Kaiden wore his heart on his sleeve and exposed his true feelings for his soulmate. Somehow, he understood that Milokan wouldn't judge him, which is why he broke down and cried on his shoulder. The angel made sure to hold him tightly as he gently stroked his bare back. Even though they were close, he ached and couldn't force his frown to leave. The demon was upset, and the angel couldn't feel anything other than his sorrow.
The entire time Kaiden cried, Milokan stayed silent so the demon could let his tears flow for as long as he needed. Meanwhile, the angel thought about Jeronah, and the appalling secret him and Meloras were keeping from their child. It now made sense to Milokan about why he thought Meloras knew the angel. They are soulmates.
Kaiden lifted his head, sniffling with sadness. His eyes were red and puffy, his face stained with tears. He wiped them with trembling hands as the angel sat, still and patient.
"Thank you," whispered Kaiden, "for letting me get that out of my system."
"Sometimes, all the body needs is a good cry."
Kaiden inhaled a big breath and released it slowly, allowing his mind to re-start.
"HE'S YOUR FATHER!"
He frowned and shook his head. All he could hear was his mother's cries. Milokan watched him grit his teeth.
"I don't believe her," The demon's eyes were getting darker. "How can I?"
"She has a lot of explaining to do." Milokan subconsciously rubbed Kaiden's arms and no fear was present. He no longer feared his anger. "Remember, she would have kept it from you for a reason."
"And what reason would that be?" Kaiden looked so miserable; he could barely feel angry.
"Not hurting you? I am not sure. The best decision is to listen to her." Milokan lifted his hands and rubbed his thumbs against Kaiden's stubble, also eager to hear what Meloras had to say. He had ideas of his own but didn't want to discuss it with his soulmate. It would be too insensitive. "Are you feeling calmer now?"
Kaiden shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed about the tears he still had on his face. He could barely believe he cried, and it was not just a few tears, he poured his sorrow all over his soulmates shoulder.
"You can open up to me Kaiden. I will always listen and-"
"Enough of the soppy stuff now," Kaiden breathed. His red cheeks expressed his humiliation. "I cried, it's no big deal."
The angel nodded, tolerating how reserved the demon is with his feelings.
"Well, the reason as to why you are so upset is why you cried."
"Do you always have to point out the obvious?" Kaiden muttered and rubbed his face. "It was just a shock."
Milokan stood up when his glare came back to his face.
"I think-"
"I don't care what you think."
Milokan crossed his arms as Kaiden climbed to his feet with a heavy heart. It was getting harder to snap at his soulmate.
"Sorry," he mumbled and awkwardly patted the angel's arm. "I just... I don't know what to do." He could barely even think about Jeronah without wanting to punch him unconscious. How can a stranger claim to be his father? He wondered if his mother was lying to cover up something else, but she yelled it with frustration and Meloras would never do that unless it was desperate to come out. Deep down, Kaiden knew she couldn't be lying; he just didn't want to believe it.
"Maybe, go back to your mother and listen to what she has to say?" The angel didn't want to force him; he only encouraged him with rational ideas.
"I don't want to talk right now."
"We are in danger, whether we are together or apart. It would be best if we were together."
"I'm angry at her."
"Then tell her that."
I'm afraid I'll get too angry."
Milokan could feel his temper building up around him. The sadness was getting lost in his irritation.
"She needs to know how angry she is making you. There is a reason as to why you do not know a secret that big. Of course, I do not know what your situation was like in hell, nor do I want to know, but if you feel like she could have told you a while ago, talk to her about it. It is the only way this can get resolved."
"Resolved?" Kaiden scoffed and grabbed his shoulders. "I'm going to tell her exactly what I think of her and her lies."
Milokan had no choice but to be carried. The demon's heart is ruled by his head; it is not wise to argue with him.
"Please, do not say anything you will regret-" the angels words were lost in the wind when Kaiden didn't stop to listen and made his way back to his mother.
* * * * *
Jeronah placed a comforting arm around Meloras as she sobbed silently on the sand.
"He needs time," he soothed. "He will understand when he has calmed down."
"You don't know him," Meloras mumbled into her palms. "He will hold this against me for a very long time. Kaiden never just calms down."
