[IC] The Power of The Fallen ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

[AkiBlue]

Aoba walked around the fence slowly and examined the wood. Most of it seemed fairly sturdy, except for one or two pieces. That dead wood was pulled out and put off to the side until he was done. The field was large, of course to hold the large animals in, so scouting the fence took some time. When he was at the farthest distance, close to the 'edge of safety', he shuddered, feeling as though someone was watching him. The feeling died rather quickly and Aoba went back to his worth. He fixed a few of the boards himself, mainly the ones that were just loose and in need of a quick fix. That wasn't too much of a task.

The angel had almost finished his full circle when he noticed Kuro with the lack of a shirt. His eyes averted at first, but the curious angel realized he had seen him without a shirt plenty of times. Now though, he didn't have all of those wounds and scars littering his skin. Aoba could make out his frame and muscles. 'Well that gives those teens reason to go all lovestruck. . . He doesn't look too bad. ' He blinked at the realization of what he thought and flushed lightly before putting his head back down to work.

With the fence finished, Aoba decided to look around the field to make sure no trash was tossed there. Luckily for him, he had wings to make the process go faster. He scanned the area and smiled noticing it was rather clean. So, he picked up the collected dead wood and flew it over to the pile of trash from the barn. "Kuro, there are two boards that need to be replaced on the big fence, but other than that everything is fine. And,"

The angel paused, wiping off the sweat he worked up from all that work. It obviously was much more than he was used to, but he was determined to get it done before the animals got there. "I'll go check the chicken coop thing now. It's my last job I believe, so I'll just get it done now." He decided he would take a break when he was done. With a nod, he went off to go check to make sure the fences were sturdy and then go clean out their nests. Since the place was a lot smaller, this didn't take much time to do.

[PopeAlessandros]

Kuro is up on the barn roof, patching it up best he can, when the angel drifts over to report his progress. The sun is slowly sinking towards the horizon at this point, the demon judging it to be around 4-5 o'clock now and as he sits back on his heels to look up at the angel he turns ever so slightly so the sun isn't in his eyes. “That's good, thanks for letting me know.” As Aoba flies off, Kuro watching his sweat drenched clothing cling to his light frame as he goes, he calls out, “Oi, make sure to get a drink after this. You're losing a lot of water and you kinda need that in your body to function.” He watches until Aoba is out of sight before finishing up the last of the patches.

Scooping up the singles he didn't use Kuro slips off the roof, drifting down to the pile of stuff they had purchased so he can drop off the extra. 'We can pack the spare stuff away somewhere in the barn until I can get a tool shed built' Humming softly he plucks up a couple boards and heads off around the fence. Spotting the first missing board he drops down and begins working. It only takers a few minutes and he's on to the next one in no time. About the time he gets one side in place Aoba comes drifting over to see what he's up to and Kuro turns to him with a smile. “Almost done here, then we only have on thing left for now. I think we can do that together.” He chuckles lightly, moving over to secure the other side of the board.

Normally such labor would bore the demon, much preferring a good book to actually going out and doing something, but as he works under the angel's gaze Kuro feels a kind of thrill he's never felt before. It's almost like pride. The kind of pride one feels when getting something accomplished. However he knows that if it wasn't for his Little Mouse, he would not feel this way about such hard labor. True, he's not exactly doing it the mortal way, but he is definitely working much harder than he's ever worked before, and that's even counting all the work he went through to try and get away from his siblings. Once he's finished he motions towards the farm house an takes off with the angel flying behind. When they land he turns to Aoba and says, “Why don't you pick out where you want the pig pen to go. It should be somewhere near the barn and with some shade. I'll pull out the boards we'll need.”

[AkiBlue]

When Aoba finished working, he then considered getting the water like he was told. After he finished with the chickens area, he realized that maybe some water would be needed. He felt parched and tired, and the sweaty feeling wasn't very pleasant to him. Before he wandered off to see Kuro, he took a quick break inside to get some water and get out of the sun's rays. It was a short break. Kuro was still out there working and Aoba wanted to make sure he had all the help he could get.

