When Angels Fall

Chapter 16

Kuzo and I stay in each others arms for what feels like hours, but is probably only about fifteen minutes. The calm atmosphere and darkness, as well as distant city noises, is lulling me to sleep. I feel myself dozing off, but Kuzo suddenly scoops me up into his arms.

"What are you doing?" I ask, confused, as I wake up. He smiles down at me.

"You're tired, I'm technically still recovering. So let's head back." I shake my head quickly, clinging to his jacket.

"No, I don't want to go back yet," I say sadly. Kuzo pauses, then nods.

"Alright. I'll get a hotel room for us here, then." I grin up at him, then laugh as he kisses my nose. Before I know it, we're on the streets below. The nightlife is still in full swing, restaurants packed to the brim and music pouring onto the streets. Kuzo sets me down gently, and leads me into a hotel nearby. It's even fancier than the café.

We head to the front desk, hands still tightly clasped, and after a few moments of soft-spoken French, Kuzo has a room key for us. We take the grand elevator up to one of the top floors.

"Don't tell me you got a penthouse," I say, ready to scold Kuzo as we exit the elevator. He laughs.

"No, I didn't, don't worry. But the room is still nice."

We find the right door, and Kuzo unlocks it, letting it swing open. The carpet is lush and champagne gold, with a single bed under a large white duvet. The walls are papered with silver and gold, even the lampshades.

"Oh, good, one bed," I say, then blush strongly. But Kuzo simply laughs.

"Had a feeling you'd like that," he says with a smile. I nod, and take off my boots and scarf. Sadly, I didn't bring pajamas, but I'm not about to complain. I slip under the warm covers as Kuzo turns out the lights, and then he slides in, as well, smiling at me. I grin.

"This was a lot of fun," I say quietly. "Thank you." Kuzo wraps his arms around me and kisses me softly, before resting his forehead on mine.

"You're welcome."

I slowly fall asleep, but I feel Kuzo let me go and slip out of bed. Not wanting to open my eyes, I simply reach my hand out for him. His hand takes mine, giving it a light squeeze.

"It's okay, Paris, I'm not going anywhere," he says gently. I sigh and burrow deeper into the pillows, and deeper into sleep.

When I wake up, Kuzo is back in bed, and I'm laying with my head on his chest. His midnight wings are splayed out around us, the feathers glowing softly. I smile and lean my head up to kiss Kuzo.

He wakes slowly, kissing me back even before his eyes open. When they do, he smiles.

"Good morning, Paris," he says, kissing my forehead. I smile.

"Morning, Kuzo. How did you sleep?" I ask, snuggling down into his side. His hand finds mine, our fingers interlaced.

"Very well. Better with you here." I blush, but grin. "How about you?"

Truth be told, I had more nightmares of demons and death, but I don't want to worry Kuzo, so I shrug.

"Fine. What's the plan for the day?" I ask instead, changing the subject. Kuzo rolls further onto his side, pulling me against him and kissing my nose.

"Whatever you want to do. I'm happy." I grin and kiss him, running my fingers through his hair. He smiles and wraps his hands around my waist, and I cuddle into his chest.

"Well, it's Paris," I say as Kuzo drapes his wings over us again. "Would it be too much for us to go to a shop or something?"

Kuzo laughs. "Of course not. How about some breakfast first? We could get room service." I nod, moving to sit up, but Kuzo doesn't let me. He nuzzles my neck and kisses me, making me giggle, before he gets out of bed.

"What do you want?" he asks, picking up the phone. I roll out of bed and grab my boots.

"Anything, I'm not particular."

Soon, Kuzo is speaking French once more, the words like music. I now realize there are strange, glowing marks on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room, sigils that swirl and dance with faint light. I open my mouth to ask Kuzo about them, but he hangs up the phone and turns to me before I get the chance.

"I got us eggs and other boring things," he says with a smile, sitting beside me and kissing my forehead. I smile.

"Thanks," I sigh, leaning against him. "Y'know, last night...that was technically my first kiss..." I say. Kuzo surprises me by laughing.

"I know," he says. "It was my first kiss, too."

Now it's my turn to laugh, and I tilt my head back to look at him. "I find that hard to believe. Haven't any of your other charges wanted to kiss you? You're handsome enough," I joke. Kuzo smiles secretly and kisses my nose.

"You're the only one I've talked to personally," he says softly. "And the only one I've wanted to kiss."

I blush like crazy and hide my face in Kuzo's chest. He chuckles and rubs my back, then pulls me onto his lap and kisses me once more.

We're interrupted by room service. Kuzo sets me back down, beside him on the bed, then stands, concealing his wings as he goes to answer the door. I take the time to scurry into the restroom and tidy up, and I'm back in minutes. The tray is full of food that smells amazing, and Kuzo is plating it up.

"When you said 'eggs', I thought you meant, like, scrambled eggs and bacon, or something," I smirk, looking over the array of food, which is as dainty as it is colorful. Kuzo chuckles.

"It's France! Everything here is aesthetic," he points out. I grin and sit beside him on the bed, and we eat. It tastes just as delicious as it smells.

When we're done, I pull my scarf on as Kuzo grabs his leather jacket. It's not the same as the first one he wore, which was destroyed by bullets, or the second, which was torn to shreds by a hellhound. I make a mental note to find his endless supply of jackets.

As we leave, I cast one last look around the room. The glowing emblems are slowly fading and winking out, leaving the room just as normal as it was when we entered. Guess Kuzo doesn't want other people to see them and freak out.