When Angels Fall

Chapter 10

Soon enough, we have a plateful of crispy waffles. I grab a bottle of syrup out of the fridge, setting it and the plate on the table in the corner, before heading back for silverware. Kuzo grabs cups and pours milk, and we sit down.

"One time, I poured syrup on Abel's wings when he was sleeping," he says as he watches me drizzling the sweet substance onto my waffles. I grin.

"And?"

"And he was really, really angry. He couldn't get it off, no matter how hard he tried. I've never seen Azi laugh so hard," He chuckles, using his fork to cut his food. I smirk.

"So does he still have syrup on his wings?" I ask curiously. Kuzo shakes his head.

"Sadly, no. He found a way to wash it off. Probably in the Fountain of Youth or something."

"The Fountain of Youth?" I ask curiously, digging into my food. "It's real?" Kuzo nods.

"Yeah. Ponce de Leon really did discover it. We let him use it once or twice before we hid it again. He was attracting too much attention."

I want to ask more questions, about history in general and things I've always been curious about. But I don't want to annoy or bother Kuzo, so I decide to wait as I return to my food.

"We'll go get your clothes as soon as we're done eating," Kuzo says after a moment, breaking the silence. I nod with a smile.

"Great. I don't mind wearing the same outfit twice, but I'd like to have some clean clothes." Kuzo grins at me through his hair, and I have to look down to avoid blushing. But I'm smiling, too.

When we finish eating, I help Kuzo with the dishes and cleaning up. We're almost done when Mara walks in.

"Save anything for me?" she asks with a smile. Kuzo chuckles and points to a plate of two waffles. Mara eyes him suspiciously as she picks it up and sniffs it.

"You made these?" she asks, nibbling one. Kuzo nods with a smirk. She looks at him, impressed. "Good job! You had me fooled that you didn't know how to cook!"

I laugh as Mara chuckles, leaving Kuzo to roll his eyes. I put the last dish away, noting how a lot of the dishes are covered in dust. Definitely not used to company.

"We're going to get Paris' clothes," Kuzo says to Mara as he dries his hands on a towel. She nods in reply, fully focused on eating, and we head out into the corridor. Kuzo leaves me long enough to grab a pair of shoes, and I snicker at him padding up the steps with loose socks.

When he comes back, his wings are gone, hidden away again. He smiles at me as he pushes the metal door open. The screech of metal on porcelain grinds throughout the structure, but it doesn't seem to bother Kuzo.

We start down the cold stone corridor again. The flashlight is in Kuzo's hand, but I know where we're headed, now, so I'm not worried about losing my way. "You're going to have to take me to my apartment, when we get out," I say with a soft chuckle. "I have no idea where I am."

Kuzo laughs, the sound echoing merrily. "Don't worry, we're not that far away," he says. I smile, and we fall into a comfortable silence. After another few minutes, the ground slopes up one last time before stopping at the ladder. I look up at the bottom of the alter, wondering how we'll get past it.

But Kuzo doesn't say a word as he sticks the flashlight into his pocket and starts up. I wait at the bottom, confused, as I watch. When he gets to the top, Kuzo simply grasps the bottom of the alter with one hand, pushing it until a thin ray of light shoots through. Then he shoves his fingers in the crack and heaves, pushing the alter away. He looks down at me.

"You coming, Paris?"

I nod with a smirk and start climbing. When I near the top, I look up to see that Kuzo has climbed out, and is holding out a hand to help me up. I take it, and he lifts me out of the hole, setting me gently on the ground nearby before shoving the alter back into place.

"Ready?" he asks me, grinning. I nod and hook my hand through his arm. His eyes widen and he looks away, but I think I can see him blushing.

We make it outside the church, and I take a deep breath of the fresh air. "Ah, that's better," I sigh. Kuzo smirks and tugs me along.

"Your apartment isn't that far from here," Kuzo says. "Just a couple blocks." We walk together for a few minutes, admiring the colorful leaves and watching the people. We pass the café, and I notice it's cordoned off with police tape.

Kuzo notices me peering inside. "Don't worry," he says, as if reading my thoughts. "No one's going to recognize the two of us, their minds are probably blurry from adrenaline." I nod thoughtfully.

"How're your wounds?" I ask suddenly.

"Better. They don't hurt. They're probably healed by now, actually." My eyes widen.

"That fast?" I gasp, amazed. Kuzo smiles and nods.

"That fast. It's an angel thing."

Another few minutes, and we arrive outside my apartment. "Hey, you're right," I chuckle, opening the front door and turning to head up the stairs. "It's not that far. What is it, four blocks?"

Kuzo nods, following behind me. "Thereabouts," he answers. We get to my floor, and I rummage for my keys as we walk to my door. I finally find them and unlock my door, pushing it open. "And, welcome to my home."

Kuzo looks around, then smirks at me. "I'd say something along the lines of 'what strange decor', but frankly, I've been here so much I don't mind it." I stick my tongue out at him as I go to my room to pack.

"It's really weird that you know so much about me," I call to him as I start gathering clothes. "I mean, now that I know you're my guardian angel, it's not too bad, but it's still a bit freaky."

"I know," I hear Kuzo reply from the living room. I wonder what he's doing, but I don't pay it much mind as I continue grabbing my things. I head to the closet to get my suitcase down, only to find it's shoved to the back of the shelf above my head. I try to reach it a few times, but can't, and groan with annoyance.

"Hey, Kuzo, can you help me?" I ask loudly. "I need a tall person." Kuzo walks in a moment later, but pauses in the doorway to look around. "Something wrong?" I ask. Kuzo glances briefly at me before scanning the room again, all joking gone. He finally walks over to me and reaches up to get the suitcase. But he leans down toward me.

"Look around the room and see if there's anything different," he whispers. "Discreetly."

"Why?" I return just as quietly, glancing over my shoulder at the rest of my bedroom. Kuzo lugs the suitcase down and sets it on my bed, still eying the rest of the room.

"Something's not right," he says. "Someone or something is here."