Sons Of War || Andy Biersack

Chapter 2

As you suddenly started to fall to the ground, CC, who stood closest to you, rushed to your side and cought you just before you hit the hardwood floor.
"Oh God! What's wrong with her?!" Ashley asked as he turned away from Andy, who was very firm about being non-responsive, and saw you blacked out in CC's arms. CC merely shrugged slightly and lifted you up bridal style to get a better hold on you.
"She just fainted. . .I think Andy shocked her. Did anyone mention we're angels?" CC asked this question like a strict mother might ask her children if they closed the front door when they came inside. Jake and Jinxx shook their heads meekly, but Ashley said indignantly, "Andy did. But I don't think she believed him."
"Oh great, are we in the house of a non-believer?" Jake asked worriedly.
Jinxx, who stood beside him, looked at your limp body and chucked in amusement. "Not anymore, it would appear."
"Jinxx, that's not funny! We scared her. After she was so nice to us!" Jake scolded. He was the purest out of all of them.
"Just put her down there, CC," Ashley said with a sigh, pointing to a comfortable looking armchair. CC nodded and set you down gently in the chair Ashley had indicated.
Ashley then turned back to what he considered the biggest problem. "Andy, talk to me." However, he was getting nowhere in that department. Andy refused to put his wings away and come out at the moment. He didn't really hear their requests that he do so. He was dizzy, in a lot of pain and simply wanted it to stop. Sleep seemed the best escaped, so he was endeavoring to reach that pleasant state of unconsciousness, and succeeding at a good rate. It was easy because he was drained, exhausted, and lost a lot of blood. Not only was his body injured, but his pride was as well.
After trying to talk or get a response from him for about five minutes, Ashley decided to just leave him alone for a while. It's probably what he needed, but it would have been nice to get confirmation that he was okay. . .
You opened your eyes slowly, trying to remember what had happened merely moments before. The thought of wings suddenly growing from a man's back seemed a little far fetched, so you sat up straight and looked around your living room in slight confusion, then your eyes reached the couch and you emitted a screech of shock and flung yourself behind the armchair for cover.
Now fully aware that you were awake, the four of them rushed to your side and tried to get you to calm down.
"THERE IS A BIG BIRD/HUMAN THINGY ON MY COUCH, I AM NOT CALMING DOWN!" You screamed at Jake, who had put a comforting hand on your shoulder.
He nodded his head to the side slightly. "Yeah, that's fair."
"SERIOUSLY LADY, GET A GRIP!" Jinxx shouted, his hands over his ears. You had decidedly strong lungs.
"YOU GET A GRIP!" You retorted without a lot of sense. Pointing at Andy, you then took a very, very deep breath, closed your eyes and took on a demeanor of forced calm, then asked, "why does he have" -you chocked slightly on your calm- "ehm--wings?"
Ashley led you back to your seat. "We're angels. Angels, as you must be aware, have wings."
You had a million questions in your mind. Heaven and shit was real? Was there really a God? Was everything written down in the bible true? Why did they not heal so quickly then? How come they didn't come down to earth gracefully? Wasn't grace a part of being an angel?
However, for some reason, the question that decided to fall out your mouth was, "why are his wings black?" All four of them sighed and turned to look at Andy. His wings were indeed very black. They hadn't yet seen their new wing color until now.
"We're fallen," Jinxx said with a hint of resentment in his voice, not turning to look back at you.
You thought this over for a moment in your head with a racing heart and tried to remember anything you had ever read about angels. Fallen. . . .fallen. . . .fallen. . . Didn't that mean they were violent or something?
"Er--doesn't that mean you're violent?" You asked nervously. You didn't really want to have to fight five--well, four, to be more accurate--angels. Not that it wasn't something you didn't think yourself fully capable of doing, but you just preferred not to.
"No. Well. . . Not exactly." Was your vague explanation, via Ashley. Whatever, you heard 'no' in there, so you were gonna take it.
You had always prized yourself on how flexible you were, and how quickly you adjusted to situations, but even you thought this might take time to get used to.
"Do you all, er, have wings?" You asked hesitantly. All four nodded at you. "May I see them?"
