When I left one winter for two weeks, where did I go?"

"You... went to London... to go see your parents. You were gone for so long because you kept going back and forth with yourself, trying to figure put if you wanted to go greet them or not.  You decided not to.  That was the longest we'd been apart since you came to live with... me."

Cedric lifted the precious signet ring, placing it close to Angel's eyes. "And this ring—who was it a gift from?"

"... It wasn't a gift. I stole it."
Angel exhaled and stared down at his own hands.

"From?" Prompted Cedric.

"A duke I was a servant for.  He was an awful man…"

Whatever underlying connection Angel and Cedric had, it finally bubbled up to the surface. By asking a couple of trivia questions, Cedric was able to drag memories out of the unknown recesses of Angel's mind that he didn't even know he had. It was like he'd suddenly become someone else. But he clearly remembered these things as if he was there. Because he was.

"So... so what? Am I still me? Am I still Angel? Oh my God, I remember so much...!" Cedric heard the rising tone of panic in Angel's voice.

Cedric quickly held Angel's face, and Angel froze.

"You're still Angel. The memories of Drake are just that. Nothing more."

Angel laughed tearfully. "...It's too early in the morning for this," he whispered.

He leaned back down in the bed, pulling the covers back up.

"You should go check on Bia. I took her back to your place. If she wakes up, she'll miss you," mumbled Angel.

"She'll be fine; she won't wake up. I'm keeping an eye on you."

Cedric stood as Angel spoke—

"You don't have to do that," he said quickly sitting back up. "I don't need a babysitter."

Cedric chuckled. "Now you know that won't work after the breakdown you just had."

Angel rolled his eyes and fell back into the bed dramatically, and pulled the covers up over his head.

"Ugh, I can't f*cking stand you," Angel grumbled.

"Music to my ears."

Yeah, that was still Angel.  No one else could declare their undying hatred of Cedric so beautifully the way the golden-haired werewolf  could.