The gardens were a perfect distraction for Malak. His duck friend was right. It was more beautiful than the park. There were a ton of beautiful flowers for the young angel to look at. Every single color was so distracting to the young angel. He loved everything about nature.
There were a few humans here as well which interested Malak. They had some strange habits like spraying themselves with some sort of spray or weirdly shooing away things in the air. Some of them also smelled really bad while others smelled heavenly. This was very strange to Malak as all angels smelled the same and all demons smelled the same. There was no unique smell to them.
Even with all these distractions, Malak couldn't stop thinking about the handsome demon. He felt lonely after the demon ran away. This feeling confused the young angel. He didn't even know the demon yet he missed him. Everything he felt towards the stranger was new to him. It was even more distracting than the gardens.
Still, Malak tried to focus on the wonderful nature surrounding him. There was no use thinking about the silly demon. He should enjoy the gifts around him. The angel smiled at a small beautiful flying creature. It's brilliant orange and black wings were the best thing he's seen in this entire garden. He wished he knew what the elegant creature was called. Malak was so interested in the being that he didn't notice the demon watching him.
Finding his mate was fairly easy. All Zion had to do was go back to the park where he last saw his mate. He immediately noticed a duck starring at him funny. It was common knowledge to demons that angels could speak to animals. Demons had to be extremely careful when talking to each other because of it.
He figured his mate talked with the glaring duck. He decided to try and get some information from the duck. The duck was pretty stubborn but Zion managed to crack him. After the duck told him everything, he figured the first place he should look was the public gardens a few minutes away.
His mate stood out amongst the humans. It could have been the fact the angel was his mate. But Zion thought it was clear that the angel didn't belong on Earth. The young angel appreciated the nature around him far more than any other human. That made the demon smile. His mate was so precious.
The demon felt weird just watching his mate. But he didn't know how to approach him. However, when he saw his mate's mood change, he knew he had to do something. Zion didn't know what he was going to do but he didn't like seeing his mate frown.
As soon as Zion got close, he saw his mate smile as he saw a monarch butterfly. The demon softly chuckled as his mate's eyes widen and watched the butterfly. There's no way he could approach now. He didn't want to ruin his mate's happiness.
The winged creature landed on Malak's hand causing the angel to freeze. As much as he loved to look at the beautiful being, he knew nothing about it. It could poison him! Or, even worse, he could accidentally kill it!
"You need to relax, Angel. It's just a butterfly," a husky voice said from behind him.
A butterfly... such a weird name for a beautiful creature. Malak looked at the butterfly with curiosity, wondering if it had any special abilities. Then, all of the sudden, he realized something. The being behind him called him angel. He turned around and gulped. The handsome demon was standing behind him, looking at the angel. Was he back to take his soul?
The demon sighed, noticing the angel's fear. He didn't like that his mate was afraid of him. "I'm not here to hurt you or anything. I promise," the demon informed his mate. He even raised his hands up slightly to ease the young being's fear.
"You- you are not?" He asked softly, still worried.
Zion studied his mate. It didn't appear that he knew Zion was his mate. Though from what the duck told him, it'd make sense. "No, I'm not," Zion replied.
"Why?" The angel whispered, looking into the demon's alluring green eyes. He really liked them. The dark color was the perfect shade of green.
Admittedly, Zion was struggling to accept his mate. Even with his mother and Saleos' advice. He just couldn't see how he was paired with such a perfect being.
"I- do you know what mates are?" The demon inquired. The angel shook his head. His answer made Zion struggle. The demon could easily leave and the angel wouldn't even care. But what if he could make the young angel happy? What if the angel could make him happy? Zion believed he was being foolish. He would ruin the pure being. "I'm an idiot," he muttered. "I shouldn't have come here. I need to go."
Malak felt disappointed all of this sudden. Not only did he think he was going to learn something new, but he also didn't want the demon to leave. This confused the poor angel. Why did he feel so drawn to him?
Before the demon could teleport away, Malak grabbed his arm. Sparks erupted causing him to gasp and let go. The sparks intrigued Malak. They weren't painful. In fact, Malak actually liked it. The spark gave him comfort which confused but also fascinated him. He wanted to know more but first, he needed to convince the demon to stay.
"Do not leave. Please, I have no idea about anything on this Earth. It is terrifying and confusing. But you know things like what a butterfly is. You could help me so I am not afraid. Also, last time you left, I felt lonely. Even more lonely than when I was in Heaven," Malak stuttered.
