The moon shone brightly in the skies, blinding the sight of the birds that flew too close to it. Moths fluttered willingly against the glistening light bulb. The automatic door slid open. He scoffed seeing a couple sauntered pass him with judgmental eyes. Damn the angels for blessing his life with a lover that loves going missing. Wasn't it terrible enough that Adriel never trusted his words that someone was following him the other night? Now, he had to deal with the idea of his schoolmates blaming him for being an incapable lover? Where is Adriel when he needed him?

Felix headed over to the alcoholic aisle, studying the brands carefully. At this moment of the night, he needed something to accompany him. Not just to sober him up, but to ensure he would be willing to work on the recent assignments given to him. Grabbing two large can of beers, Felix headed to the counter to pay for them. He added a packet of sweets. Thanking the shopkeeper, Felix lowered his head and arranged his steps to the nearby lake where no one would reside at such hour. He put his phone on silent, slipping it into the back of his pocket. He needed silence. Silence to think and finish up his work without being distracted.

The piercing wind played no role in invoking his hazy senses. Warm yellow light from the hut at the lake waved invitingly, causing Felix to quicken his pace. He needed nothing except for peace and it so happened that no one seemed to be at the lake despite its peak hour. Settling the bag down, he opened it to empty its stomach, allowing it to be hungry once more. The scroll clanked against his bottle as if reminding Felix that it should be opened. Tempted by the colour, Felix rolled it open only to see a new word being formed onto it. He raised his eyebrows, scoffing at the words.

"Sounds about right," he muttered, brushing the edges of the green highlights on his hair and picked up the bottle of beer. "I'll be drinking tonight, so let's see. Will try not to get too drunk because I need to finish this piece of art to submit tomorrow. Alright, let's go."

Picking out the box of watercolours, he laid them gently on the bench as if they were precious gems being gifted by the ancient Gods. Felix opened up the container, gently trailing the tip of his fingernails against the soft brushes. He blew the specks of dust away, selecting three of them and dipped them into the prepared bottle. Felix set the art paper on his lap, staring out into the dark. The water from the lake rippled, reminding him of how dragons would emerge with their oversized neck, tempting humans to go near them. He tilted his head to the side, long veiny fingers trailed the patterns onto the empty piece of paper. It fluttered along with the wind, begging for Felix to paint a layer of skin to mask its vulnerability.

He leaned his sore back onto the wooden bench, staring out into the open where a gush of sparkling wind blinded his eyes and electrocuted the insanity in his mind to trigger his sanity. His rosy red lips curved into a wide smile, fingers reaching out to pick the smallest brush and immediately dipped them into the water to drown away its loneliness. Felix let his senses to come into being. Immersing the brush into the purple paint, he made out tiny strokes across the paper, carefully dripping a sufficient amount of water to create larger strokes across it. His left arm reached out, picking the beer and drowned himself with multiple sips.

Felix felt bitterness surging in his mind. The anger of multiple issues bottled up into his soul, causing him to create endless large purple strokes that drowned with tiny silver lines. His fingers trailed across the paper brushing up the movements aggressively to create wide expanding wings. His chest heaved at the rising aggressiveness. Stopping for a while, he dipped the brush into the container. The purple and silver paint dissolved into the transparent water, poisoning it with its power. The once while paper became wet as it was drenched with paint that cried out loud for heat. Felix cracked his knuckles, slumping himself back, allowing his eyes to meet the bright moonlight which seemed to be teasing his pain.

"You are not the last colour yet you inflict pain as if you are the ultimate devil," said Felix, sipping onto the can of beer that guaranteed his victory. "You're selfish you know, trying to cover all the colours in the universe, showing off the power you have. Why don't you just disappear?"

"There will be no light if everything is pitch black, phoenix," the voice interfered, earning Felix's stupefy gaze and the man chuckled. "There needs to be a balance in everything. Look at you. I left you for two weeks and you are already in trouble. Come..."

"I'm not in trouble, Adriel!" exclaimed Felix, standing up from his seat harshly as his delicate fingers picked up the brush that fits perfectly between his index and middle finger. "I'm never in trouble. Don't try to put the blame on me when you cannot promise me one simple thing after all these years. What are you doing here? Oh, I know..."

Felix laughed. His cheeks flushed in deep pink, showing off the excessive amount of alcohol that surge through his system. He drove the brush in between his hair, scratching the itch from between. The wet paint dripped onto his forehead, flowing across his cheeks and formed a root-like pattern that reminded the other of an old warrior. Felix stumbled in his stand, almost falling onto the drying paint, but Adriel's quick reflexes managed to stop the body from crashing onto the bench. He groaned the minute the can of beer was removed from his palms. His eyes calmed the second they landed on Adriel's purple ones.

