Blood on Their Wings

Chapter 44

After admitting all of that to Panuleon, Vinny went to sit by himself for a while.

He has always convinced himself that he was born angry and unsocial but that was to stop his mind from adventuring down the road to where it all began.

Having a stutter made him the perfect victim for bullies and for a very, very long time he was embarrassed about it.

Even now, he gets annoyed at himself but that only makes it worse.

Yes, it isn't that noticeable now but it's only because he never speaks for long enough that it will show.

It started to show when he spoke with Panuleon and he hated it.

He felt so damaged when it escaped.

When he told Oliver about it, he hugged Vinny for a very long while and told him that he was the most perfect person he has ever met.

He told him that his deep voice was his favourite sound and he should never be afraid, even when the stutter comes.

Vinny of course fell deeper in love with him when it was clear that Oliver loves him, even with his imperfections.

Vinny still felt raw. This was the first time in a very long time that he has thought about it openly.

It has never been mentioned before because he would pretend like it never happened. He would pretend that he never went through this traumatic experience that made him who he is today.

Madison and Duke would pretend like it didn't happen because Vinny asked them to. He felt awful that he put them through that but they understand.

They know how hard it was for him and they know why he wouldn't want to go back to such an awful time.

Panuleon had thanked Vinny for telling him that and for being so open with him. He felt like they were on a higher level now that he knows more about him.

But he also knows never to mention it again. This was Vinny's deepest secret and it wasn't within his rights to mention it freely.

It must have taken Vinny a lot of courage to admit it to the Angel, but he felt proud that he was comfortable enough to talk about it with him.

Vinny needed to go back to Oliver, but he could still feel the stutter hovering in his throat.

He revealed it and it'll take a little time to go away.

He sighed to himself before standing up. Oliver will immediately know and he could probably feel that he was thinking about it.

As he tried his best to push it down and ignore it like he's so used to doing, he made his way back to the dining room.

* * * * *

Everyone was still sitting on the couches as he entered.

He walked over to Oliver and his mum didn't bother telling him not to sit on it with paint on his clothes, knowing he would do so anyway.

"Hello" Oliver smiled.

Vinny returned the smile and kissed his temple.

"Have you finished painting the room?" He asked.

Vinny shook his head and took his hand.

Oliver could feel that something was wrong, but he didn't think it would be his stutter. He's always so careful not to say too much that it will cause him problems.

Also, he knows never to bring it up.

"Do you want to have a little break from painting? We could go for a short walk in the gardens?" He asked.