They glanced between each other before nodding slightly. Their wings came out much faster than Andy's did. Those suckers just whipped those things out like handkerchiefs. All five sets of wings looked pretty much the same. All huge, all black and feathered, all beautiful. Suddenly your home became very cramped. "Okay put them away before you break something," you said dismissively, having seen enough.
They obeyed and, just as they had appeared, they were gone.
"I can't believe I have fallen angels in my living room. . ." You muttered, looking up to inspect each fallen angel in turn. They were all still soaking, cold and filthy, but the cut on Ashley's arm needed to be bandaged. Blood flowed down his arm all the way to his wrist.  You stood up from your chair. "Ashley sit down,  please."
He gave you a weary glance before doing as you asked.  You went and got your your bandages and something to clean it up and disinfect it.
"This is going to sting a little," you warmed before pressing the disinfectant to the wound. He stiffened and bit his bottom lip, but didn't utter a sound. Now you only needed to bandage it and he would be good as new, besides the ankle that was two steps away from broken. You figured if he kept off it, it would heal up on it's own.
You requested he explain everything to you as you worked, and he proceeded to do so amiably. He explained angels, and what happens when your fallen, and he explained Heaven, but he didn't tell you what exactly they had done to get cast out, and you decided not to press it.
Even though you found all this incredibly weird, you decided the best way to adjust was to just brush off the weird feeling and go along with this as though it were perfectly normal until it actually started to feel that way.
"Okay does anyone need a hot shower?" You asked as you remember once again that everyone was cold and wet and dirty. All four of them shook their heads. Men! "Okay let me rephrase that: I want all of you to take a shower. You are filthy."
You handed each one and towel and pointed them in the direction of the bathroom.
"Take turns," you called over your shoulder as you went to your bedroom to change out of your ruined dress. Ginger was sitting on your bedside table looking bored. As you walked into the room she looked you up and down and began cleaning herself, as though the very presence of you made her feel dirty.
"You, my fuzzy friend, suck," you said to her agitatedly, ripping off your damp dress and flinging it across the room into the garbage. You pulled on a simple black t-shirt and jeans after changing your underwear and then sat down on your bed to ground yourself for a moment.
"Yep, okay, there are five angels--fallen angels!--in your house. . . In your very shower!" You said quietly to yourself, breathing deeply. "You can do this. You'll be fine. . ."
Ginger seemed to note your obvious distress and decided that, now that you had done away with that nasty dress, she could afford to come comfort you. Slinking off the side table and onto the bed, she made her way to your lap and snuggled down, then began to purr softly. You stroked her soft fur gently. Her purring really did help your nerves, and it wasn't long before you went back out into the living room.
It appeared Jinxx won first dibs on the shower, and he was sitting on the armchair with wet hair but dry clothes. You decided not to inquire as to his method of drying said clothes. You did note, however, that they were still torn up and ragged. You needed to get them new clothes, but you didn't have anything in your house that would fit any one of them. Unless they fancied cross dressing. . . Yeah that wasn't going to sell.
The rain was still pouring down outside so hard you worried about your electricity going out. The whether predicted this storm would last for days. You hoped to high hell that they were wrong.
"Jinxx, are you hungry?" You inquired, crossing your arms loosely over your chest. He studied you for a second before shaking his head no. "Thank you though," he added absently. He looked tired.
You looked at Andy in concern. He was very still. You hadn't gotten to properly disinfect and bandage his leg.
As Jinxx laid his head back and began slowly falling asleep, you walked over to the couch softly and tried to see if you could get a response from the youngest angel.
You could hardly see any of him but his wings, but you figured you'd try.
"Andy," you whispered softly. No response. You tried again, but got the same results. Hesitantly, you held out your hand and slowly made contact with his wing. You were surprised at how soft and smooth it was. If he were a bird you would say 'well groomed' but that just didn't seem right in this situation.  Slowly and soothingly you stroked a single spot on his wing and your hand hesitantly began to trailed all around his soft feathers. You found this amazing. A real life angel was laying on your couch at this very second, unconscious and weak. As you sat on your coffee table, which you pulled up so it was closer to the couch, you suddenly noticed his wings start to move from under your palm. They slowly started retracting into his back. Weird as that was to watch, you could only take it as a good sign.