"Nice contact lenses, Adriel," praised Felix, removing himself from Adriel's grip as he sat up straight and placed the art paper on his lap. "Now, if you would excuse me, oh arrogant one, I need to finish up an assignment which is due tomorrow. Since you will be skipping classes tomorrow, why don't you head back from where you came from?"

"Felix," sighed Adriel, setting himself next to the younger and studied his serious expression that fixed onto the already beautifully toned paper. "I didn't mean to leave without notice, phoenix, but something happened in my family and I need to attend to it. It's a family matter so I had to rush back the second I got the news. Please forgive me for it. I know two weeks is a long time in this world. I am truly sorry. I promise I won't disappear without notice again. Do you think you can forgive me this time?"

Felix's chin jutted out seriously. His brown eyes fixated on the now partially detailed painted artwork. Strong and light purple strokes both formed on it, turning the plain paper into a painting of angelic wings. Ignoring Adriel's words for the moment, he reversed the paper to see how it turned out on the other side. Humming to his own, he faced Adriel. His blurred visions seemed to be tricking his mind for the whole night. The elder seemed like he was glowing ever since they met. Sucking in the cold air between them, Felix painted the other half of the painting. He grabbed the can of beer again, drowning his system with the last bits.

"I do forgive you, Adriel," Felix said calmly, burping for a moment and apologized. "But, have you asked yourself how many times I have to forgive you for your disappearance?"

Adriel stayed silent. His fingers reached out to brush Felix's cold cheeks gently, memorizing every inch of it.

"You're drunk, Felix. I should get you back home before Leticia comes after me like a raging werewolf," Adriel spoke, taking the painting from Felix's grip, trailing his fingers across those careful strokes. "An angel's wings. Whatever inspires you to draw it?"

"It's just a vague memory. I feel like I have seen it somewhere, yet it feels too far to be obtained for my own, just like the lake here. I can see its beauty and feel it but it is not mine. The closer I step to it, the more I feel like I am in a dream," admitted Felix and he chuckled. "I might be drunk, mongrel, but I am not wrong."

"Drunk in your own dreams, phoenix. Come on, let's head home," Adriel suggested, lifting the art paper carefully. 

Felix swayed, landing his head on Adriel's muscular thighs as he stared into those purple eyes, triggering the soft spots in Adriel's angelic heart.

"I am always drunk, Adriel. Each time you disappear without telling me the truth, you carved empty spaces in my chest," Felix mumbled with his eyes shut tightly. "It feels like I am the only person between us craving for this growing desire for your loyal company. Do you not love me, Adriel? I bloom when I am in your company, yet within it, I found myself wither. It feels like each time I wake up, this dream will slip away, reminding me of the horrors of this universe. Come to think of it, I feel like I have always been drunk."

Adriel pressed his lips into a thin line. He parted his lips to say a word, but Felix's eyes were shut tight and his fingers went limp. A soft chuckle escaped his lips. He stared out into the lake, recalling Felix's words. Mortals treasure love more than the angels do. Angels and guardians were meant to care for the universe and hardly for themselves, yet Felix seemed to have gotten ahold of a part of his soul. Part of him felt guilty for leaving the boy, but there were duties he had to execute, including arranging his sister's passing ceremony. How could he possibly explain angelic duties to such an innocent mortal?

With the painting drying, Adriel could mark out every detail of the feathers where strokes of silver showed off its elegance. Felix sure added a strong touch that overpowered the beauty of a true angel's wings. He watched the younger clutched onto his waist tightly, using his chest as a soft pillow. Leaning forward, Adriel pressed a kiss on his forehead and stroked his hair gently. Running his fingers on the soft pale skin, he noticed the tiny star at the corner of his head. Adriel's fingertips sparkled against it, triggering the angelic energy from the ring. He leaned down, feeling the markings and stared up into the skies.

Fragments of Felix's life flashed before his eyes, causing him to hiss in anger. He gritted his teeth tightly, wanting to murder the person responsible for this, but Felix's tight grip on his chest calmed him down. He breathed out a heavy sigh, pressing a kiss on the tip of his nose and waved his magic in the air to keep those art supplies into Felix's bag.

"Phoenix," Adriel whispered lovingly and ran his fingers gently across Felix's arm, not wanting to stir the younger. "How? Why are you being chosen, my love? It should not have been you." 

Track 05: 1,950 words

Cumulative Count: 10,756 words