Did It Hurt? (bxb)

V

Angel stared at the closed door in surprise and disbelief before he eventually turned away. Here he had been trying to make things easier for him and Oliver, but instead he'd come off as annoying. Frowning angrily, Angel turned away and gripped the strap of his satchel so hard, his knuckles turned white. "It wouldn't kill you to be nice," he muttered to himself. What was it with Oliver? It wasn't like Angel had given him any indication that he wanted to be friends. He just wanted to get good grades. Was that too much to ask? Was that vampire so afraid of his mother that he didn't even try to let anyone in?

"But we've all mutually assumed that the reason he pushed everyone away is so his mother won't harvest their blood. He's got no friends. I don't think he's ever had a girlfriend."

George's words floated into Angel's mind. Harvest their blood? There was no way that the laws would allow her to get away with that, even if she was of supernatural blood. There were principles. Oliver had to know that. So why was he so afraid? He didn't seem like the type of person to cower and bow to the every whim of an adult, parent or not. So what was really going on? Why didn't Oliver rebel?

___

Before he knew it, Angel had lost himself in his thoughts, and the sky had grew completely dark. He breathed in. The stars were out. Peppered all across the sky, the white dots spread above Angel, forming constellations. Back at his old home, states away, him and Collin would lay a blanket across the grass late at night. Laying beside each other, they would take turns pointing out and naming the constellations. Then the night would chill and when Angel would shiver, Collin would draw him against his side and hold him close, kiss his forehead and whisper in his ear. Then Angel's eyes would grow heavy, and he'd find himself falling asleep, breathing in the fresh smell of Collin's scent. Sandalwood.

The town that Angel had lived in before was no fan of monsters. They were always putting disgrace upon the neighboring towns for how open they were. Angel's parents were right alongside them in the hatred. When Angel's mother brought him home as a baby, he'd been dripping with rain water. His wings has been small, just big enough to fit his body. His mother had explained that the whole way home as she carried him, every time she looked at him, Angel had made her rethink everything she once believed. Angel's mother had believed all her life that the supernatural folk were evil, spawns of the Devil.

Carrying Angel home, his mom explained, she started to think that even though he wasn't human, there was no way she could just abandon an infant like he was, on the side of the road. She thought that perhaps she could raise Angel with good principles, and in return, he could show her the light. That perhaps not all supernatural beings were terrible.

It was this exact train of thought that sparked a fight with Angel's mother and father. Despite his mom explaining the situation, his dad remained a firm believer in the hatred of monsters. Angel grew up with both of his parents, but they were never like normal parents. They were always at odds. While Angel's mother was spending all her time raising and forming a bond with him, Angel grew up never really knowing his father. He never spoke a word to his son, only ever giving him an evil eye or a cold shoulder.

But Angel didn't mind. He had his mother. Then when he befriended Collin, that was one more person that accepted him and who was there for him. Collin's parents were accepting of Angel, but it took some convincing. Four short months after they had become friends, they began dating. That was the last straw for Angel's father. The night after Angel had came out to the family, he had disappeared without a word. All his belongings had vanished. Neither Angel, nor his mother seemed bothered by this. There were times though, were his mother began to close off. Her emotions seemed to shut down, her eyes becoming glassy.

It was at times like these when Angel realized that his mother would be impossible to talk to. It was better to just let her sadness pass. To stay away and wait it out. Often times when this happened, Angel would call Collin, and they would meet up to hang out for the afternoon. That's what they had been going when everything when wrong. Angel could remember it like it was yesterday. The mob, the shouting, Collin-

When Angel returned home, he was sobbing. Tears covered his face, and blood was splattered on his clothes. It was the first time he allowed himself to hate himself for what he was. His mother had held him as he cried. Murmured to him as he gripped onto her shirt tightly, getting the blood everywhere. Afterwards, she had helped clean him up and fed him dinner.

A week later, not being able to bare being in the town anymore, Angel and his mother moved whole states away, not looking back once.

__

Angel wandered down Oliver's driveway, slipped off his hoodie and spread his wings. He abandoned his satchel and pencil by the mailbox, and with one beat of his wing's black feathers, he was airborne. Closing his eyes, Angel kept climbing until he was above everything. The wind brushed against his skin like a comforting hand. Opening his eyes, Angel looked down on the town. The streets were lined with lampposts that glowed softly against the inky sky. Above him, the stars were little pinpricks of hope, refusing to be extinguished by the darkness.

Angel flew even higher, but no matter how much farther he went, they never got any closer. The full moon shone like a beacon. Angel knew that if he went any higher, he would surely be noticed by a passerby or a stargazer if he hadn't been already, so he flew back down. With nowhere else to go for the night, Angel perched himself on the highest part of Oliver's rooftop. He searched the sky in hopes of finding his favorite constellation, Orion. Orion was Collin's favorite constellation. Angel remembered how he'd always plunge into the stories he'd heard behind the stars forming the image and smiled to himself.

Suddenly, a shingle creaked behind him. Angel froze.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing on my roof?" Oliver's voice growled.