His wings slowly uncovered him and got smaller and smaller until they disappeared all together and revealed his face and body once again.
To your slight surprised, his eyes were closed and his breathing came in soft and even and he was undeniably still asleep. So it must have been subconscious, him putting his wings away. You gently pressed the back of your hand to his forehead to make sure he didn't have a temperature. His skin was incredibly soft and flawless, and not warmer than it should be. Good, so he wasn't running a fever. You moved down the couch slowly and lifted some of the torn fabric off his injured leg to get a good look at the wound. It didn't look as bad as his stomach, and when he woke up you would bandage it properly.
You looked at his bare chest and noted that he had more tattoos scattered across it. He was gorgeous, with his face calm and relaxed. You made a note to also clean up his face from the dried blood when he woke.
You stood up from the coffee table just as Ashley entered the room. His eyes immediately went to Andy and he sighed slightly in relief, then asked you quietly, "how did you get him to put his wings away?"
"I didn't. . . At least I dont think I did. He did it himself, but he's still sleeping. When he wakes up I want to bandage his leg," you stated, changing the subject.
"Thank you for letting us stay here inside," Ashley said, remembering his manners. You shrugged.
"It's nothing, really."
Jinxx was completely asleep by now, curled up in a little ball with his head resting on the arm rest. If these guys were going to stay here with you, they needed beds. You had a guest bedroom they could take. One of them could use the bed, one could sleep on the floor on one side of it, and one more on the other side. That left one out here on the couch and then other either in the armchair, which didn't look comfortable, or on the floor. You only hoped you had enough blankets to make all these beds. Your heating wasn't the greatest and it got pretty cold at night.
You brushed this concern off for later as CC came into the room. That left Jake, who was probably getting into his shower. As you looked at the three faces, you had to admit that their appearances were greatly improved now that they were clean. . .clean and gorgeous.
CC sat down on the floor at Jinxx's feet and leaned his head on the chair. They all looked exhausted. Who could blame them, either? You would be exhausted too if you were cast out of Heaven and struck to earth with brute force. You wondered for how long exactly were they falling. Did it take like a week? Years? A day? Hours? You decided not to ask.
"There's a bed down the hall to the right if anyone wants to sleep there for a bit," you offered. Ashley's eyes lite up slightly, but he stubbornly shook his head. "No thank you."
You knew why he rejected, even though he was exhausted.  It was out of loyalty. He would remain out here until Andy woke up. You knew it would be fruitless to try and persuade him, so you just nodded knowingly and offered it up to CC, who took your offer before you could finish your sentence. He was a little more sensible about the matter. Plus, Ashley had things under control. You had your suspensions that CC would have declined as well if Ashley wasn't going to stay.
You could tell this group was tight knit.
Once Jake exited the shower, he came into the living room and took in the scene in silent analysis. Out of all of them, he seemed the least tired.
"Will Andy wake up soon?" He inquired politely and quietly. You gave him a sweet smile and nodded. You would have ruffled his hair if you knew him better. He went and sat down near the fire place and waited patiently, thinking to himself.
You decided since there was nothing better to do, you would go to your bedroom and read for a bit. It was maybe half an hour before you heard voices talking in the living room. You recognized the deep gravelly voice speaking in low tones to be Andy. He was awake, and carrying on a conversation with Ashley in an irritable voice.
As you walked slowly out into the hall to make your way to the living room, you could make out some of what they were saying.
"We don't belong here! I need a way to contact the Lord!--Ough, god! This hurts. Ash, help me up."
"No way, I don't know what will happen to you if I do that. If you hadn't noticed, we don't heal fast anymore. This girl is our best bet right now, she knows how to be mortal."
"She's a mortal! Ash, we don't need her!"
"Tell me, wise one, what would we do if we left?"
"We would find a way back to Heaven, where we belong."
"It was your stupid idea that got us here in the first place!" Ashley's voice carried a sharp edge to it and they went silent.
