Scathefire(MxM)[Unedited]

10

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Once Austin gets the both of them settled into dinner, Austin standing on the inside of the kitchen island across from Avery, who sits in one of the barstools, feet tucked underneath him, wings hung loosely against the floor, he attempts to bring up a conversation that he hopes isn't as uncomfortable as he anticipates.

"Mm, Avery." Austin starts, pushing his Kraft Mac and Cheese around on his plate. Avery glances up, finishing his bite and swallowing before answering.

"Yes?" He asks, the feathers on his wings rising as Austin's tentative tone rings uncanny. Austin is nervous about something, which means Avery has to be nervous. Austin is quick to catch onto Avery's open body language and breathes a short laugh.

"It's nothing bad, I promise just... There are some things we still need to do. I'm worried, because of how nervous you were on the way here, and I don't want to try pressuring you into things you're not comfortable with," Austin takes a deep breath as Avery gives him raised eyebrows, "Sorry, rambling.. I need to take you to the doctor. For a physical exam. That way we can make sure you're not sick, we can try and roughly figure out your age." Austin says. He'll bring up the whole GED mess another time. Avery blinks at him, and for a moment remains expressionless, then all the color drains from his face and the corners of his mouth tense up.

"Why do we need to know my age? It's not like I age." Avery asks uncomfortably, finding that the least nerve wrecking thing. Austin seems glad for the easy question, at least.

"Because, you'll start showing age-related changes eventually. It's procedure. You can't just hole yourself up in here, Ave. It's no better than being cooped up in Linus' home." Austin says. Avery doesn't push the subject, he only nods and abandons his plate of food, his face pulled together in a pinched expression. "Hey, we'll do something fun, after. Maybe we can make that guest room a little more yours. Buy you your own sheets, maybe some wall paint." Austin offers. That catches Avery's attention and he glances over, his face relaxing and looking off to the side as he thinks. He offers a slight smile.

"Okay. I'd like that." Avery says, nodding. Austin gives him a nod in returns, but Avery doesn't return to finish eating, and Austin doesn't make him, only finishing his own plate as Avery washes his plate and makes his way into his room. Austin notes in the back of his mind that they should get Avery his own clothes, too. He's still wearing Austin's old shirt.

Now left alone, Austin draws in a soft breath before wondering if Avery is going to sulk all night, trying hard not to be pissy about it, and then moving to sulk in his own room before calling his sister. Just before he falls asleep, she decides that she is joining them on their expedition tomorrow. He'll tell Avery tomorrow...

Unfortunately, Jasmine's arrival is announced by her mane of black curls tickling his nose. He leaps back with a less-than pleased grunt, squinting as the sun pierces his eyes. He's definitely not used to waking up this late in the morning.

"Morning, cutie pie. Calla is getting Avery ready. I can not believe that you left that poor thing in your nasty shirt for two days, and his gorgeous curls are looking so sad." Jas laments her disappointment, standing up straight. Austin utters a low groan and covers his face with his hands, not bothering to defend himself.

"I thought we could get him clothes later today." He mumbles, squinting at her through his fingers. She nods.

"It's gonna be a damn long day. We're gonna need a lot more than clothes for him." She warns, already walking out as he waves her towards the door with a groan, sitting up and squinting towards the window.

Saying today is gonna be a "long day" had been the worst understatement that had ever come out of Jasmine's mouth. Worst than when she'd said that Austin's release from prison was "a relief".

Avery is practically in tears by the time they get out of the doctor's office, and had been clinging to Jasmine's wife, Calla the entire time. On one hand, Austin is ecstatic to see Avery find a sense of familiarity in a fellow angel, he's fighting for his life to shove away the nasty coils of jealousy that slither their way through his stomach and squeeze around his heart.

Avery had taken to the tall woman in a matter of seconds, holding her hand when Austin had emerged from his room. At first the scene had been nothing but heartwarming, both angels so soft and delicate together, somehow in entirely different ways. Perhaps due to Calla's abolishment of her history as an angel. She, similar to Avery, has wide eyes and soft, round cheeks, but she carries a more vintage-princess kind of beauty in comparison to Avery's fairytale atmosphere with her sophisticated, soft-spoken tone and the way she moves in a positively fluid manner.

She wears dresses more often than not, dresses that compliment her slim, boyish figure that's complimentary of the beauty standards of the 1920s. Her polished appearance, however, shows some rebellion through colorful accent patterns that stand out against her dark brown skin. Avery had shown considerable interest in her attire, and she'd been happy to show him the pockets in the sunshine colored sundress she wears.

She'd continued to distract him by talking about her favorite fashion choices through the duration of the doctor poking and prodding at Avery. Avery had done his best to be complacent throughout the appointment, but having his teeth checked, height, weight, and everything else with everyone's eyes on him had been nothing short of terrifying. Although he thinks he'd be far more scared if he was alone in this room with the doctor, however kind the older woman had seemed. He does his best to recover while the doctor talks to Jasmine and Austin. She'll call them in a week with results about the tests.

He appreciates Calla for distracting him by dragging him by the hand outside onto the street, where the sun beams through the stray clouds that float overhead. Avery looks up to watch the clouds, wistfully wishing that he could hover just underneath him. His wings flex and ruffle with the breeze as he daydreams, not paying so much attention to where Calla is taking him until they stop, and he looks forward.

They've stopped at an ice cream cart. Avery glances back towards the door of the clinic, just as Jasmine and Austin walk out. His eyes meet Austin's and in response to the contact, Austin stands a bit straighter, his hand lifting to rub over his buzzed hair, quirking a half smile in Avery's direction.

Avery's heart leaps in his throat and he looks away again, a smile playing across his lips. Calla is busy with the man vending them ice cream, turning to hand Avery an unexpected cone. He takes it, almost dropping it in the process, and Calla steps away so that Jasmine and Austin can both get something.

"It's lemon poppyseed. But you can try mine, if you don't like it. This is honey pistachio." Calla offers. Avery nods and lifts his hand to keep his hair out of his face as he tastes the ice cream. It's unlike anything he's ever had, but he's finding that these new things aren't so scary anymore. Jasmine goes for toasted coconut, and Austin skips the ice cream entirely, instead getting a root beer float.

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Thanks for reading!