~~Young~~

Chapter Twenty Three

   “Stop sulking and explain it to him,” she bit off as he batted it away, “or next time it’s the bed!”

   With a reluctant sigh he pushed off the wall and strolled up to Gage. Like with Death Gage was hesitant to let God touch him, but the threat of the lightning sparking in his eyes had Gage complying.

   Only because Sera was so close and he didn’t want her getting hurt. He wasn’t scared of him.

   “Your feathers could have gone either way from their neutral brown,” God began as he ran his hand along the arch in Gage’s wings, “acts of malevolence, physical and mental destruction, deceit for gain or misleading intent, murder,” he eyed Gage purposefully at that one, “those all will stain feathers black. Acts of sacrifice, defense of the innocent even at the risk of your own self,” his touch found the tip of Gage’s wing, “those acts, I will begrudgingly admit, will remove the impure feathers for those of a more…cleansed nature.”

   Gage narrowed his eyes at God as he let that sink in before turning to Sera, “You already knew about that, didn’t you?”

   She gave him a crooked smile, “I did, I saw your feathers first,” she shrugged, “And then you bled red blood so I just kind of put the two together…” she trailed off.

   He returned her shy smile, looking back at her again as he turned his attention to God is sheer disbelief. That amazing creature there, full of acceptance and understanding, was his to love.

   Yes that made him giddy.

   “What did it though? I can’t think of anything I did that was remotely…unselfish.” Gage asked in confusion.

   Everything that had happened since that awful night in the alley hinged on one thing, keeping Sera alive. It might seem righteous, but he willingly admitted it was for himself and no one else.

   “It began with your affections for Sera. That day you openly admitted your love for her, and had it confirmed by another, you changed your very makeup. Those of evil cannot love, and the only way you could be capable of such things is if your heart was no longer black.”

   Hadn’t Jerry said something to that end? It had Gage thinking back to the fight with Bane, about the blood that had been drawn on both sides. Had Bane noticed then what had become of Gage, was that why he was so sure that he would prevail, because he saw Gage had turned…good, and thought him weak?

   Nah, the prick was so full of himself he probably thought he could best even Lucifer if it came down to it.

   “And the feathers?”

   “Once your blood ran red then the only change they could make was to white,” God said as if Gage should know.

   And not that he did, but Gage was going to play along like that had been common knowledge, “but that was still in essence for myself, loving Sera was not an altruistic action, nothing I’ve done was selfless.”

   “Greed would say otherwise,” Death chimed in, “you didn’t have to help him but you did.”

   Right, he had forgotten about that, “One act does not two feathers make.”

   “You only killed the wicked, if you don’t count the occasional married woman you screwed then you barely ruffled a hair in the truly innocent’s heads.”

   “Not acting against the innocent wouldn’t have counted.”

   “You attempted to destroy Bane,” it was God’s turn, “and you would have succeeded had my brother not intervened.”