You walked in the room to find them staring each other down in a most unpleasant way.
"Guys. . ." You said hesitantly. This was a mistake because they both turned their unpleasant stares onto you. You flinched slightly and took a deep breath.
"I don't know exactly what's going on here, but you need to take it easy," you said to Andy, regaining your stance. He rolled his eyes so far back you thought they would be stuck like that forever.
However, despite your expectations, they came back down, and he said coldly, "I don't need anything from you."
"Andy. . ." Jake said quietly, silently warning him to watch his step.
"Really?!" You burst out angrily. "You don't need me?! If you hadn't noticed Mr. Fallen Angel, I saved your fucking life! You would be dead in a pit if I hadn't found you. Or you'd have a cold and a fever anD EITHER WAY YOU BE DEAD!" You couldn't help but shout at the end of that sentence. Of all the ungrateful things to say to someone!
He jumped to his feet, rage giving him strength. "I wouldn't be dead, I'd be fine on my own! I don't need your help, or your goddamn pity! You're just a human, you could never dream of the power we have!"
"Had." You corrected venomously, looking him straight in the eye. You could tell that stung him by the fleeting look of sorrow behind his eyes. Rage replaced it soon and he took a step towards you, but Ashley put his arm out to block the way.
"If you're smart, you will sit your ass back down and let me fix your leg." You said challengingly, crossing your arms over your chest. At this point, CC had long since made an appearance and Jinxx was wide awake.
"Not. A. Fucking. Chance." Was his hateful reply. Your cheeks flushed with anger. This asshole was really fucking stubborn and ungrateful.
In a thoughtless gesture, you pointed to the door and snapped, "get the fuck out!"
This seemed just fine with him, and he turned angrily in that direction and started limping heavily towards the exit. "Come on! We're leaving." He called over his shoulder. Reluctantly, the others began to follow him. Jake walked right next to him and you could hear him say quietly, "but, Andy. . .it's raining and cold out there."
Andy paid him no heed. In fact, he was to mad to even hear what he had just said. He opened the door and limped out onto the porch. The others followed behind and Ashley mouthed, 'sorry' before closing the door behind them. The house filled with silence and you looked around, your eyes landing on your blood stained couch.
The wind whipped all around them as the storm raged on, and just as Andy was about to step out into the rain and begin the walk to he didn't know where, when Ashley grabbed his arm and spun him around so they were face to face.
"Andy be freaking sensible! There is no way in hell we can make it on our own. It's freezing out here, and we have no idea where we are or how to get out."
"I am not going back in that house," Andy said stubbornly, not thinking straight. He knew this was a horrid idea, but he wasn't--no, he couldn't--except that he needed help. Especially from a human. He was to indignant. But at the same time, he had no idea what he was going to do next.
"Andy, please. You need to sit down, you're bleeding again," Ashley said worriedly, looking to the reddening bandage that was wrapped around Andy's lower stomach. Andy looked down as well and wanted to scream in frustration. Why the hell was it bleeding again?! How fucking slow did mortals heal?!
"Andy I'm sure if we apologize she'll let us back in," Jake said, not trying to hide the fact that he really didn't want to get all wet and cold again.
Andy felt a little defeated, which was not a feeling he at all liked nor was used to. It would be unfair to make his friends suffer more than they were already suffering, but at the same time he wasn't going to apologize.
"Go, just go. She'll let you back, it's me she's mad at," Andy said finally, deciding that this was the best course of action. He sat down slowly on the steps of the porch and put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, trying to work things out in his head and figure out his next major move. The freezing rain splattered in his hair and on his skin, making him cold, so he took out his wings quickly and crossed them over himself, creating a highly effective umbrella.
"Andy you're not going to wonder off on your own, are you?" Jinxx inquired.
"No, I'm not. We'll stay here. Just go inside, I need to think," He responded shortly. The others passed around uncertain glances before knocking at the door.
You let them back in, of course, and you fully intended to persuade Andy to do the same. But for now, you let him be with his thoughts. You watched him subtly out of your window from behind the blinds for a moment, memorized by his wings, still unable to believe he had such things.
