Cherub.

2

The sun seemed a bit brighter, and the colors seemed richer—flowers were bursting from the ground and giving the air a sweet smell. Animals emerged from their sleepy hollows to chitter and chatter—a crisp mist greeted him by morning and the warm night waved goodnight to in the evenings.

It was spring.

Angelo loved spring.

It was also Sunday morning and he was standing in front of the old church, as he always did on this day. His heart clenched at the stained glass windows adorned with the images of the familiar winged people, shining with a certain light to only be described as bittersweet.  The presence of such a holy place sent an unexplainable feeling erupting through his veins, and nostalgia set in Angelo's bones.

The chorus of 'Hallelujah' poured from the cracked door and filled his heart to the brim, sending his spirit soaring with adrenaline.

This reminded the cherub of home.

His reminiscing made his mind wander to the encounter he had with his brother nearly weeks ago—his six winged sibling crossed his mind, causing his words to echo throughout his mind. You know what is to come if you decide to stay, brother. He visibly shivered on the steps of the church, the hymns of the choir filling his ears as he stared deep in thought—his eyes averted to the bouquet of forsythia in his hand. Angelo absentmindedly grabbed one, stuffing the flower into his mouth—he crunched on the plant and sighed of nostalgia.

His craving for the sweet flower would never end. Angelo craved everything sweet—from honey to chocolate. Sometimes he could have the mind of a child without even knowing. "Mm," He hummed hungrily, stuffing another into his mouth. His gaze drifted to a look of sadness for a moment, his mind once again flickering to what Cael had said—the words haunted him the moment they left his mouth.

He'd only left for a peek! A glance at the world below them! Had he known he'd be bruised by the hand of God, and aching from the fall of falls, taking such a leap. But the world down there seemed endless, filled with possibilities and joy. Although, when Angelo first arrived on earth, he was scared; Angelo was terrified of how easy it was to sin, how easy it was for anyone to sin. The cherub thought it was amazing that it was still many holy people on Earth but his addiction to ice cream overwhelmed him more than the thought of sinning.

Angelo was never going to get tired of the taste of butter brickle ice cream. Just as his mind wandered to the thought of a large cone of ice cream, topped with a bright red cherry, the church doors swung open—the angel was almost bombarded as people rushed to leave. He stepped back hastily, near losing his balance down the stairs. "Hey?" He looked up to see the man from last week—the one who'd fell on him and yelled at his boss. Angelo noticed that his cheeks were rosy but also tear stained, and his eyes were glossy. "I remember you." He trailed off.

"Hello," Angelo said in a silvery tone. His eyes wandered over the lanky person who now stood a step above him, his hand gripping the railing as he sniffed. He realized that the man was beautiful—if he hadn't known any better, he'd think the man was a celestial. Needless to say, his attractiveness was evident to the pesky cherub.

"This is a funeral," The man, Gemini, said. "My uncle's—did you know him?" He sniffled. He wore a large, pastel yellow cardigan and faded blue jeans with white converses as well. Angelo didn't think that was funeral attire like the people loading into the cars wore—those people wore black dresses, black suits, large hats and dull colored ties.

"No," Angelo said over the sounds of cars starting up. "I'm here for the songs." The songs? That statement had caught Gemini off guard, making his eyebrow quirk up in a questionable manner—he repeated the man, checking to see if he'd heard right.