Aoba wasn’t expecting an answer, in fact, he wasn’t sure if he really wanted an answer. The fact that he was able to speak without the worry of someone telling him to be quiet was nice on its own. It was something that Aoba appreciated Kuro for the most.

For a moment, so wrapped up in his own distress and mental begging to stop being sad, he was caught off guard by the sudden kiss. Aoba froze like a deer in headlights, but relaxed moments later. He wanted to reciprocate the feeling of passion, care, or whichever Kuro was feeling but he just couldn’t. Fortunately, that didn’t cause him to pull away from it. The contact was grounding. It reminded him that he was still in the barn with Kuro. The world was still all there and that he was safe. As difficult as it was, he tried to coax himself into believing that what happened was just a minor setback, one of many that he could overcome. It hadn’t affected him then and it wouldn’t change anything now. Everything was going to go back to normal. They’d go back to working the farm as usual and all of this would be put behind him. As hard as it was for him to pretend that it was no big deal, Aoba let out a shaky breath. Though he wasn’t sure if it was shaky from the kiss or because of his struggle to control his emotions.

Aoba tried his best not to look at Kuro with sad eyes. He was fighting every urge to just break down, but his success was very minimal. As Kuro spoke, Aoba could feel the lump in his throat and the sting of tears at the corner of his eyes. Out of frustration he rubbed them as if to make all of it go away. He couldn’t think of anything to say, but his heart swelled with mixed emotions. For once in the spiral of negative emotions, he was sure that he was happy. And it was thanks to a demon that cared about him more than… anyone he had known in a long while. In that brief moment, Aoba cracked a weak smile only to turn and hug Kuro as tight as he could.

“....Sorry.” He mumbled with his face buried on Kuro’s shoulder. Realizing he apologized instead of thanking the demon, he sat back down, rubbing his tear stricken face. “Th-Thank you, I mean.” He didn’t want to start a bad habit again, but constantly ending up crying in Kuro’s arms seemed like a burden- despite Kuro’s constant reassurance. Aoba looked away for a moment, trying to regain his composure and also figure out what to do next. Trying to be a little more lighthearted, Aoba spoke up, still looking off to the side. “You know… The angels are going to have a fit… now that you know you can grab their halos.” Remembering how hard he tugged Leo’s made him absentmindedly scratch his head, but he still gave a small chuckle. It was a relieving feeling, giving him enough energy to at least sigh away some of his pent up stress. He didn’t feel like screaming as much anymore. He could probably still cry but he wasn’t so that was nice.

Still unsure of what else to do, he leaned back against Kuro. As much as he wanted to check up on the animals and do some form of work that made him focus on anything but now… this was nice. It was something he needed, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Although, a cool breeze made him realize one thing. Looking down at his side he could only frown. He realized he had left his tattered and bloodied shirt outside. “I should go freshen up and get another work shirt.” Aoba glanced at where the stab wound was and sure enough as Fenrir said, the scar was gone. “Should probably get that shirt too so no one gets any...bad ideas.” He could only imagine Dani’s frantic nature if he had returned to the farm not only smelling Aoba’s blood on the ground but seeing his shirt torn. The residual holy energy was already enough to probably put him on edge anyway. Despite all this, Aoba had yet to actually make the effort to move, realizing he was a lot more comfortable than he realized.

The smile is heartening to the heartless demon and Kuro returns the hug with perhaps some over zealous vigor. Careful not to break his Little Mouse's ribs he lets him go when prompted, not completely removing his hands, but enough for Aoba to not be squished. He wishes Aoba would look only at him but doesn't take it personal when the little angel looks away to talk. He can't help the smirk that comes to his face at the mention of halos and chuckles softly. “We can't let Misha find out. He'd start a collection of them, or at least try.” Humming softly he gives the smaller male a little hug, silently assuring him that he would be going around telling everyone about the halos. He does however take a moment to glare at Kyou so he knows that he is to keep his mouth shut as well. The young demon's headwings flatten against his head and he nods in terrified understanding.