He was way more stubborn than you thought, however. You figured he'd get cold and come in and apologize, but it was hours later and he hadn't budged. His face was calm and thoughtful, and finally you decided you would just go out and talk to him. It was almost dark, and all the other angels had went to sleep in the guest bedroom, making four spots on the floor whist Jinxx claimed the bed.
You opened the door after putting on a jacket and stepped out into the cold, carrying a blanket. He was completely dry, for his wings kept the rain off very good, but you could tell he was cold. After all, he didn't have a shirt on.
You knew he heard the door open, but he must have figured it was one of the guys, because he said remorsefully, "I'm so sorry I got us into this."
You dropped the blanket over his shoulders and he flinched and turned to look at who had come out. When he saw it was you, his face darkened visibly. "What do you want?"
You put your hands up slightly and said, "I didn't come out here to fight with you. I just wanted to talk."
"Okay. . ." He said skeptically, trying to figure out if you had an ulterior motive.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier, I was just flustered," you stated. "This is all new to me. But I'm genuinely concerned about you. I know you're not used to having normal genetic capabilities, and I'm afraid you're going to hurt yourself."
"I think I already did," he said with a sad laugh, hanging his head and wrapping one arm around his injured stomach.
"Yeah I know, dummy," you said playfully. He was in a considerably better frame of mind now, and you did not get the feeling he would start shouting at you again. Maybe he had come to better grips with the fact that he wasn't an all powerful angel anymore.
"It's gonna be fine though. You guy's can stay here with me. I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but you really shouldn't make the fact that you're an angel with wings and shit widely known," you informed him. He glanced at you. "Why not?"
"Humans are pigs. They'll hurt you," you explained simply. Before he could start rambling about how humans could not hurt him, you said quickly, "we have powerful weapons that can kill you within a split second. Without your powers, you would die."
He thought this over for a second and then nodded silently. "Okay. We'll keep it secret." He moved one of his wings from over his head so it now resided over your head and kept the rain off you.
"Can we please go inside and let me take care of your leg?" You asked boldly, unsure if you'd asked that too soon.
He was silent for a long moment and then hesitantly looked at you sideways. "Yeah, I guess," he answered finally. You helped him get to his feet and his wings disappeared gracefully.
He sat down on the couch, holding the blanket you had provided him tightly around his shoulders as you cut away his pant leg all the way up to just beneath his knee. A long deep cut traveled all the way down his leg to just above his ankle.
"If you keep cutting up my clothes I'm not gonna have anything to wear," he mumbled, trying not to look at the disgusting member that was his leg. It hurt like a bitch.
"I know, I'll buy you new clothes," you state, grabbing your disinfectant. "This will sting," you warned. He grit his teeth, trying not to tremble as a burning sensation erupted from his entire leg, but not one sound got past his well guarded lips. He stayed ridged and silent the whole time until you finished bandaging his leg and stood up. Once you stood, his muscles relaxed and he let out a long breath he hadn't known he was holding, his hands unsteady.
"You're gonna be fine," you said with a small smile. "The leg will be good as new in a few days."
He nodded curtly, fighting with himself inside. Finally, he choked out, "thanks."
You knew that was the best you were getting. Sitting down next to him on the couch, you said softly, "sorry if it hurt."
"It's fine. I don't suppose you could really help that." He pulled the blanket across his chest to try and warm his chilled skin and picked his legs up off the ground and brought them to his chest. His boots were messy, but you didn't make a fuss because this couch was fucking totaled anyway.
"I'm going to bed, I think. If you need me, my room is at the end of the hall. Don't hesitate to wake me up," you said tiredly, getting off the couch and starting the short walk to your room. He didn't respond, just flicked out the light and laid down. He didn't quite know why you were being so kind to him. He hadn't exactly been kind to you. He dismissed these thoughts and let sleep take him quickly.
You had a harder time getting to sleep. There were five angels under your roof. . .

Okay chapter two is finished!! Thanks so much to anyone reading this story, I love you all!! Tell me what you think, guys!!
-Skye