Kuro was on the last board when he drifted on over. It didn't seem like he needed help, so Aoba stood quietly, watching him work. Soon enough he paved to learn how to do it himself so Kuro wouldn't have to. It was still Aoba's farm, and he didn't want Kuro to have to do so much work. . . Even if the male said he wanted to. When he was done, both of them were flying back to the house, and Aoba stood under the shade of the house. "We made pretty good timing don't you think? This is our last thing to do and the animals aren't here yet." Aoba gave a proud look of accomplishment and then nodded to his new job.

He flew up, looking for a perfect spot for the pigs, and sure enough, the side of the barn was the perfect to place to put it. "I like it here." It wasn't exactly the side of the barn, it was more rather pushing towards the corner and back of the house where most of the shade was. He flew down to the new area and looked over at Kuro who was still at the house. He gestured for him to come over and when he did, Aoba clasped his hands together. "Let's get started shall, we? I think the animals will be here any minute." He reminded him, only because of Kuro was an animal lover. Might as well give them both a reason to get hurry and get stuff done.

[PopeAlessandros]

Once all the boards they will need are pulled out and piled nicely Kuro grabs a few of them, leaving the rest to wait until they need them, and heads over to the spot Aoba had picked. He looks it over carefully, the outline of what the finished product will look like overlaying reality in front of his eyes almost like an old 90's movie robot's optical display. He tilts his head this way and that until it looks perfect, then reaches out to ruffle Aoba's hair playfully. “They won't be here until tomorrow dork, but yes, we are making really good time. Here. . .”Kneeling down he begins drawing designs in the dirt so the angel can get an idea of what they are doing.

“I think a normal square shape will work just fine, half in the shade half not so they can bask when they want to an rest in the shade when they don't. Pigs don't do much, so they are fairly easy to please. I'll makes the holes for the corner pillars and I need you to sink them into place when I'm done, using the maul to hammer them down best you can. If it's too heavy I can do it, but you should try to do it yourself first.” Scratching out what the sides will look like he assigns the job of making them to the angel while he himself will cut the wood into the right lengths and help Aoba nail them into place.

Kuro is more than willing to do all of this work himself, but he knows the angel would not put up with that. He also can't wait to watch him working up close. 'I wonder how long before he's panting. I can already see how badly he sweating. I wonder if I can convince him to take off his shirt. . . .' He shakes his head slightly. 'We need some sun screen before he does that. In fact, his face may be a little burned after today with his fair skin' He pouts at the thought of his Little Mouse being sunburned, but as soon as he's sure Aoba gets the right idea, they move off to start working on the pig pen.

He keeps a close eye on the angel as they work, making sure he doesn't do anything to injure himself, and complementing him only when he feels the angel did something worth it. He disapproves of giving undeserved complements to anyone, but when it's appropriate, he will give them. He smiles and hums a bit as they work, the thought of the animals coming in tomorrow making him happy. That feeling compounded with being able to be around his new favorite being has Kuro practically walking on air.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba watched as Kuro examined the spot. He stood proudly for picking out the perfect place- well at least he thought it was. When Kuro accepted it, Aoba smiled more. His nose wrinkled slightly and he gently pushed Kuro's hand away. "You know, time isn't that necessary when you're immortal." He stuck his tongue out playfully and sighed. "Tomorrow, today, yesterday, it's all the same. I'll get used to it though." He moved behind Kuro to watch him sketch out the design. His hands rested on Kuro's shoulders so he could lean over him to see.

He carefully listens to the instructions, not wanting to mess up anything while Kuro was watching. He didn't want Kuro having to help him with the task. Aoba was still determined to prove those angels wrong. Even if he wasn't with them anymore, he would prove to them that he could survive- even if it took a little help. His cheeks puffed a little and he nodded, moving off Kuro to begin. The angel followed him around as he made the holes in the ground, and just as he was told, he hammered the pillars in place and made sure they were sturdy. It was heavier than he expected, but with a series of pulling and dragging it while he flew, he managed to accomplish the task.

He moved more to the shade to watch Kuro cut the wood for him. He rubbed his cheeks, feeling them warmer than usual. He wiped his face and neck once more and then went over to start nailing the boards just like the little picture showed. He sat, humming to himself softly in full concentration. There were a few times he neared hurting himself, but he'd always move his hand only to receive a pinch or a scratch. He'd only shake his hand off and keep going. Aoba showed Kuro the pieces he was supposed to make, checking to make sure it was okay. After he did, Aoba would then go back and fix the ones he needed to or move on to the next.