Feeling Aoba settle back against him Kuro delights in the feeling, burying his face in those lovely chestnut locks. Breathing in the smaller male's scent he hums happily, letting himself relax and holds the angel gently. At the mention of needing a new shirt and Dani finding the blood he growls slightly, still not happy about the accidental wound.

The growl is short lived however as his hand seeks out the wounded spot. His fingers trace over the spot, glad to see it's healing well. His hands don't stop their trek immediately however and he finds his hand wandering over Aoba's midsection and up to his chest. “You've actually gotten a little more muscular since you've come to earth.” he murmurs absentmindedly, running his fingers over his chest and collar, getting a little lost in his exploration of the half bare angel in his lap. It isn't until he catches a flutter out of the corner of his eye that he realizes Kyou is watching intently and that once Aoba catches on to that he'll probably call an end to his exploration anyways soon enough that he lets his hand drop down so he can hug Aoba around the middle before letting him go.

Standing up, he settles Aoba gently on to his feet and pulls him into one last kiss before looking towards the barn entrance with a faint smile. “You head in and get a shirt, I'll grab the bloody one and get rid of it. I'll meet you out by Mama and Otto?” Without waiting for an answer he takes them both down to the floor of the barn in a hop, setting Aoba on his feet once more with a cute smirk on his face.

The growl didn’t make Aoba flinch like it had before but he did look down. He would have muttered another apology, but turned his attention to the wandering hand. A moment of defensiveness struck him when Kuro touched where the wound had been but he held his tongue. Sure he could have fixed it himself, but it wouldn’t have healed as fast. He couldn’t deny that not having his holy energy hindered that. However, his mind strayed from the thoughts as Kuro’s hand continued to feel about. He could feel the sudden goosebumps and suppressed the faint tint to his cheek when he shivered.

The comment shifted his attention once again and he playfully stuck his tongue out. “Well it’s not like I can sit and do nothing here. I actually have a job to do for once.” It was something he had thought about constantly since he was tossed on Earth. Seeing his old boss only reminded him of what he could’ve had, but also of what he hadn’t lost. In fact, the only real thing he lost after being casted away was his Grace and his halo. Absentmindedly, he reached up to check to make sure it wasn’t there. Like he expected, that was gone as well. His attachment to it was still there, but the longer he was away the more he realized it wasn’t...that bad.

Both of them were standing and that’s when Aoba noticed Kyou off to the side and peeking out the barn door once again. The angel looked a little embarrassed, moreso because he had forgotten the demon was inside the barn with him. He still managed to reciprocate the kiss and then hold on as they jumped down to the bottom floor. “Right. Mama and Otto.” Aoba gave a nod before giving a small wave to Kyou. “I’ll try to be quick about it.” The angel turned, tucking his wings back behind him instead of having them sag towards the floor.

The trip inside was quick, mainly because he wasn’t so wrapped up in his own thoughts. Before he headed to grab another shirt, he stopped by the bathroom. For a moment he could only stare at himself. He still had bits of dirt on him from sliding in the dirt, his eyes still had a faint red color from crying, he looked...tired. Aoba ran fingers through his hair and then dragged his hands across his face. “Ugggh…” After splashing water in his face he sighed. “I’m mean… it’s not worse than demons attacking. It’ll be fine.” Aoba gave an affirmative nod to himself in the mirror. He survived demon attacks and Issho. He could survive this too. For a brief moment his mind wandered to Kuro’s mention of another brother who by the sound of it, was into collections. That didn’t sound so bad. It did however make him wonder if he had any sisters because if he hadn’t been mistaken including Kuro, he had met only those four. He wasn’t too eager to meet his entire family but Aoba figured it would probably be best to build some sort of… tolerance to family visits.