The demon made him nervous for many different reasons. He was still worried the demon would harm him. His guardian didn't tell him much about demons but she still managed to make him fear them. The demon's attractiveness also made him nervous. He's never meant someone so handsome and frankly, it was kind of intimidating. There was also the fact that the demon was taller and stronger than the young angel.
Zion froze in shock. Did his mate actually want him to stay? He looked at the handsome angel who was already looking at him. Even though his mate was clearly afraid of him, he still wanted Zion to stay. His words meant a lot to the demon though he wouldn't let the angel know that.
"Fine," the demon said. "But the first thing we're doing is getting you shoes."
Malak noticed the demon look at his feet. He was very confused but he assumed it had something to do with the shoes the demon talked about. "What are shoes and where do you get them?" Malak eagerly asked him.
A small smile appeared on the demon's face. Somehow, this made the demon more attractive which Malak didn't think was possible. He wanted to see the demon fully smile. He knew it would make him even more attractive somehow.
"It's a human thing," the demon said, forcing himself not to smile. "You get them at a store. Let's go, Angel"
A blush made its way onto Malak's face when the demon grabbed his hand. He had no idea why his stomach felt funny. He would ask the demon about it later when he asked about the sparks. Did the demon feel it too?
"My name is Malak. Do you have a name?" The angel inquired.
Zion intently looked at his mate. Knowing his mate's name made him feel giddy. It was an unusual feeling for the demon but he liked it. Malak was a perfect name for the perfect angel. Of course, he wouldn't call the angel by his actual name. Zion wanted to tease the angel a little bit, though he didn't think his mate would understand. "Of course I have a name, Malakai. I'm not like your duck friend," he teased.
"Malakai is not my name. It is Malak. What is your name?" The angle stated confused. Maybe the demon didn't hear him correctly. Or maybe he is making fun of him. Though it didn't seem like it. His tone was too playful and he didn't sound mean. Maybe he was joking? Malak's duck friend explained jokes to him though he still doesn't quite get them.
The demon shrugged, "Zion." Malak smiled at Zion. He really liked the demon's name. It made his stomach feel funny again. Why did knowing the demon's name make him feel this way? All of this was confusing.
"How old are you, Zion?" Malak asked. He was very interested in learning more about Zion. His fear seemed to be long forgotten. All he wanted to do was learn about the demon.
"Just turned nineteen thousand years old two months ago. What about you, Malakai?" Zion replied. His attention was fully on his mate. Malak was the most interesting being he's ever meant. Luckily, his mate was very curious which meant Zion could learn a lot about him.
Malak didn't correct Zion this time. He believed that the demon was joking with him which made him happy- even though he didn't understand the joke. Instead, he just answered the question: "I am Eighteen thousand, one hundred and seventy-two years old!"
The demon looked forward and smiled. Of course, his tiny mate was younger than him. Though, he doubted that Malak would ever grow taller than this. "I'm older than you, Kid, which means I'm wiser," Zion smirked. His mother used to tell him that phrase to get him to listen. Now he got to use it to tease his mate.
"If I am a kid, does that make you my father?" Malak asked innocently causing the demon to snicker. He titled his head in confusion. The angel didn't understand what was funny. He didn't make a joke.
Zion shook his head, trying to get rid of his not so innocent thoughts. He knew his mate was too innocent to understand what he just said. Once the demon managed to calm himself down, he questioned his mate, "Why would I be your father?"
"Well, I told my friend you mentioned earlier- wait! You know my duck friend! How did you two meet? Can demons talk to animals?- That was not what we were talking about. Sorry. I mentioned to him that I meant Father Thomas- have you meant him too? Wait, that is off-topic again. Anyways, Father Thomas told me what a father was but the duck said father does not always mean a priest. A father is someone who is older and has a kid," Malak rambled. Sometimes he found it hard to straighten out his thoughts.
Zion found Malak's rambling to be adorable. He also noticed his mate was starting to feel more comfortable around him. This made the demon happy. He couldn't stand knowing his mate was afraid of him.
"Well, he could've done a better job at explaining. A woman and a man do things that I won't explain and then they have a kid. When the kid is born, the man is a father and the woman is a mother. Of course, there are other ways like adopting and stuff. Basically, you're not my kid so I'm not your father," Zion explained to his curious mate. "Also, I meant your duck at the park and he told me you were at the gardens. And I don't know who Father Thomas is but I don't think he'll like me. Now, we're here so you can ask me more questions after we get you shoes."
Malak was jumping with excitement. He really liked Zion. He answered his questions and knew a lot of things. Plus, he was getting Malak shoes! He's never had shoes before. This was all so exciting to the young angel. Zion had to be the great opportunity Father Thomas was talking about.