It was a lot easier and work went by much faster when he worked with Kuro to build the pen. Constantly, Aoba was lifting his sleeves up and then wiping at his face. When he finally finished helping Kuro, Aoba sighed heavily and laid on his back in the shade. He breathed deeply and looked up at the sky. 'So much...' "Kuro...this is the last thing right?" Not even Aoba's determination could make him power through an entire day's worth of work. The little angel finally gave in and laid there with his wings sprawled out. He rubbed his slightly reddened face, still feeling the heat against his skin.

[PopeAlessandros]

Kuro smiles softly at the memory of the angel's small hands on his shoulders as he was explaining their next task. 'He use to be so edgy around me, even after coming down here and me promising to protect him. I think. . .I think that is the first time he's touched me when it wasn't work, or I instigated it. . . .' His smile widens and he feels more energized as he uses his magic to open the holes needed for the corner posts. 'The mid posts don't need to be as deep, so I'll do them by hand' Grabbing the post hole digger he begins working on the second set of holes as he watches Aoba fluttering around. He works as quickly and efficiently as he can, and Kuro admires him for that.

He stifles his laughter as he watches the spindly angel wielding the maul, but after he finishes with each post Kuro gives it a good shake to make sure they are in place properly, and each time, they are. 'He's using what he's got and doing a great job. As soon as he's finished with the second set of holes, his body warming to quite high degree now, Kuro wipes the sweat from his brow as he wanders over to the water pump once more. After thoroughly soaking himself down he returns and begins cutting the wood into the perfect lengths. For the sides. [i]'The fourth side is gonna be a little short because we need a gate. I'll do that part myself' Once the first set of boards are ready he sets them down in a pile for Aoba and moves on to the next set.

The demon would flinch or bite his lip each time the little angel manages to hit himself, but he holds his tongue, knowing that coddling is the last thing the boy needs, or even wants. When Aoba shows him his work, Kuro points out little adjustments that need to be made and Aoba goes back to fix them without question. As soon as all the board are cut for the walls Kuro readies the ones for the gate and begins putting that together himself. The water from before has been replaced by a light sheen of sweat, the sun making the demon's body gleam with each muscles movement beneath the skin. The work takes well over two hours and by the time the last bit of the framework is ready the sun is beginning to get friendly with the western horizon. It's still it usual yellow cheery self, but it's definitely getting ready to greet the curvature of the earth in the distance.

Kuro watches with a bemused look as Aoba, having just finished the last part of his task, wanders off into the shade. As the angel sprawls out on one of the many little patches of grass under the shade of the trees Kuro stares for a few seconds, soaking in the sight, before he gets to the last part of his job, attaching the pen walls to their posts. As he works he hears Aoba asking about their task and he chuckles aloud. “Yes, this is the last thing we need to do for now. Once I'm done here we should take the short-cut to town and grab some dinner.” His work goes fairly quickly, using his magic to hold the boards in place and hammer the nails in at the corners while he manually does the middle post nailing.

When it at last comes to the gate he calls over to Aoba. “Oi, can you help me with his part?” A few groans and grumbles come from the direction of the collapsed angel but soon enough Aoba is at his side waiting for instruction. “I need you to stick your feet under this frame, don't worry, it's not too heavy, and hold it in place while I mount it. This is the gate you see, and I don't want it sitting directly on the grain, that would make it hard to swing open and closed.” Once Aoba is in position Kuro makes short work of screwing the hinges into place on the front right corner posts. When he's done he stands up, pulling Aoba back a bit. He'd already put the bar and catch in place so with a grin he pushes it gently and watches as it noiselessly swings on it's hinges, closing with a light click.

Wrapping his arms around Aoba from behind he gives the smaller male a strong hug, picking him up off his feet a bit, before letting him go and chuckling lightly. “And with that, we are done for the evening!” He gives Aoba a light kiss, “Good job, Little Mouse.” He whispers gently before looking off towards the setting sun. His body is still quite sweaty and as he stretches he lets out a long sigh, the sun making his skin glow. “I think we should wash up a bit before heading to town, and then after we get back, we can take a bath.” He looks to Aoba with a wide smile. “You can try out some of your new clothes, see if they're comfy!” He has a very sedated and happy smile on his lips as he looks tot he angel and he can not help but look deep into his eyes as he gazes at the younger male over his shoulder.