When he walked out the house, he was buttoning his shirt as he went, getting to the last button when he made it to the barn. He walked through and out into the pasture to see Kuro, sure enough, waiting by Mama and Otto like he said. Aoba waved, looking back to his usual self, more or less. “Alright!” Aoba paused and looked around. “Actually… we’re done with the work today, yeah?”

'Well, he doesn't look nearly as upset any more, so I guess I can count that. . . .Blessing. . . .We need to come up with a better word for that, though I suppose there is such a thing as a dark blessing, but that just sounds like a bad thing. . .' Letting out a sigh he watches Aoba out of sigh before glaring at Kyou. “Coast is clear. Betting get down from there before Dani finds you up in his space.” With a yelping whine Kyou races out of the barn towards the fields, intent on hiding in the crops for now.

Shrugging, Kuro makes his way out to the site of the incident and picks up his lover's blood stained shirt. Giving it a long look he lets out a real growl before burning it to ash in an instant. The black flame consumes the shirt in it's entirety and the demon does his best to dismiss it from his mind. He walks slowly out towards where the animals still cower, hopping the fence and staring at his feet as he strolls along. Waving his hands he makes comforting noises, trying to prompt the beasts to stop cowering, but he doesn't really pay attention to whether or not it works.

It's not too long however before Otto is bumping into him, demanding attention, and he reaches out to pat the baby absentmindedly. His mind wanders over his brothers and sister and about how foolish he was to think that, maybe, they would never find out. 'And now heaven is not only aware, but we have an actual Arch Angel looking down on us almost all the time. I mean, I don't imagine it will bother me too much to have him watching, though he claimed he doesn't watch when we're getting touchy feely, but Aoba is sure to lose his “concentration” if he thinks about it. . . .' Letting out another sigh he looks up as Aoba approaches and smile, waving back.

Once the angel reaches his side Kuro nods, shrugging. “For now. I mean, we still have to bring them in later and all, but yeah, for now, not much to do. . .” Looking around he lets out a faint yawn, the sun overhead making him a little tired and desiring some shade. “We could always do some reading. You know, we haven't finished those farming books yet. . .” He looks up, shading his eyes. “It's a little too sunny for flying lessons, and we know reading time with be rare once Dani gets back. . .” He looks back to Aoba, smiling softly.

When the angel agrees to go read in the shade Kuro coos softly and takes Aoba's hand, leading him over to the tree near the pig pen and settles down, spreading his knees to accommodate the smaller male. Once in place, he snaps his fingers and pulls the book out of nowhere for them to read. Handing it to Aoba he wraps his Little Mouse in a hug and settles his head on the smaller male's shoulder so he can read along with the angel. The dusky wings press against his chest and cheek, but he's careful to not put too much pressure on them so that they can sit comfortably like this and peacefully read.

Hours pass like this and eventually the sun is setting, prompting evening chores. Putting the book away, Kuro kisses Aoba's shoulder softly before letting him loose to deal with the pigs while he himself shoos the birds back into their respective coops. They work together to put the larger beasts away and at last, the sun is set, and they have reached the end of their work for the day. It's in this moment that Kuro realizes that they'd skipped lunch and he resolves to make an amazing dinner to make up for it. Having Aoba take a seat in the living room he goes to work, smiling at the blank patch of wall that will soon make this whole process just a little bit easier.

The realization that the two of them were left with nothing to do started to worry Aoba a little, however it quickly went away when Kuro suggested they read through the farm books. “Right, we should definitely do that.” He sounded a little too eager and cleared his throat. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to have free time to think about what happened today. The more he kept himself busy, the less he had to focus on anything else. It was how he coped. And it worked for him.

The fallen angel got comfortable under the shade with Kuro, happy to take the lead and read through the book for the both of them. He did need the information more than Kuro after all. So far, his farming skills came from a demon’s instruction. While it worked out, it was probably still best to know the mechanics of it all. He was a bit curious about the other powers Kuro had that didn’t know about, but decided to save it for later. For now, being engrossed in a book, whether it was interesting or not, with Kuro behind him was calming. It made him relax even more.

