Scathefire(MxM)[Unedited]

3

A/N ; there's some nudity towards the end of this chapter. Happy New years, everyone :)) Drink responsibly or whatever

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Austin is too tired to care much about his unceremonious attitude towards Avery. At least it gets him moving, Austin doesn't want to be here any longer than he has to and his short temper is only extended by Avery quaking like an elderly Chihuahua every five minutes and the last ounce of empathy he has left. His patience only wears thinner throughout the drive.
.By the time he notices Avery looking like he's about to pass out, guilt pricks at him. Austin's hand extends towards Avery, speaking better with his hands than his mouth as he makes a shitty attempt to soothe Avery in a playful manner, but it only seems to ruffle Avery more. The shudder and glare stings, and Austin grits his teeth and decides to ignore the angel. Traffic gives him enough time to finish seething and be embarrassed instead. He picks at the cuticle around his nail and grinds his teeth as he replays Avery's grimace in his mind over and over, his cheeks burning and his skeleton feeling like it's moving independently of the rest of his body. Avery's soft skin feels burned into his fingertips, illuminating the sensation of Avery's hand on his wrist, and his body slung over Austin's shoulder. Soft all over. He hadn't paid attention at the time, of course, it was hardly the time for that, but now he rubs his fingers together as he mulls it over. His own hand is rough and calloused, like sandpaper compared to Avery's thin skin. His eyes shift to the rearview mirror, meeting Avery's in the reflection. Those round blue eyes feel like electricity down his spine and he looks away, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Jesus Christ... no wonder Avery had pulled away. He probably thinks Austin is some kind of creep. It'd make sense, the girls and Avery had all been dressed in modest clothing, and in order for angel blood to be effective the angel has to be sin free. Avery probably thinks that showing above the knee qualifies as sexual activity, much less a strange man groping at his ankle after essentially kidnapping him. Austin stifles a humiliated groan at the thought, wishing he could swerve this car right into the brick wall they pull up to.

He instead pulls into the parking garage that the aforementioned brick wall contains. He parks the car and glances over at Avery, who doesn't look back at him. Austin heaves a sigh and unbuckles, sidling out of the car and shutting the door. He walks around to Avery's side and opens the door, raising his brows as Avery flinches and leans away. He leans down and reaches across Avery's lap, unbuckling the seat belt. He straightens up again and steps out of the way. After Avery doesn't get out, Austin offers his hand to the angel.

He stares at Avery staring at him with a scrunched up face, and is just about to drop his hand before Avery finally reaches out. He doesn't watch Avery, rather his hand, tensing up as their fingers meet, palms ghosting over each other in a timid motion before Avery grasps onto Austins. Austin can't help but marvel at the angels hand, small and pale, like a porcelain doll. He closes his hand around Avery's and helps him out of the car before closing the door. He locks the car and lets go of Avery's hand, only for Avery to continue clinging to his fingers, his stare vacant and glassy, not quite registering anything around them. Austin stares for a few seconds before he draws in a deep, unsure breath and closes his hand around Avery's again. He pockets his car keys and rubs his hand over his buzzed hair as he walks towards the lobby doors.

He holds the glass doors open and leads Avery inside. He ignores the stare he receives from the receptionist and goes right to the elevator. He struggles in his pockets and pulls out a key card, swiping it for access before he steps in, gently tugging Avery with him. He clicks button 27, and Avery grips tighter to his hand as the elevator jolts. Austin might have said something along the lines of explaining the elevator or something dumb like "don't be scared", but his eyes feel heavy, and his mouth feels even heavier, he couldn't have said anything even if he wanted to, so he just gently squeezes Avery's hand in the hopes that it's comforting, leaning his head back against the wall and letting his eyes shut.

The elevator ride is almost agonizingly slow. The sway of the carriage and yellow lights make Austin tired and he stifles a yawn as the elevator door dings as it opens into a cramped hallway. Austin ushers Avery into the condo and the elevator shuts behind them. He guides Avery past the hall where a relatively spacious living room sits next to an open living room and dining room.

"Avery," Austin waits to make sure he has the angel's attention, "would you mind going to the bathroom? First door along that left wall. Take a shower or bath or whatever you want, and I'll bring you clean clothes." He offers, freeing his hand from Avery's and pointing towards the correct door.

Austin doesn't wait to see if Avery walks into the bathroom as he makes a beeline for his own room, rifling through his closet to find something that might fit Avery. The angel is shorter than him, so he grabs a plain T-shirt and some PJ pants with a drawstring. He grabs a pair of boxers as a last minute thought, and by the time he heads back to give Avery the clothes, the door is closed but he doesn't hear any water running.

Austin hesitates and knocks on the door, but receives no reply. The lack of response is... concerning. He leans in a bit to try and listen through the door.
"Avery, is everything good? I don't hear the water running." Austin asks. Once again, no reply. Austin cautiously turns the doorknob, a bit relieved to find that it's not locked. Austin slowly opens the door and peers inside. First thing he feels is relief that there's no blood in sight, and Avery is, indeed, in the bathroom. Next thing he notices that Avery is very naked, standing in front of the mirrors. His wings hide enough for Austin to feel okay with looking for long enough to next notice the tears streaking Avery's cheeks. He feels like his heart stops at the sight, and he searches every inch of his brain for enough emotional intelligence to help.

And for fucking once, it seems to actually work as he finds himself in Avery's shoes. The angel is decades, no, probably centuries old, living in one way for however long he's been on Earth. He's been told who knows what lies, he's experienced an overwhelming amount of new things, and now that he's alone and this entire process has come to a standstill, his world is probably crashing around him. On top of that, Austin had just expected him to know how to work plumbing. Perhaps he just needs to keep holding Avery's hand, in more than just a physical sense.

Austin slowly pushes the door further open and steps inside, putting the clothes on the counter. He tries to move slowly and make himself seem small, but his motion draws Avery's attention anyway, staring as Austin walks over to the tub and runs the water. He looks in the cabinet and pulls out a washcloth and dampens it. Avery slowly approaches, and Austin turns, fighting a bit to keep his eyes aimed upward and away from Avery's exposed skin.

"Would you get in the bath? Carefully, don't get your bandages wet." Austin asks, keeping his voice quiet, and Avery stares at him with a hard expression before carefully stepping into the water and sitting. Austin's self-will cracks, eyes flicking from Avery's face to his frame. The glance over lasts barely half a second, but the moment he rips his gaze away, his brain registers that Avery does not have masculine genitals, and he can't help but do a bit of a double take.

"Does your leg hurt?" Austin blurts out in a desperate attempt to veer the conversation anywhere else, frantically plugging the tub drain and making sure the water isn't too hot or too cold. Anyone else and Austin wouldn't feel so ashamed of his curious eyes, but Avery is in a pretty awful situation right now, and Austin really doubts that the angel has any appreciation for a man like Austin drooling over him like a badly trained dog. And yet a guilty part in the back of his mind can't even blame himself.

"Not really." Avery replies, but Austin has stopped paying attention by now. Fuck... boxers aren't going to work, are they? He's sure he has some underwear lying around from an old girlfriend, but would they even fit? Avery is a good deal curvier than the vast majority of his short-lived flings. Besides, that doesn't seem very hygenic... Boxers might work for a short time... but wouldn't they irritate Avery's anatomy in the long-term? He should call Jasmin. Yeah, that's right, he's tired right now, he should just get Avery comfortable for now, and he can call Jas later on.

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Thanks for reading :)