halo 'n horns [klance au]

9. Gold

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Lance

So, Keith couldn't swim. I would've laughed if he wasn't so embarrassed and pissed. It wasn't that I blamed him- he literally lived under a rock. I guess I just assumed that he had, like, magic swimming pools down there. I guess not.

Anyways, Keith didn't want to go any further than his waist, shivering as I chided him that he'd be less cold if he actually went underwater, but I wasn't going to waste my time on a hopeless case. I was too elated to be upset- I was finally in the ocean, however cold it was, and I was swimming like a seal.

Diving underwater, I opened my wings and caught the currents beneath them, angling the tips down to shoot beneath the waves and glide along the sand, trailing my fingers in the grains, the water sliding along my skin and feathers, bubbles bursting from my lips. It was perfect.

Was it selfish? Was the Arboretum not the real reason why we were here? Yes. Keith's real surprise was something this weekend, down in California. I just had to see the beach before we did his mission though- I needed it for myself.

Plus, Seattle was mellow enough for Keith before we plunged headfirst into California. In a way, I was taking baby steps with the devil. He would get overwhelmed if he was in such a crowded, loud area like Cali immediately. So Seattle was his warm-up and my cool-down. And man, was the ocean cold.

Surfacing, I turned back to face the beach, rolling my eyes at Keith, who stood, arms-crossed, waist-deep in the ocean. He looked sour, per usual.

"C'mon!" I shouted, waving my arms, "It's not that bad!"

"No way in hell!" Keith shouted back, scowling at me. I shrugged, quirking a half-smile at the devil. His loss.

Flopping onto my back, I floated on the freezing waves, gazing up at the cloudy sky, running my hands through the salty water, bliss rolling off me. There weren't going to be many moments to myself on this trip.

I smiled to myself, thinking about how I was basically the devil's babysitter. I wondered if Matt and Adam were looking down at me right now, talking in hushed voices about Kuron and Shiro, how the undead twins had broken their hearts.

I never really asked about what happened between the twins and my brothers- I didn't want to push it. I only glimpsed the four of them together once in a while, when I got the chance. I had been on an assignment from Mother back then, training my new siblings on how to perform angelic duties and whatnot.

I had been there when Matt and Adam had returned, though. Adam's face was stoic, hard like plaster, eyes dark and dead. Beside him, Matt was a mess, tears falling down his cheeks, shivering. Mother had swept them inside the house and talked with them for a long time, and she must have said something comforting because when they came back out, Adam was a little softer and Matt had stopped crying. I never asked what happened. Now that I was with Keith, I wasn't sure I even wanted to know.

Lifting a hand out of the water, I held my palm up toward the sky and sighed. Could they see me?

...

Keith buried his nose in the blooms he held, eyes closed in bliss. The vibrant red poppies and slim calla lilies were tied in a bouquet with red silk, and they smelled intoxicating. Allura beamed at Keith, eyes alight with pride.

It was almost ironic that Keith had chosen the poppy bouquet. I mean, considering what we were going to California for... I guess this just meant that I knew he'd enjoy the surprise I had in store for him.