Douxie shouldn't have walked off like that. He knew that. And above all else, she was right. He knew that. Of course he did. She had such a logical mind and yet, that was how she often saw the bright sides to things.
She saw the darkness too. Always. Angel found it unhelpful and illogical to not look at every possibility. It was a bit detrimental sometimes, but there were times when it made sense.
Like now.
He groaned as he fell back on his bed. It wasn't just because of the near fight. No, working in customer service, even on slow days, did that to you. The fight just added to it. His aching feet, back, and mental state made him want to fall asleep right then.
But he at least needed to properly get ready for bed. As he kicked off his shoes, he heard her and Arch come upstairs and move to the living room. The TV turned on and Archie asked her what she was doing. She said she couldn't sleep and that she was going to watch some of her favorite crime show.
He should be out there, helping calm her down after everything. He even made it as far as the door. But he paused before he grabbed the handle.
Did she even want to see him? His mind told him no, so he backed away and continued getting ready for bed.
. . .
"Ms Sweet?" Mr. Stickler said as everyone began getting ready to leave. Angel was out cold on her desk, little bit of drool on her arm. And part of her book. "Ms Sweet?" He gently shook her shoulder but all she did was swipe at his hand and mutter.
"Arch.... off my shoulders... Archie..." the bell rang and she shot up, breathing heavily with the jolt. Mr. Strickler backed up just a little, eyes a little wide but full of concern.
"Easy. You're just at school." Fairly quickly, she seemed to realize that. Angel sighed and started packing her stuff up, grimacing at the drool on both her arm and book. "Why are you so tired today?"
"Um.." she yawned. "A- I didn't sleep well last night."
"I can see that," he chuckled but quickly let it fall. "The question is why?"
"I- I watched a scary movie, last night," her words were breathy, like she was still waking up. "I couldn't.. I couldn't get to sleep after that. I was too scared." Mr. Strickler hummed his answer, but it was obvious he didn't fully believe her.
"Right. Well, I suggest not watching anymore horror films on school nights if they cause you this much distress."
"Right. Thanks, Mr. Strickler." She got up and left the classroom with only a quick smile in his direction.
The rest of the teachers were not so lenient about her sleeping. Mr. Uhl especially didn't like it. Said he'd already dealt with Jim's weird video call that day.
Angel had to force herself to stay awake while working the counter at the bookstore. Reading just made her sleepier and she couldn't listen to anything other than soft instrumentals. Wearing headphones wouldn't work either as she had to pay attention to the customers.
By the end of the night, she was more exhausted than usual. She didn't even feel up for patrol tonight. A shame. Douxie always looked forward to it.
But after last night, maybe she shouldn't go out for awhile. Bular was still very much out there and though she tried to hide it, she was sure he saw the color of her magic. So she was probably staying in for the next few weeks.
After putting up some of the wards she knew, one of the first things that she had asked to learn, and trudged upstairs. She was going to just head straight to her room, wake up a little earlier to do homework, but a soft melody came from Douxie's room. She stopped just before his door.
"He's been in there for hours," Archie whispered. It still made Angel jump. "Playing the same song over and over."
"Oh fuzzbuckets," Douxie muttered. Apparently he had gotten a note wrong. She didn't notice anything wrong with it.
"I didn't know that he came home," Angel whispered. She didn't want to disturb the quiet melody Douxie was playing. It was one of her favorite songs. The melody was calming, but she'd only recently understood the lyrics. Not all of the lyrics matched her life, but it was still a great song.
"He came through the back," Archie said. "You should talk to him." She didn't need to be told that.
"Douxie?" She knocked lightly. The melody was soft enough that he heard her and said she could come in. He didn't look up when she entered, just focusing on his guitar. He wasn't playing anymore. "The A Team, by Ed Sheeran." Still not looking at her he nodded. She sat next to him and looked at her shoes.
"It's one of my favorites. But you knew that." Douxie chuckled and glanced at her. "Mind playing it again?" He hesitated for a moment, but sighed and complied.