He only really noticed the setting sun when it became harder to read. “Oh.” Was his only response to it being time for chores. Aoba didn’t mind. Everything was like clock work. First the smaller animals were wrangled and put where they belong- this time Aoba wrangled pigs in line. And then the pasture animals were marched inside the barn. When Otto demanded attention, Aoba happily gave it to him.

Finally, night had came around and for a moment, Aoba couldn’t help but stare at the stars. They were pretty and calming. “It’s quiet.” He spoke more to himself than to Kuro before letting out a heavy sigh. “It’s quiet… but it’s nice.” He dared himself to reflect on the day as it ended, appreciating the tranquility a bit more.

“You sure you don’t need my help?” Aoba started, only for Kuro to insist that he stayed put. “Well alright.” His cheeks puffed up but he leaned over the edge of the couch to watch Kuro. “Oh, right. Kuro? What other powers do you have? I’m curious. And also, what’re you making? Smells good.” The questions started to pour like a waterfall. “Oh, tomorrow, if we’re not too busy, can we go into town too? For no real reason though, maybe just to get off the farm… Hm. Maybe a change of scenery for a little bit.” He rubbed his cheek and slumped over the edge of the couch, stretching his wings out as far as he could before letting them flop behind him. “Sorry, one question at a time, right.” As peaceful as the silence had been, Aoba found himself appreciating the background noise a lot more. If it hadn’t been obvious, the fallen angel was trying to keep himself occupied by simply talking to Kuro instead of doing work. It was working for him, more or less.

Aoba offers his assistance, but Kuro knows what he's going to do and insists the little angel stay put and let him work. 'I don't need to be getting all distracted with you wandering around so close to me, Little Mouse' He smiles to himself, the image of a house wife passing through his mind, replacing the woman in the frilly apron with himself in a Cerberus skin one. 'Yes, son of Satan, dutiful house spouse' He chuckles slightly, turning an ear to Aoba while he gets to work. He's ready to answer right away, forming his thoughts around his various powers, but the overly talkative angel keeps going, causing Kuro to wonder what's wrong.

'Usually he so calm and quiet. I wonder if he's stuck on what happened earlier. . .' He rolls his eyes to himself. 'Of course he is. He doesn't shake stuff like that of the same way I do' Humming to himself, he continues frying up the meat for the burgers he's planning on to go with the dinner salad. “That's okay Little Mouse.” he murmurs in response to the apology. “I have a lot of 'powers' so I'm not sure I can think of them all, but I can give an outline.” He takes another moment to organize his thoughts. “I can hide my wings, fly of course, generate hellfire, a rare skill I may add.” He grins wide. “Most demon fire is different, and I'm the only one of my siblings that has it.” He puffs up proudly before going on. “I can draw my weapon from the space I keep it in hell from anywhere I may be, I can use my pendant to travel between the realms of hell and earth, and from place to place when on earth. . .”

Chopping the fresh vegetables now, he wrinkles his nose a bit at them before going on. “I can contact my Papa at any time, I can sense demons, angels, and humans nearby. I can smell the flavor of souls, and tell which are most ripe.” He looks at Aoba out of the corner of his eye at this, wondering how the angel will react. “I can use demonic energy to create clothing on myself, and transmute certain things into other things, like the demon parts into charms. Among other things.” He rolls his shoulders, sitting against the tree for so long leaving him a little stiff as he works them in the repetitive chopping motion.