[AkiBlue]

With a few sighs and groans Aoba rolled to his feet and went off to help Kuro once more. It wasn't too difficult of a task, as Aoba stood with his feet under the gate he watched Kuro. He admired him work so diligently. Well, at first he did. Then he found himself staring over the male's glistening form as he worked on the gate. When he realized he was staring, Aoba blinked and looked back at the gate. Not much later, Aoba was pulled away to watch the gate close. "Great! It works. We finished!" He clasped his hands together in delight.

He couldn't help but laugh gently as he was hugged. Then he squirmed out of Kuro's grip with a playful look of distaste. "You're all sweaty." He smiled toward the kiss being used to it by now. When he was let go, Aoba stared at the setting sun and smiled. "How nice." His attention turned when Kuro mentioned baths and he nodded quickly. "Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea. My shirt feels gross." He tugged at the collar of his shirt and walked toward the house. Since he wasn't taking a full bath yet, he went to his room to do a quick wash up.

He looked at the bag of clothes and decided to put them away neatly. "Alright Kuro... I think I'll settle with this." He had taken his shirt off to let it air off and splashed himself with water. As he walked back down the stairs he rebuttoned his shirt and looked for Kuro. "Ready when you are." He remembered the way to the town, but he didn't know anything about a shortcut of course, so he waited for the demon.

[PopeAlessandros]

He chuckles lightly at the boy's playful manner as he watches the young angel walk off towards the house. The demon turns to glare at the tall grass several paces away an instant later as something familiar makes itself known. However after only a few seconds of glaring the presence vanished. 'Oh Pops damn it. . . .He's prolly gonna go blabbing, and I'm gonna be mobbed next time I, HELL!' Fuming lightly at the little encounter Kuro storms behind the house, his energy quite erratic as he pumps the handle to bring up water. 'If he goes off screaming it to the nine circles I'm going to be screwed, and Little Mouse won't last another month. I can't go stop him. . .Even if I could catch him, I can't leave the angel alone or else. . . .GAH!' He water begins steaming as it strikes his skin, and Kuro takes that as his cue to start trying to calm down.

'Relax, just. . .Relax. He's a moron, but he's not bout to go ruin his chance for fun just to screw my life up. He'll come back over and over until he sees an opening. . . .I just gotta be vigilant' Nodding once the demon strips out of his pants, rinses them, then dries them in an instant before pulling them back on. Letting out a long hiss he makes his way over to where he left his shirt and jacket and after beating the stray bits of grass off of them he pulls them on. By the time Aoba exits the house once more Kuro is right where he left him and looking just as calm as when he left.

Giving the boy a smile and a nod his wings slide out, the sun set behind him casting him in almost complete shadow as he does this. Stepping in close to Aoba he slips around behind him and slides an arm around his waist. Pulling the smaller body close to his own he whispers, “You can't vanish anymore, but I can. As long as I have you like this, we can fly right to town in less than five minutes without being seen.” A moment later he takes off with a few hard flaps of his wings and aims them towards town. Holding Aoba firmly against him the flight isn't awkward at all and Kuro takes the opportunity to just enjoy the closeness.

'I'm good with this for now. We'll have more fun later in the bath.. . .' As promised the flight is only five minutes in length and as Kuro touches down in a darkened corner of the town he lets out a long sigh as his wings slide quickly back in and he checks the area for people before making them visible again. The main road is past a few houses and the merry voices of slightly intoxicated hicks can be heard on it even at the distance they are from it. Waving a hand Kuro motions for Aoba to take the lead. “After you!I’ll let you pick where to eat tonight.”

[AkiBlue]

'Hehehe, so baby brother has a new toy to play with? Well no fair, I want one too! No...I want his. He doesn't even know how to play with him!' The smaller demon grinned and giggled mischievously as he walked through Hell. In midst of his walk, he paused realizing that if he went and told, everyone would be at that toy's throat before he could play with him. That wouldn't be nice at all. 'Hm, I don't want to share. Not at all. The direction he turned was away from his 'family'. Now he had a slight advantage over the rest of them for a short period of time. And with that time he planned on finding an opening of opportunity.