As the melody began again, Douxie's fingers dancing over the strings. Angel let him play it in silence for moment, till it got to a place she knew the song lyrics started.
"White lips, pale face
Breathing in the snowflakes
Burnt lungs, sour taste
Light's gone, days end
Struggling to pay rent
Long nights, strange men."
Angel was swaying gently back and forth as she sang, not looking at anything in particular. She was focusing on the music and lyrics in full.
"And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since 18."
"But lately, her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting," Douxie took over the next lyrics, finally able to share his voice and in turn, his feelings. "Crumbling like pastries
And they scream-"
"The worst things in life come free to us," she continued, a small solemn smile pulling on her features. "'Cause we're just under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams."
"And she don't wanna go outside tonight." Douxie looked at her with a softness that would rival a silk feather pillow on a bed of clouds.
"And in a pipe she flies to the motherland
Or sells love to another man."
"It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly."
As the interlude played, Douxie let his eyes train on Angel. She was starting to relax, leaning back on her hands. When it came time to sing again she didn't notice, so he kept it going.
"Ripped gloves, raincoat
Tried to swim, stay afloat
Dry house, wet clothes
Loose change, bank notes
Weary-eyed, dry throat
Call girl, no phone."
"And they say
he's in the Class A Team," Angel sang. Douxie gasped, only able to continue playing because of centuries of practice. So she was openly singing about him now. Unless she was singing about someone else. Hopefully the former. "Stuck in his daydream
Been this way since 18." She elbowed him, even though she didn't know him when he was 18. So him. He chuckled.
That was fair. He was singing about her.
"But lately, her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream-"
"The worst things in life come free to us, 'Cause we're just under the upper hand; and go mad for a couple grams."
"But she don't wanna go outside tonight
And in a pipe she flies to the motherland
Sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly,
"An angel will die," Douxie sang, voice faltering ever so slightly. Angel noticed and studied him as he sang. He features didn't mask any of his worry. "Covered in white
Closed eyes and hopin' for a better life
This time, we'll fade out tonight
Straight down the line,"
"And they say
he's in the Class A Team
Stuck in his daydream
Been this way since 18,"
"But lately, her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
They scream-"
"The worst things in life come free to us. And we're all under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams."
Unsure of who was going to sing next, they ended up harmonizing the last verse.
"And we don't wanna go outside tonight
And in the pipe, fly to the motherland
"Or sell love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly
For angels to fly,
"An angel to die," Douxie sang before she had a chance to, brushing her hair out of her face. She lifted her head to meet his eyes. They were filled with concern, hurt, worry. Angel nodded.
It said enough for now. Not everything, for she had a good few secrets left. He did too.
But it was enough for now.
. . .
Bacon. That was the first smell Archie woke up to the next morning. That and-
"Roasted salmon?" He asked, stretching over the back of couch. Angel was thankfully in her own room this time. Singing with Douxie and talking through the night helped them both. "What's the occasion?"
"Morning Arch," he greeted jovialy as he flipping some bacon over. "And no reason in particular. I convinced Angel to stay home today because of the, well, circumstances."
"That still doesn't explain why you're cooking when you usually avoid the kitchen like the plague." Arch began licking himself as Douxie proved his point by dropping at least three bacon slices on the floor.
"Owch!" He exclaimed when he bent down to pick them up, forgetting that they had just come off the pan.
"You do know that they are hot when they come off the pan?"
"Yes, Arch, thank you." By his tone alone, his eyes would have rolled out of their sockets. He then reached into the nearby drawer to grab a fork to pick the bacon and throw them away.
"Ugh, I still don't like this," Angel yawned as she came out of her room. Douxie immediately tried to get up but hit his head on the counter. Archie sniggered as he got up, rubbing what surely would be a bump on his later. "Why do I have to stay home again?"
"Because you're so jumpy that people will notice something is off," Archie explained as he jumped to the counter searching for the salmon he smelled. Douxie glared at him as he moved across the table.
"It's actually because you, well, y-you," Douxie started off strong but began to falter as he came to the part about the other night, he faltered. "Well, uh, anyway. I made breakfast."