“And let's see. . .I can contact any of my siblings of course, and I can pass unseen by humans when I want to, and even call of some demon forces if I really, really want to.” He shakes his head, sticking out his tongue at the idea. “I can poison pure things and use charm to sway thoughts where I want them to go. . .” He peeks over his shoulder again. “I've not been doing that to you, if you're wondering.” He says this in a matter-of-fact tone, rather than sounding like he's accusing Aoba of thinking such things. “I'm not sure it counts as a power, but I can sense and manipulate human feelings fairly well. I think that's a learned trait though, and not exactly a power. . .” As he finishes up the meal he pauses, concentrating on what he's doing.

“Can you grab the drinks?” he asks, turning with full plates and heading towards the coffee table. “I also have limited access to the Ocularus, but that's more a right than a power. The power comes from being able to use it without my brain exploding.” He sticks his tongue out again, playfully this time. His plate holds two burgers and a small salad while Aoba's salad is much larger and he has only a single burger. He knows he can get some sustenance from vegetation, so he tries his best to learn to like them. Once Aoba is seated Kuro reaches out and gives his hair a little tug. “And as for going to town, I am sure we can find plenty of time. We should go early though, to try and avoid Dani. I'm sure he'll try and come back soon. . .” He growls a little at this idea, but then smiles to show he's not completely serious. “Any questions? I think I've covered all the ones I can think of. . .”

Aoba had settled into the couch, with his chest to the back cushion so he could watch Kuro. Getting comfortable, he rested his head on his arm. After the first three powers on the list, Aoba closed his eyes to imagine the demon actually using said powers. He had of course seen Kuro fly, more often than not and he had to admit that he was slightly envious of how easier his wings were to manage. Aoba’s own fluffy wings couldn’t be put away or hidden, but unlike Kuro’s they were definitely more sturdy, which he was thankful for. The brief thought of being able to make his wings disappear reminded him of his halo, which he absentmindedly reached up for. But when he realized what he was doing, Aoba put his hand back down and focused on the rest of the list.

He imagined all of the flames Kuro conjured up, noting that he was able to do so better than his siblings. He remembered something about Homura having fire, but Kuro was the only one that he could remember clearly at the moment. The weapon, he remembered. And he remembered that portal he made once before. For a short moment, Aoba tried to imagine visiting his home- hell- and a sickening feeling rose in his stomach. Not so much out of disgust, but for the same reasons he felt sick when surrounded by too much demonic energy.

His feathers ruffled a little, almost on instinct, when he mentioned being able to contact his father. It wasn’t… a bad thing for Kuro, but it wasn’t ideal. He went to patting down his feathers, only to raise a curious brow at the idea of ‘ripe souls’. “Sounds like not very good food.” He muttered more to himself than out loud, before continuing to comb through his feathers. Him being able to contact his siblings didn’t cause the same reaction as his father did, except when he thought of Issho- Issho was a lot more intimidating than the others he had met. And his threat wasn’t so easily forgotten. Sure Aoba didn’t plan on hurting Kuro, but the thought of accidentally doing so could have made him cower had he not turned his attention away from Issho and back to Kuro who was still naming things off the list. Kuro was safe and comforting. There was no need to be scared all of a sudden.

“Hm, a lot of things. That’s..neat.” Aoba nodded after finding the right word. “I guess the lower level demons are limited on what they can do?”

When asked to fetch the drinks, he did just that, claiming one for himself as he took a sip out of it. The Ocularus sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite remember what it was. However, consistently jumping from topic to topic, his attention turned to his food. The light tug on his hair made him smile but his gaze didn’t break from the plate on his lap.

Adjusting to his life as a human, he was grateful that Kuro was willing to cook all these different foods for him. He was also grateful Kuro paid attention to the little things because in all the time he had been on Earth, he hadn’t realized how much he preferred non-meat things like fruits and veggies compared to the rest. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t eat it or didn’t like it, it was just that Aoba was finding his preferences. He started to realize a lot of those preferences more and more now that he had all this time not running around a medical hall. Besides food, Aoba realized he liked to face the wall while he slept so his wings could stretch out. He realized he always wanted some sort of background noise because the quiet was much too unnerving at times.There were simpler things too, like he liked the color of Kuro’s flames and he liked petting the curious dogs that came up to him when they went to town. His thoughts would have continued on for who knew how long had he not realized he spaced out while eating his salad.