- - -

Aoba rubbed his face and relaxed as the heated faded from his skin. He wasn't burning up, but his cheeks were still a slight shade of red. "Ready when you are." Aoba watched as Kuro's wings spread. His eyes wandered over the dark wings in awe. "Ooh." The last time he was able to see them, he was. . . A little preoccupied with his own affairs. But now he got to see what he meant by the resembling bay wings. It was plain to see. "Can I-" His hand pulled back, and he fell silent as Kuro grabbed him.

No later, Aoba was looking down at the world as he flew. It felt so different from his own flying. At first, he didn't like the dependent feeling it gave him. Aoba could fly on his own, but then again, he couldn't disappear just as Kuro stated before. So, he relaxed and watched all the scenery go by. It made him realize they really were out in the middle of nowhere. Just as promised, the flight was short and they ended up in some dark alley.

It was fairly creepy, so when Kuro told him to take the lead Aoba happily did so. He walked down the road going past some houses. There were a few people who were resting outside, so they'd pause when they saw the two walk by. "Why do they seem like they don't like us?" Aoba whispered softly as they hit the main road. The day was growing dim so less people were out and about like when they first were out. Aoba was still fairly tired so he decided not to take all day for his search. The two went into the second small restaurant that Aoba saw. The first one didn't seem well put together... or clean- even if people were there.

Aoba walked in and looked around. Not many people were in, but with the number of people, a soft murmur was the sound of their background noise. "Are we taking the food home again?" He asked as they went through the door. He stepped to Kuro's side, letting him lead from there.

[PopeAlessandros]

Kuro follows along silently behind the angel, his eyes sharp for any threat to their peaceful evening, however the worst thing directed their way are a few unsettles looks from the locals. 'Well, it looks like the whole town knows about us now, and not only about how close we seem, but what we look like as well. . .Though I don't suppose there are many around here who look anywhere near as hot as we do, so I guess it's kinda obvious that we're the new guys in town. Well, near town. I just hope they keep the peace for now and that this doesn't turn out to be one of those really stupid hick towns with barn burnings and crap. . .' He rolls his eyes at the thought and turns his attention to Aoba's question as they reach the main street.

“Remember that book I told you about? Well, in that book, someone put some crap in it about how two beings of the same gender should not be in romantic relationships with one another, and with how I've been around you, they are clearly reading into my fondness for you and assuming that we are in said forbidden relationship. . . .I don't mind them thinking that, but sorry if the staring bothers you. . .” He adds with a chuckle, “Though, you are hot and even without me around, they would be staring at you anyways, so. . .” He shrugs, looking at the place Aoba selected for the evening.

The place is sparsely populated, and Kuro is glad to see that the other patrons are slightly older than those easily affected by his pheromones.. 'This means I can get as happy as I want around my Little Mouse without having to worry about some horny teen jumping over their table to nom on my face' He can not help but chuckle at the sudden image in his head but he stifles it as Aoba steps aside so he can take the lead. “I think it might be nice to eat here tonight. Get some more time to observe the locals and learn a few things.” He wants desperately to get back tot he bath, but he also knows that the people watching could do the clueless little angel some good. Slipping into a booth next to the big front window so they can see the nightlife out on the main road Kuro settles in with a sigh and sits back to wait for the waiter to deliver their menus.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba still had a faint blush from the compliment earlier, along with the thought of being in a relationship with Kuro. He said nothing of it, to save himself from stumbling over words and blushing deeper. He followed Kuro into a booth, sitting across from him. His eyes went from Kuro, to the window, and then to observing the people around them. He quietly listened to the conversations around them.

"So how's the baby doing? It's been a while since I've seen her!"

"Oh! That's 'cause her mom went to the big city with her. I thought I told you!"

"This small town used to bustle with tourists at one point."

"This 'new guy' in town had my daughter and all of her friends gossiping when I let them stay the night."

Aoba blinked and looked up as an elderly woman handed them menus. "Here you go gentlemen. Want anything to drink to start you off?" Aoba looked over the menu and nodded.

"May I get a water please?" The woman nodded and looked at Kuro for his drink. When he gave his order, the woman nodded once more and left. Aoba's nose was in the menu, trying to figure out what to eat. "There's a lot of stuff here. What do you think I should get?" He peeked over the menu and then asked another question. "And I overheard someone say something about a city? More people go there right?"

