endless fights, endless sighs, and drawn out yawns

ᴇɴᴅʟᴇꜱꜱ ꜰɪɢʜᴛꜱ, ᴇɴᴅʟᴇꜱꜱ ꜱɪɢʜꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴅʀᴀᴡɴ ᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴀᴡɴꜱ

    listen to the silence.

   the silence of a boy's unspoken malice, bitter anger pooling around his ankles as he stared head on to meet a god's stoic gaze. the silence of the ghostly angels that surrounded him, their white silhouettes almost transparent. listen to the tension, thick as butter.

   listen.

   the boy had sunken cheeks and sleepless eyes, a small scowl sat on his lips. he did not blink, did not think, and did not regret it when he spat on the shining marble steps.

   crossing his arms, he listened to the gasps that circle him. the god in front of him pressed his lips into a thin line, his fingers tightening their grip on the gavel.

   in all honesty, the boy thought this whole 'trail' thing was bonkers. if he committed a sin and didn't regret it, then he committed a sin and didn't fucking regret it. he should've been banished by now, poof, easy as that.

   it wasn't like he had family to stare at him in horror as they learned their precious son was being put on trial. he wasn't even sure if angels had families, it was a foreign concept to him.

   "jeongin," the god started, gritting his teeth, "do you realize what you have done? do you realize you have committed a sin?"

   jeongin tucked a strand of black hair behind his ear, cocking his head to the side, "gosh, my god, i didn't realize it was a sin to live—" someone behind him scoffs, and without looking, he flipped them off. cue another set of gasps —" and if that's so, then i don't wish to be excused."

   "you are alive, jeongin." the god's voice echoed. "i don't want to banish you, you're such a bright soul, but you must come to appreciate what you have. greed will bring nothing but misery, you have to recognize that. beg to repent for your sins now and you can still turn back..."

   the god's sentence began to fade as jeongin unfurled his wings; a pair of shriveling and yellowing wings bent and ruffled. anyone could tell they used to be tall and a gleaming white—pure—and so jeongin wasn't surprised to hear yet another set of gasps echo through the grand hall.

   "can they stop doing that?" jeongin muttered.

   an angel usually carried their wings with pride, as they were a sign of success and purity. they were trophies for their good deeds. one would never let their wings get to such a crippled state.

   "my god, being alive is not the same as living. i want to feel the adrenaline of living, for the sake of the devil! staying in this pretty little box of rules and laws? it's pointless, there's no meaning to it when you can't create. when you can't imagine," jeongin half yells, trying to get his meaning across, "cast me out, do it! my wings are already beginning to rot, there's no point in staying!"

   jeongin finally blinked, his bright blue eyes no longer looked natural against his sickly skin.

   "...not for me."

   the god sighed, shaking his head at jeongin's slight outburst. "the choice was yours, jeongin. there's no going back now."

   the invisible crowd of angels began to howl. was it humor? disgust? glee? were they finally happy he was going to be banished? exiled? was this the moment they were all waiting for?

   he scoffed at it, looking at the girl on his left. she'd been stone still since the start of his trial if it was even one. round face, round eyes, round bangs, and straight, long hair. squinting a bit, he could see the tears well up in her lash line.

jeongin took her hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. she turns to look at him, unblinking, and he gives her a small smile, "ahnjong, i promise this won't be the last you'll see of me, okay?"