"Hmm," she hummed, looking over his shoulder. "Is that what's burning?" He sniffed the air, grimaced, and turned around to see the bacon in the pan nearly on fire.
"Fuzzbuckets!" He quickly pulled it off the stove and putting it in the sink. He turned on the water to cool it down, backing away in case it still caught on fire. "Um, how do you feel about waffles?"
"I feel like 900 years should make you a better cook," Angel laughed as she got the milk from the fridge and a cup from the cupboard to pour herself a glass.
"You'd think, wouldn't you?" Archie replied dryly.
"Give me a break, Arch," Douxie complained as he maneuvered around Angel to get to the waffles in the freezer. He didn't think about how close they were, or at least tried not to. "I just don't like cooking all that much. And I never really had to in Camelot."
"So, what's the plan for today?" Angel asked as she put the milk jug. Then, when the freezer door shut she quickly shut the fridge door and popped up in front of him. He froze when she smiled at him with a goofy expression. She was so close, all he'd have to do was lean.
Archie cleared his throat and Douxie realized she had been waiting for an answer and all he'd done was stare. He backed away, hiding his blush as he made the waffles.
"I was thinking maybe some magic lessons," Angel continued after a moment. He sighed in relief and smiled at her. "I think that lasso thing you do could prove useful."
"It has helped me a good few times. That's a good choice."
She seemed to want to say something, but every time she tried her jaw locked up. Angel often did that which was why she used nonverbal communication more often than not. So when she only nodded, he understood.
. . .
"Alright, just focus," Douxie instructed. "Visualize the magic as a rope."
"I've been doing that," Angel countered. They were in the woods a couple miles from town lest the magic shine bright enough for others to see and expose them.
"Well, uh, try- try... Bleeding Balroths.." He drug a hand over his face as he looked at her hands. She had tried again after he spoke, still only managing to create a small and thread. "I warned you I was no good at teaching."
"No, you're doing fine, Douxie. I'm just not the best student."
"That is not true." Angel scoffed.
"The only magic I've ever been good at have either only helped me hide or run away." She was looking at the ground, like she wasn't exactly there at that moment.
Douxie knew the basics of what happened to her. Her mother and step-father fought all the time, she practically raised her three sisters while that happened. One night it got so bad that she'd called the police, effectively saving her sisters lives.
Then she went to live with her father and step-mother as her sisters went into foster care. Eventually, they got adopted into a great and progressive family. The same was not said for Angel. Gaslighting and mental abuse constantly.
Her life had been filled with so much fear. Douxie had been lucky to get Merlin to help him when he was younger.
"If I may?" Archie asked from his place in the small circle of trees. Douxie jumped having forgot that he was there, but quickly nodded to cover it up. "Each wizard is born with innate abilities, for example, Douxie had wards and shields down as soon as he first began using them."
"What?" Douxie's eyes widened. "I wasn't good at any magic before Merlin came along."
"That's only because you never tried or knew about that magic before meeting him. You only bothered with palor tricks."
"You helped."
"Only because you're my familiar and I would follow you to the ends of the earth." No matter how many times Archie said that, it still was a surprise to him. Douxie didn't know how to handle it.
"So, what you're saying is that I was born with my abilities?" Angel asked surprising both of the boys. She rolled her eyes and continued. "I know I accidentally teleported to the roof of my school when I was fifteen. That was fun day," she scoffed, like it wasn't at all.
"What age did you discover you had magical abilities?" Archie asked. Angel began to look sheepish.
"That roof incident was the first time I discovered magic."
"Really? So late."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, accidental spells are common signs," Douxie said, scratching the back of his neck. "Most wizards start showing them at the age of 6 or 7."
"Well, it wouldn't be because of my home life. The bad things didn't start until around fourth grade for me."
"That's actually when late bloomers start," Archie pointed out. "And that was when the 'bad things' started for you, yes?"
"In full, yeah." Archie scrunched up his face in suspicion, obviously not believing her. But he shook his head and gave it up for the sake of the lesson.