“...Hm? O-Oh, yes. I don't mind going to town early. Uh,” He paused to eat the salad threatening to fall off his fork. “Remind me, what’s the Ocularus again?”

The comment about souls as ripe fruit not sounding appetizing makes Kuro chuckle a little, glad that he didn't say something a bit harsher about the fact that he still has to consume them. “Yes, lower level demons are limited in their powers. A lot of them have powers that align with whatever sins gave birth to them. Eventually, most can earn wings, if they live long enough. The higher born ones come with wings, but have to hone their weapons themselves rather than being gifted ones from Papa.” He babbles on a bit more about weak demon powers, then falls silent, seeing Aoba wrapped up in whatever deep thoughts one can have about lettuce.

'He's really lost on something. . . I wish he'd just talk to me. . . Maybe when we're cuddled up in bed later, I can coax some answers out of him. . . Unless he just really needs some rest. . .' The thought is so enticing, teasing some answers out of the little angel, but he knows that rushing things would only hurt them both in the long run, so instead his head just perks up when Aoba asks a question. A chuckles finds it's way out as his Little Mouse finally responds to what he said earlier about going to town early, but he stifles the sound quickly.

“The Ocularus?” he asks, curious as to why Aoba doesn't know what it is. “I suppose, as a lower tier of angel, you would have needed to know about it hmm?” Realizing that comment could hurt a bit, Kuro reaches out and cups Aoba's cheek gently. “Not low tier to me of course, and that's all that matters.” He gives Aoba a wink, then goes on to explain, leaning back to nibble at his food. “The Ocularus is the eye of hell that sees all. Taken as a seed from the fruit of knowledge stolen in the garden of Eden by Eve, the Ocularus was taken by Papa before The Fall before God could destroy it completely. After The Fall, Papa planted the seed in hell and from it grew a great thorny mass of vines, that once it entangles you, it opens your eyes to whatever you want to know. Past, present, future, and everything one could ever want to know about earth and the people on it down to the second.”

Taking a few bites, he takes a moment to relish before going on. “However, since it was one seed and not a whole fruit full of them, the Ocularus can only see the future to the next minute near perfectly accurately, and anything beyond that is a string of possibilities, branching out, on forever and ever. So, useful, but not godly, and only me and my siblings and Papa can really use it without our heads exploding.” He shrugs, as if the Ocularus is no big deal. “I'm only allowed limited access to it. Like, one question every five hundred years or something. . . Not sure if I've used it yet for this five centuries. . .” he looks thoughtful for a moment, the shrugs again, smiling at Aoba.

“Bah.” Aoba made a face and a playful sound when his cheeks were squished. He knew well enough that Kuro wouldn’t talk down to him about his rank as an angel- or a fallen one for that matter. In fact, he didn’t feel much of anything when he mentioned, but that wasn’t what was important.

The talk of the Ocularus made Aoba nibble his food quietly and more thoughtfully. He tried to remember the countless library escapades he had been on, combing through books to figure out all he could that others wouldn’t teach him about. The name itself sounded familiar, but he couldn’t fully remember the details of it. He was sure the books skewed information for safety anyway. Fortunately, he had Kuro to give him that.

It was a much bigger deal than the demon made it sound, but Aoba nodded and hummed to show he was still listening while he was eating. “Wouldn’t want your head to explode, that’s not ideal.” Aoba said to no one in particular, before his attention focused fully on Kuro once more. “What kinds of things would you even want to know? About the future at least? It sounds useful learning about the past or the present… but the future?” He set his plate down on the side table and leaned back, pulled his knees to his chest. The young angel pulled a wing across him to fiddle with his feathers. “The future has… so many possibilities. So many things that could go right or wrong. Wouldn’t it be better to live in the present and wait for those experiences to happen?” At some point, Aoba was moreso talking to himself than Kuro.

