Chapter 8
Emily had been awoken by strange, pained noises, sitting up to notice Lute twitching in her sleep. Looks like a nightmare. Should I wake her? Before she could work up the nerve, the former exorcist stilled, breaths slowing and becoming consistent and steady. The concerned angel had fallen back asleep after a little while, the steady rise and fall of Lute’s chest assuaging her earlier concerns, but was roused again to glimpse the woman stumbling out of the hut on slightly shaking legs. The angel briefly debated following Lute. Maybe she wants to be alone right now? Emily frowned. No, I should check on her. She had left the comfortable warmth of her cot, tossing her blanket aside as she pushed herself upright decisively, and tiptoed after the former exorcist.
She found Lute a few minutes away from the hut, laying on a patch of moss and staring up at the night sky. Emily slowly lowered herself onto the ground, then flipped onto her side to look at Lute. The night air was crisp, and the ground wasn’t warm, either. She scooted a bit closer to the former exorcist - shoot, I hope she’s okay with me being this close to her, summoned her wings, pristine and perfectly off-white, and silently draped them over Lute.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” her breath fogged in the cold.
“Just a bad dream.” Curt and effective, every inch the lieutenant she had, up until very recently, always been.
Emily hesitated, unsure of whether she should ask more, but Lute changed the subject.
“Your wings are out,” she noticed, not bothering to turn her head to look at the angel by her side.
Emily laughed, a quiet but genuine sound that Lute found herself wishing she could hear more often. “They are.”
“You haven’t had them out since I woke up, which was… probably months ago. Is this, like, a probation thing? You can’t summon them as often?”
“Something like that.”
Emily tried not to shiver as she attempted to keep the conversation going. “What happened? I mean, how did you end up here?”
“I don’t really know. After the battle, I can’t remember anything.”
“The battle?”
“...when did Sera send you here?” Lute probed cautiously, still refusing to make eye contact and staring pointedly at the sky.
“Um, it was after that meeting, the one with the Princess of Hell? With the redemption stuff.”
A fucking awkward pause stretched on, longer and longer. “You know about the exterminations now, right?”
“Yes,” the angel answered, simple and quiet.
“Well, they said they were going to fight back this time. So, the day after we met with the Princess, the day of the extermination, we– we flew down to Hell. The Pride Ring, I mean. To protect Heaven.”
Emily’s head bobbed slightly in acknowledgement, not wanting to interrupt verbally.
“We lost. Adam’s dead now,” Lute stated, her voice sounding flat and forced, “I got hurt. And…” she trailed off, mortified to realize she had almost revealed that third realization she’d recently had out loud.
“I’m listening,” Emily encouraged softly.
Lute finally turned her head to meet the angel’s gaze, compassionate and attentive. 'And also, I think I’ve fallen in love with you.' She mulled over those words. What would they sound like, coming out of her mouth? How would Emily respond? Would that beautiful face light up, or would it push the angel away from her?
“I just… still feel overwhelmed by it all,” Lute mumbled truthfully, clumsily attempting to steer her train of thought in a different direction, “I feel like I haven’t quite processed everything yet.”
“I’m glad you’re telling me about this. Acknowledging what exactly it is you’re feeling and struggling with is a big step. In the right direction, I mean,” Emily added, placing a hand on Lute’s shoulder, staring deep into those resplendent yet pained golden eyes, “I need you to know that I’m right here for you. I understand that some days can be better and some days can be worse, but I’ll always be there.”
Lute couldn’t help it, her lower lip trembled. What the fuck had she done to deserve this? It was like she had been whisked from the real world into some kind of dream dimension, an Ogygian paradise complete with her very own gorgeous, silver-freckled Calypso. It felt so fucking selfish, but Lute found herself secretly hoping Sera would never end up coming to take the two of them back to Heaven. A stupid, self-indulgent fantasy, she knew, but one she craved more than anything else in this miserable existence. She tore her gaze from Emily’s, suddenly feeling undeserving, ashamed, and embarrassed, all at once.
“Can we just… stay right here for a bit longer?” Lute requested quietly.
“Oh! Um, I was actually about to suggest we head back to the cabin - it’s kind of chilly out here, isn’t it?”
Lute couldn’t argue with that. She slowly pushed herself upright, then realized, wait, I’m an angel. Letting out a slight snort at the fact that she’d nearly forgotten, she summoned her wings. “C’mere,” she grinned at the angel, who abruptly noticed just how prominent Lute’s canines were. Emily obeyed immediately, scooting closer as Lute lay back down, spreading one huge silvery wing and patting it. Emily hesitated. “It’ll be warmer this way,” Lute promised, then added, “Don’t worry, I won’t bite.”
The angel tried not to let her brain process that last statement, lest she let some kind of inappropriate response slip, and carefully tucked herself next to Lute’s body, positively drunk on the first real physical contact she’d had since before her probation had started. She tried not to quiver with simple, wholesome pleasure as Lute draped the other wing over her, encasing her in fluffy, plush warmth. Meanwhile, Lute couldn’t help but notice with a start just how perfectly Emily’s body fit against her own.
Head against Lute’s chest, Emily’s brows furrowed. “Is this okay? Your heart is beating really fast right now.”
Lute answered a bit too quickly. “Yeah! Yeah, I'm great. Awesome.”
They awoke as the first pale rays of daylight began to beam through the trees, still in each other’s arms.