"A mystery for another day, then. What I'm trying to get at is that you can use what you feel when using those spells to accomplish the new ones."
"Oh, I get it now!" Douxie exclaimed. "Thank you, Arch." The familiar nodded as he turned to Angel. "Tell me, what do you feel when you teleport? What emotion drives it?"
Angel had to think about it a good moment. Thoughts of her encounter with Bular cane to mind. His breath, his bloodthirsty eyes, his dry and insane laughter..
You've been a thorn in our side for almost as long as Kanjigar was. I can't wait to tear your head from your body and rip out your heart!
"Fear, I guess," she answered, resisting the urge to hug herself. She felt pale just thinking about it so it was no wonder Douxie tried to comfort her. "I'm fine. So, I just focus on the fear and then what you said earlier."
"Uh, yeah. Do that and try to grab Arch with it."
"I still don't know how I let you talk me into this, by the way," Archie groaned. Douxie smiled but kept his eyes on Angel as she closed her eyes to focus on it all.
The fear she felt with Bular was easy to control, honing it into a long rope that flowed gently through her fingers. It felt like silk and lighter than a feather, but she somehow knew it was stronger than steel.
"Good," Douxie's gentle voice came through. "If you open your eyes, do you think it'll dissappear?" She nodded. The only way she could focus in full was if her eyes were closed. "Ok, let me know when you think you can, when you can hold it without thinking about it much." She nodded again.
Bular's face was an easy one to focus on, his eyes boring into her soul in her memory. But the longer she lingered on it, the more it didn't look like Bular or the bridge. The scene morphed into a derelict house with dim yellow lights and the stink of unwashed bodies. She saw a few roaches crawling on the wall behind her... her...
"You gonna cry? Hmm? Hmm?"
"Angel, open your eyes!" Douxie's voice cut through the one from her past, but she couldn't do anything about it. Her mind locked itself in place, stuck in that fear.
Hadn't she gotten over this already?
Soft hands gripped her shoulders firmly, making her aware of her ragged breathing.
"Take deep breaths," Archie's voice was calming too. And sounded closer, so he was likely on Douxie's shoulders again.
"Angel listen to us, we're right here." Douxie began rubbing circles on her shoulders to calm her. It was working a little bit, but it felt new so it wasn't working as well as it could have. "Whatever you're seeing, it's not real. Bular isn't here. He won't get you, I won't let him."
Angel shook her head, trying to convey that it wasn't Bular she was thinking of. She tried her best to speak but nothing came out. She tasted something salty. It was likely some of her tears entered her mouth. When had she started crying?
"Douxie, look! The rope." The bit of magic, the lasso did feel heavier now, more powerful. And based on Douxie's reaction to touching it, it was true.
"Bleeding Balroths... I've never seen that spell do that." He sounded fascinated, like he was about to ask her a million questions. Normally she would have laughed or at least giggled.
"Focus, Douxie."
"Right." Angel felt his hand on her face, wiping away tears. The action made her open her eyes but it also made her flinch. He backed up eyes wide with fear. "Sorry, sorry."
Looking down, Angel saw that the magic pink rope she had created was buzzing with electricity. Lightning. And it had hurt him.
"Oh, Douxie.." she whispered looking from the rope to Douxie. "I'm so- I'm so sorry. I-I-I didn't-"
"Sh sh shh, it's alright," Douxie assured her.
"I thought I was over this; I really thought I was over this."
"It's alright, Angel. I promise, I'm not upset. Neither of us are. Look into my eyes." They were still locked on the weapon in her hands. "Angel, please."
Slowly she tore her eyes away from the thing in her hands and looked into his hazel eyes. They were filled with concern and worry, but they calmed her still. Silently he led her through a breathing exercise, demonstrating for her to follow.
The rope disappeared. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, looking away from the two. Douxie tentatively took a few steps closer and Angel closed the distance, wrapping her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. It caught him off guard, but he still hugged her back.
"I'm sorry," she muttered. Douxie shushed her and ran his fingers over her head.