Archive of Our Own ^beta

The apartment of 1031 had been oddly quiet recently. Lynn had gone on a work trip, leaving Lily (who decided to stay in 1031 while her brother was away) behind. And with him gone, Nick saw no reason to stop by. What was the point of annoying the apartment if Lynn wasn’t there? Lily’s brother was against the idea of her staying with the monster boys, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Not only was Lynn gone, but Luis was as well. The actor would also be away for some filming of yet another zombie role.

“Lily! That show you like is on!”

Neil poked his head into the room occupied by the young angel. Typically, it was Lynn’s, but it belonged to his sister for the moment. Lily had been telling Neil for weeks about a new show she had been watching, and now it was on, giving him the chance to watch it with her. Lily walked out of the room with a smile, her freckles glowing in the light of her halo. Neil felt his mouth form into a soft grin just seeing her in all her beauty. She sat down on the couch next to Neil as the intro to the show started up.

“I think you’ll really enjoy this show!”
“I’ve only heard good things about it, all from you.”

Neil chuckled and sat back, watching the television. However, he started noticing a few things. Lily not only had her wings tucked against her back closely, but she kept trying to scratch at them like an irresistible itch. The usually pristine feathers were all slightly unaligned. Only people who knew her the best would have noticed these little details. She typically sat confidently with her wings fluffed up, but they seemed small and shameful. During the episode, her wings bated anxiously.

Neil racked his brain for any information on angels that could explain this. Was it because Lynn was gone? No, she wasn’t worried about him, Neil knew that for sure. It seemed more like she was in pain or sick. There wasn’t any angel around to help him solve the puzzle. He knew he would be beaten to death by his roommates if he called the landlord back early, so he looked further into his brain for any information that could be useful.

Because he and Evan both loved animals, they often talked about how angels and demons differ. One time when they were together out at a zoo they walked into the aviary. Birds soared around them in the enclosed area, and one of them was perched on a ledge cleaning its feathers. And Evan pointed out a little bit of angel trivia. Just like birds, angels preen their wings too.

Working at a pet shop, Neil was far from a stranger to preening. He would do it to the birds and watch them do it to not only themselves but each other. It all clicked into place. Angels preened each other’s wings just like birds, and Lily couldn’t reach all her feathers on her own.

He put his phone back in his hoodie pocket and looked over at Lily, who didn’t seem to be doing any better.

“Lily? Are you okay?”

She looked over at him.

“What do you mean?”

“Have your wings been having issues? They look like they’re bothering you.”

Lily was surprised he had noticed. Shit! Was pointing that out rude to angels? Had he accidentally insulted her? Lily sighed. “I can’t preen all my feathers myself, and usually Lynn helps me. Or someone else does if he isn’t around, but I didn’t want to ask you.” Ah, the healthy love language of not communicating problems to not upset the other.

“Lily, I work with birds, I can help you.” He smiled at her, placing a soft hand on her shoulder. Lily’s body language relaxed. “Thank you.” Picking up on the cues that they were doing this now, both of them shifted position on the couch. Lily sat cross-legged, facing the wall, while Neil sat behind her, facing her large white wings.

He began moving his hands through her feathers skillfully. Although he had never done this to an angel, he had done it to birds dozens of times. Usually, angels were very protective of their wings. Those and their halos were a source of pride, just like a demon’s horns. It was only now that Neil had a good look at her wings like this since most angels didn’t like them being touched.

The feathers were in harmony in perfect rows like a choir preparing to sing a song of flight. They were soft as if he was touching a cloud. The wings were massive, so it was no wonder why angels were able to fly so easily. The pure white snowscape was mesmerizing. Giving each feather special attention, just like each animal in his care at work, he was able to turn off his mind and just appreciate being with Lily.

Something that Neil had never noticed before was just how birdlike angels were, in the same way that demons were goatlike. Lily let out a soft coo, just like a dove. Angels were amazing, and Neil was so happy to have met one.

Thinking about it more, each angel had wings like a different bird, each one unique like a snowflake. The only similarity between them all was the pure white coloring. Lynn had broad yet graceful wings like a swan, with even softer feathers than Lilly’s. Evan’s wings were smaller than Lynn’s but even more powerful. Like an owl, the edges of his primary feathers had serrated edges, letting him fly just as silently as the nocturnal predator. When angels and devils were at war, those advantages were put to good use, but just like most monsters, their survival skills had little use in the present day.

“Does that feel better now?” Neil backed away from the wings and Lily stuck up, stretching them out. She spun in a circle joyfully, feeling all the discomfort that plagued her outstretched wings vanish. “Yes, it does.” She faced Niel and wrapped him in a hug. Holy light made an angel hug painful for demons, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was Neil was encased in a wrapping of feathers like a demon burrito.

Remembering what her halo could do to him, Lily stepped back. “Thank you so much, Nini.” Neil’s face reddened. Even though it was painfully obvious to everyone that they were in love, neither had confessed, and it would likely stay that way for a long time.