There were many things about the future he couldn’t- or didn’t want to think about. When he was first tossed down to earth he knew there was a possible chance in the future that he could redeem himself and go back home. But when Kuro came to him, in some odd debt, he knew the future for him was wildly unclear and so many things could go wrong or right. And almost everyday something new presented itself, causing that to change and-

His train of thought snapped back when he plucked a loose feather. “Ah.. It just sounds like a lot is all.” He continued, combing through making sure all his feathers weren’t just falling out until he lost his wings completely. “Hey, weird question.” He seemed to shift the conversation again without realizing it. “Have you ever seen an angel without wings?” A thought crossed his mind that made his wings pull closer to him. “Wait, better question. Have you ever seen an angel without wings- that weren’t forcefully taken? I’m just, uh, curious. I didn’t realize how many feathers I lost until I got here. I don’t think I actually lost many back… uh, there actually. No reason to. Could be the extra maintenance.”

The little angel goes into deep thought over the idea of looking into the future, and Kuro gives him a thoughtful look. 'I know he worries a lot for his future, and it probably scares him a lot to think about never getting to go home. . .' The thought of “home” pains Kuro slightly, his protective possessiveness flaring as he worries over heaven trying to take his Aoba back. He pushes the thought aside however and lets out a curious sigh. “A lot of people are interested in what will happen in the future, and having even a rough guide can help one win battles, find things, save lives, among other things. Knowing the most likely path can give the indication of how unlikely something is once the time you looked into has passed and can show how strong an influence certain people and their decisions will have on the future. . .” Smiling faintly, Kuro finishes his food and begins cleaning up his dishes.

“It is quite a bit to consider.” he calls out to a distracted Aoba, and tilts his head at the following question. He's glad Aoba clarifies however, because he has indeed seen several angels “relived” of their wings on the battlefield, and telling Aoba that didn't seem like something the young angel would actually want to know. Coming back, he makes sure Aoba is done eating before stacking up his dishes to bring to the kitchen. “I can't say I've ever seen an angel retract their wings the way we do. . . I mean, I've seen a few guardian angels without them showing, so I'd imagine it can be done for special circumstances. I think, however, that most keep their wings out to make themselves appear bigger.” Looking over to Aoba, plucking at his feathers, a wicked thought crosses his mind.

Leaving the dishes on the table, Kuro slips over to Aoba with a concerned look on his face and reaches out gently towards the Little Mouse's wings. “Here, let me see how they are doing. I may not have feathers myself, but I've seen a lot of them, and I can see the ones on your back. . .” Very gently, he begins to stroke his hands over the glossy gray surface of the soft, smooth feathers that cover the bend in the wing, following them to the tip, where he follows them back along the flight feathers, counting each one softly to himself. Reaching Aoba's back, he brushes a gentle hand over the sensitive flesh there under the guise of trying to see the feathers around there better, then moves around to the next wing.

Each touch is gentle, but firm, putting just enough in be felt, but not enough to hurt or frighten. He is indeed getting a bit of a thrill from the somewhat intimate touch, but he keeps his desires in check behind faintly glowing eyes. “I don't see any major missing patches.” he murmurs softly, bringing his hands back to Aoba's back at the conclusion of his inspection. “You have the same number of flight feathers on both sides, and they seem. . . Firm. . .” He gives the angel's back another gentle rub, his demon flickering strongly as he recalls how nice this feels for the other. His willpower is stronger however, and his eyes are only slightly glowing when he moves back around to face Aoba with a kind smile on his lips. “I think you're doing fine. You may be losing a bit more, but they are growing back just fine it seems!”