"You are right, I do not know him, but you have told him who I am so I can get that privilege. He will have to understand. Otherwise, he will miss that opportunity. I have not waited sixteen angel years for him to hold a grudge."
"And he has not waited sixteen years only to find out that I have lied to him his entire life. He won't trust me anymore."
Jeronah cupped her face, making her watery eyes lock onto his.
"We are back together as a family once more. We will go through this together, and that includes our son. I will do what it takes to relax this situation. He will be angry, he has every right to be, but it is not your fault. It is not our fault."
Meloras nodded and rubbed her eyes with a shaky hand. She didn't expect her son to leave so abruptly and horrible scenarios ran through her mind. Kaiden can be very dramatic and act with intense anger. She was glad when Milokan followed him. Maybe the angel can talk some sense into his troubled head.
The angel and the demon wrapped their arms around one another, breathing in each others scent. After a long time apart, it felt so good to be together, no matter what the circumstances.
"I love you," Jeronah whispered, squeezing her tighter.
Meloras tried to smile and whispered, "I love you too."
Her thoughts were threatening to plummet back to such an awful time in her life. Losing her soulmate for sixteen years has left some mental scars for both her and the angel. It will be something they have to discuss and work to patch up when their situation is less chaotic. Telling the story to her son would be emotional.
Jeronah pulled away but a horrendous pain split through his jaw and he had no time to react when his face hit the sand. He heard a cry of distress from his soulmates before cold hands grabbed him and hit him again.
"KAIDEN!" Meloras yanked her son's shoulder as he scrambled on top of Jeronah. His eyes were as black as a raven, dyed from the pits of hell. Her son couldn't stop his demon traits. As soon as he saw the angel touching his mother, a raging fire spread through him, and he found his foot hitting Jeronah's face at lightning speed. "Kaiden stop!"
Her son gripped the angel's neck, and Jeronah didn't even attempt to struggle. They stared intensely at each other, but Jeronah would never hit his child.
"Breathe," he whispered, finding it hard to take a proper breath. His windpipe was getting crushed by his big hands. "Think about- about what you are doing."
Kaiden was frowning so hard, it was blurring his vision, but he was still able to see Jeronah eyes and how the amber pleaded him to stop. The colour of them, it was like looking into his own.
Kaiden let go and fell back on the sand. He realised what he was looking at, and that was Jeronah's features. They were so similar, and he chose to ignore all the signs when they were right in front of him. The angel gasped for breath while Kaiden finally allowed the news to sink in. He had a father, and he was very much alive.
While Meloras began to fret over her soulmate, Milokan had watched in silence. Kaiden did what he needed, and he was in no position to intervene. He wasn't strong enough to stop the demon, and if Kaiden felt like he had to do that, then he wasn't going to stop him. Milokan gently rested a hand on his tense shoulder and was surprised when Kaiden didn't shove him away; he almost leant into it.
"Let your anger slip away now, it is time for talking." his angelic voice was so comforting to Kaiden, he nodded and exhaled a heavy breath.
Meloras turned, the tears were back and poured down her face.
"Why did you hit him?" she asked with a trembling lip.
"Why did you lie to me?" Kaiden growled, and his eyes remained black.
"You couldn't know! It was to protect you in hell. If Lucifer knew that I had told you about Jeronah, he would have killed us both!"
"It would have been nice to know that I had a father." Kaiden still looked furious. "But an angel? Why mum? How the hell are you soulmates with him?" He was trying not to yell, but it was easier to make his words more meaningful.
"You don't choose who you love, son. You should know that by now."
Kaiden avoided Jeronah's eyes when he sat up and reassured Meloras that he felt okay.
"You need to listen to your mother Kaiden. You will calm down when you know the truth." Jeronah spoke softly and calmly.
"The truth?"
"About why you couldn't know about your father." Meloras shuffled over to him and tried to take his hand, but Kaiden felt betrayed and pushed her away.
"This is a huge mistake, mum. Don't expect things to go back to normal after this."
Meloras swallowed the lump in her throat and tried not to cry and plead for him to forgive her. Maybe, after she tells him what happened all those years ago, he might feel an ounce of empathy within his blacked out heart.