NEW GODS: The Awakening

Kissing The Hand Of God

He entered the backstage area. Stage hands passed by him and he almost bumped against someone many times, barely avoiding them by slithering away at just the right moment.

It was entirely unlike the one they had in the village’s small, wooden theater. It was spacious with meticulously made props left here and there and adequate air-conditioning.

Still, there was no natural light and that was enough to make Damian crave for feeling of sunrays against his skin.

“Hey, sorry but could you please help me with something?” he politely asked an assistant who he had seen hanging around madam Mochizuki regularly.

They looked at him like a bothersome insect and, after recognizing his face, pointed him to the other side of the hall.

“His Divinity is taking a break in his dressing room. You should hurry if he wants to say something to you. Madam told me he has more work for today,”

“When does he not?” Damian mumbled and then raised the tone of his voice “Thanks!”

He rushed toward the room. The fact that he did not hit anyone on his way was more than a miracle.

He opened the door and entered the room without even considering that it was probably expected of him to knock.

Not that he believed it mattered. This was his best friend after all.

He blinked quickly. All the lights in the room were off and it took him a moment to adjust to the drastic shift.

Leon was seated on a velvet red chair, facing the mirror. He was combing his hair, strand by strand, delicately erasing any frizzes.

His black coal eyes shot up to meet Damian’s bright ones.

He did not say anything. He continued on with his hair while never breaking eye contact.

Damian chuckled and walked towards him. Leon’s eyes fell shut and he leaned against the chair. He let out a deep breath.

“Give me that,” he said softly.

Leon handed him the silver hair comb. It was cold against his skin. He grasped a part of his hair and started tending to it. Untied, it got to almost the middle of his back.

“You did great with the speech,” Damian said.

“No. Not as well as I could have done,” Leon chewed on his lower lip unconsciously “But I did not have much time to work on the speech and the teachers might have organized an uprising if I had dragged this out any longer. If I could, I would have-.”

Damian sensed that Leon was ready to overload his brain and he stopped him with a soft hum.

“You did what you could and you did it perfectly. All the girls were going insane over you again,”

Except Torey. And he did not know how the others had reacted. Okay, perhaps he was projecting a little.

Leon fell silent. His teeth let go off his lips.

“Really, I understand how tiring being in front of all those people was for you. And I am proud,”

Damian let the comb down and wrapped his arms around Leon, resting his head on his shoulder.

Leon stilled, but he did not shove him away so he did not leave. The embrace dragged on a moment longer than it needed to. And when they broke apart, Leon’s coal eyes were a little brighter and he looked a bit less tired.

“So, did you enter illegally?” Leon smiled teasingly.

“No,” Damian waved his ribbon in front of his face “Formal invitation from a God.”