Not pushing his luck, Kuro shifts over and stands, grabbing up the dirty dishes and heading to the kitchen to clean up after the meal. “You go ahead and head up for now. Today was stressful, and you should get some good sleep.” He smiles slyly over his shoulder. “Don't want to make a real issue of feather loss due to stress, eh?” Making sure Aoba heads up, Kuro finishes cleaning and forces his feelings down before drying off and heading up to the room they share. Peeking in he smiles at Aoba and heads to the bed to get comfy against the wall so Aoba can have his wings relaxed out if he wishes. Yawning wide, he pats the bed, gazing up at his Little Mouse through half lidded, sleepy eyes.

“Make themselves… look bigger?” Aoba echoed Kuro’s comment, slowly stretching out his left wing all the way. He never thought spreading them out made him look bigger- in fact, he thought the opposite. He had a small frame as it was, so when his wings were stretched out he figured it only emphasized how small he was compared to them. Invested in the thought, he almost missed Kuro sliding next to him. Hearing Kuro would check where he couldn’t see made the small angel nod and turn for easier access.

His eyes drifted closed while Kuro inspected his wings. His mind wandered back to when he had first fallen, realizing the pain wasn’t there anymore- or if it was, it wasn’t as noticeable as before. However, the gentle touch over more sensitive areas of his wings made him straighten his back a little more. His wings ruffled ever so slightly in response but they quickly relax when Kuro continues on. Still in a bit of a relaxed daze after, the demon is met with a hum after the inspection before Aoba opened his eyes, blinked a few times, and nodded. “Oh, oh good. I won’t be a, uh, de-featherd bird. That wouldn’t be a fun sight to see.” A soft chuckle followed as he watched Kuro go about cleaning up. The mention of stress induced feather loss made Aoba’s eyes widen just a bit until he realized Kuro was teasing him. “Hmph. I’m gonna go. I’m gonna go.”

Aoba had made his way to their now shared room and sat on the edge of the bed. For a few moments, the angel looked around the dark space and took a deep breath in. When he exhaled, his hands gripped the sheets under him but they were let go seconds after. The day was… a lot. And it wasn’t the best. And no matter how much Aoba wanted it to get better, he knew there were things that weren’t going to change. “It’s… gonna be okay.” His whispered attempt to motivate himself was weak, but it was at least a start. “I have to make it okay.” The angels had put him on Earth, sure, but on the bright side, it wasn’t the worst thing to happen. It had its ups and downs and nothing was actually easy, but at least the work was something he enjoyed. It made him feel useful and with Kuro around it made him feel… important. And that was the thing he was going to hold on to. Sure it wasn’t going to happen over night, but Aoba was determined to start reminding himself that things would be okay.

Hearing Kuro coming up to the room, Aoba relaxed and shifted out the way so Kuro could climb into bed and Aoba could follow suit. His wings stretched out behind him and he got comfortable next to Kuro. He watched the demon yawn, mimicked it before rubbing a palm over his eyes to stop the tears. Despite sleepiness taking over, Aoba scooted a little closer and whispered. “Thank… Thank you Kuro. For, uh, everything really.” It was much too late to go into specifics and Aoba was much too tired, so instead the angel decided to be a little brave. He sat up just a little, enough to reach Kuro, and placed a kiss right at his jaw. They had kissed before, so Aoba hoped it was okay, but his sleepiness started to take its toll as he laid back down to sleep.

The next early morning, Aoba woke with a new vigor and determination. He wanted to prove himself that things were gonna be okay like he said and that meant getting his farming life and his regular life and his emotions- and maybe a list of other things together. And keeping busy was the only thing Aoba knew how to do. So, early as it was, Aoba was careful not to disturb Kuro too much and slid out of bed, getting ready for the day. Before he could get too far, he turned back to Kuro and gave him a soft and endearing kiss on his temple before going off. He still wasn’t too sure how to make food yet, and it was definitely something on the list to figure out, but for now, Aoba decided an apple was enough for the time being and headed towards the barn.