Wings that Guard Me

Chapter 40 Seraph

In the weeks leading up to the dance things were . . . different. Raphael had apparently planned the whole night, including my dress. Which was making me very nervous to be honest. Did I trust him? Maybe. But did I trust him enough with this? Definitely not. But what choice did I have? He obviously knew more about this aspect of human culture than I did. And I was too focused on dealing with Scarlet and everything else I didn't have the time to worry about the dance.

The dance is in eight days. Just over a week. Tony had officially asked me to the dance, because apparently the first time didn't count, and Raphael had picked out a dress for me. He refuses to show it to me though. Something about it being a great surprise for the day before or morning of the dance. This I also do not understand. I'm going to see it anyway, wear it even, wouldn't it be better for me to see it ahead of time Incase I hats it and don't want to wear it or Incase it doesn't fit? Shouldn't I be allowed to see my own dress? But there is no persuading him.

Especially since Grey won't let him have free range of the safe house. He's confined to his room and the kitchen. He's lucky Grey even agreed to let him stay there. But that's not how Raphael sees it. He's been slightly more upset than usual because of it. Which is another reason why I'm not entirely comfortable with him planning everything.
A knock at my bedroom door pulls me from my thoughts. "Yes?" I ask in a loud voice, not wanting to get up to open the door.

The door cracks open just enough for Raphael to poke his head in the room. He grins, having a thrill at bending the rules just enough to annoy Grey. "Ready to try on your dress?"

A surge of nerves and excitement fill me. Maybe I do get a say after all. I nod in response without saying anything. His grin widens and he opens the door to let himself in, holding a garment bag behind his back as he enters. He quickly closes the door behind him. When he turns back to face me he presents the garment bag to me.

I eagerly take the bag and unzip it. I'm very aware of his steady gaze as he watches me for a reaction. After pulling the garment bag away from the dress I can see it better.

It's a short dress, probably only knee length. The bodice is fitted and the skirt flares out at the hips. There are two visible layers to it. One is a solid bright pink or purple color with a sweetheart neckline. The top layer is black lace that is sleeveless and has a crew neck neckline. There is a pink sash tied around the hips of the dress where the bodice and skirt meet. It's surprisingly perfect. And looks relatively comfortable.

"So?" Raphael asks, "Do you like it?"

I nod, slightly speechless. I glance at him and realize he wants me to say it. "Yes, it's perfect."

"See," Raphael says and I can tell he's smirking, proud of himself, "I told you you could trust me."

I only nod in response, lost for words.

"So?" Raphael asks. "Are you going to try it on? It should fit, but you should try it just in case."

I nod without looking up at him, "Yeah, give me a minute." I gesture for him to wait in the hall.

"I'm not waiting in the hall. Grey will probably try to kill me. I will at least turn around," Raphael responds.

I roll my eyes but don't argue. I also turn my back to him and change as quickly as possible. Once I have the dress on I struggle to get it fastened in the back. There is an opening in the back where my wings would be connected to my back. This only increased the difficulty of it. Frustrated I huff, "I can't get it!"

I hear Raphael chuckle behind me. "As amusing as it is to watch you dance around like that, would you like some help Angel?"

I struggle uselessly for a little longer before simply sighting defeatedly and giving up. "Fine!"

I hear Raphael step closer and tries not to flinch or jerk away when I feel him pulling the back together and securing it. "There you go Halo," Raphael says when he's done.

I turn around. "How do I look?"

Raphael slowly walks around me. "Not bad. You can definitely pull off that look. I think it's missing something though, something doesn't seem right," Raphael says slowly as he circles me.

"What? What's wrong?" I ask as I look over myself. When I look up at Raphael he's grinning mischievously at me.

He walks back to the door and opens it just enough to get something from the hall. When I look closer I see it's a pair of boots. Intrigued I take them and looks them over. They have a similar tool to combat boots but have a little bit of a heel and look dressier. Curious, I look at him.

"What? I thought they added a little more of your personality to it. Am I wrong?" Raphael defends himself.

Without answering I try on the boots too. After standing up from putting them on I walk over to a mirror. I have to admit, I like the look. I like it a lot. It has my personality all over it.

I turn and grins at him, "Thanks."

Raphael looks shocked for a split second before he cover it up with his signature smirk. "Did you, a Righteous, just thank me, a Fallen? Has He'll frozen over and no one told me?"

I hide a smile and looks towards the window. "I don't see and pigs flying," I retort.

"Good one," Raphael compliments with a smile. "I didn't think you knew Earth sayings."

"I've had years of schooling, that's easy." Then I turn serious. "Seriously though, thanks."

"Don't worry about it Halo," Raphael responds. "It was actually kinda fun."