halo 'n horns [klance au]

17. Headquarters

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Keith

After Pidge had yelled at all of the cadets (with many expletives), she'd turned towards us with a sweet smile and offered us a tour of the SAL HQ. Lance and I had nearly choked at how quickly her demeanor changed and I'd whispered to him to make sure I always stayed on her good side.

It turned out that Lance and I had been sleeping in the hospital quarters of the SAL on the top floor, but that the actual headquarters were in the lower levels. Pidge explained that, in the six-story building, the 1st floor was used for meetings and outside interaction, the 2nd floor was used for personnel quarters and the 3rd and 4th for training. Then, the 5th for recreation and eating, and the 6th for the hospital. However, Pidge showed us the basement first.

"This is where the real magic happens," she said proudly as we stepped off the elevator. As our eyes adjusted, I realized that the basement was actually much bigger than any of the other floors. Tables upon tables of computers and electrical equipment took up most of the room, with angels sitting in front of the screens, furiously typing away or scrolling through text or watching CCTVs. The whole room thrummed with electricity, and not the angelic kind.

Though the angel's halos spun furiously as they worked, none of the beings seemed to be using their Energy while they worked. I wanted to ask why, but I didn't have the nerve to. I also had begun to notice that each angel had a different set of wings.

Lance's were so cliche, I thought that they had been the uniform shape, but as I walked past the angels working, I realized that each set was different from the next. While Lance's were classic white, like the kind you see on Catholic angels, I saw colors ranging from black to brown to orange, even light pink, all with different patterns. And all the shapes were different too. Lance's were large and curved at the top with thick, fluffy feathers, but I passed angels with two sets of long, slim wings, or tiny cherubic sets that fluttered slightly.

Taking my eyes off the feathers, I focused instead on the back of Lance's head as we walked through the aisles of angels. I thought back to when he'd rushed through the crowd of cadets, wings sweeping up around us, his arms crushing me to his chest.

I had been so vulnerable and I hated the feeling of being saved, but at the same time, I could still feel his arms around me. I could still feel his morning breath on his face as his worried eyes checked my face. I could still feel his palms on my cheeks as he told me he'd always come back.

Then, I had only slightly been aware that physical contact usually made me feel sick. Then, I hadn't cared about how close we'd been, our faces inches apart. Then, I'd been starstruck.

I looked away, ashamed. What was I thinking? What the hell was I even doing? Father didn't send me up here to get all cuddly with an angel. He sent me up here so I could get my 'teenage angst' out of my system or some bullshit.

Plus...

I didn't even have the genetic capacity to... love? What did that word even mean? It sounded slimy to me, like a smothering hug, but maybe that was just the internalized message from my father.

"I love you, Daddy!" I'd told him happily at the age of 5.

He'd scowled. "You don't love me, Keith. You cannot love."

Lance was the complete opposite of me, in every way possible, and maybe I envied him for that.

Or maybe I admired him.

Pidge's voice startled me from my thoughts. "Lance, this is Rover."

I watched Pidge loop her arms loosely around the young man's neck, resting her head on his shoulder. The angel, with a shock of electric teal hair and triangular glasses, held out a hand for Lance to shake. I stayed behind Lance and looked over his shoulder at Rover's computer screen.