[PopeAlessandros]

With a faint smile Kuro watches as Aoba's head tilts around, looking this way and that while observing the humans around them. 'Well, his curiosity is good. And adorable. He's like one of those birds keeping a lookout for predators, heh' His own ears perk up at the word 'new guy' but he lets out a sigh a moment later and relaxes into the seat as it become quickly evident that the comment was not about Aoba or himself. The smell of strong perfume makes the demon’s nose wrinkle and he looks up to see their waitress coming.

'While I appreciate the effort to not smell of old woman, I think one gallon of perfume would have been enough lady, not five' He covers up his distaste with a smile, his public face falling once more into place. After the angel orders his water he tilts his head to the side a bit as if he's thinking. Then with a nod he chuckles, “How about just some nice iced tea?” The old woman gives him a smile and a nod before wandering off. Kuro face falls back into it's normal state as he looks over to see his angel had vanished into his menu. He smiles and picks up his own, trying to find something other than steak that would suit his palate.

'I mean, it's not like all of this stuff is bad, but meat is what I feed on naturally, so. . . .' His head comes up to look over his menu as Aoba speaks. He doesn't have a chance to answer the first question however as a moment later their eyes meet and Aoba asks another. He looks into those eyes for a long moment before vanishing behind his menu. “Well, you had fruit for breakfast, meat, wheat, and veggies for lunch, and you sweat a lot right after. . . .So, something with calories and something more fortifying to drink than water. . .So, meat and lemonade would be my suggestion.”

Kuro pops his neck, tilting his head from side to side, going silent a moment before addressing the second question. “Cities are settlements that are large, much nicer than towns, and a lot worse at the same time.” He settles on a large burger with all the fixings and a side order of cheesy hash. Setting the menu aside he decides to elaborate a bit. “See, in towns everybody knows almost everybody else in the town, so if you do something wrong, it's really easy to find out who did it. While in big cities, no one really bothers to get to know one another and getting away with bad things is a lot easier. It's why I go to cities when I need to recharge. The people there are so into hiding away from each other that no one even notices for a while after I'm done and I don't have to skulk around.”

Wanting to end on a different note than Aoba thinking about his need for human souls he moves on to why cities are better. “However, cities are wonderful for the humans in their own way too. Anytime you need anything, there is likely a store that sells it within ten miles of your home. In this town, if you need something not in one of the local stores, I'd say it would take at least a week to deliver. There are more varieties of food, entertainment, and community activities. Also, you don't have to worry about wild animals climbing in your windows and eating your children as much in cities.” He waves a hand, not wanting his little angel to fret too much. “It's not a big risk here either, it's just even smaller in cities. Towns are great too, but, meh, you'll find out why on your own Little Mouse.” Kuro falls silent and waits for Aoba to make his food selection.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba was still peeking over the menu, his blue eyes looked at the back of Kuro's menu before looking at him attentively. Kuro's explanations were important. Aoba needed to know the stuff for future reference and probably survival. Maybe one day he'd have to go to the city, or even was brave enough to visit. He'd more than likely have to know that it was much more crowded and easier to get lost. There was also the notion that it was easier to fall into trouble there, which meant Aoba would need to be extremely careful. He had forgotten about picking a meal at the moment.

The mention of Kuro's recharging didn't go over Aoba's head. He knew what he was talking about, but decided not to acknowledge it. It was a thing demons did. Aoba couldn't really do anything about it, and it didn't sound like Kuro was very blood thirsty or anything, so he continued listening. He gave a curious look at the mention of wild animals. "The only wild animals we've gotten were those demons that tried to kill you." His face flushed lightly when he had compared demons to wild animals. "Sorry." He looked back in the menu, hiding from whatever expression he would've been given.

Just as Kuro gave bad news, he also gave good news as he explained the city. He gave a reason why the city would be good to live in, but Aoba passed. It didn't sound too inviting, though he had a feeling he'd have to one day. When Kuro fell silent, Aoba blinked and then remembered about the menu. "Oh. Right." His eyes disappeared behind the menu once more after gazing around the diner again. Many people had around the same thing so he decided to try it out. The menu was set down and Aoba smiled brightly. "Okay. I picked!" He pushed the menu to the side and looked around at the people once more.

They looked pretty normal. All were having conversations about random things that didn't too much interest him. The strong scented woman returned and Aoba looked up at her as she sat cups down. "Ready to order?" Aoba pulled the cup closer and looked at it. Hm, it seemed she made a mistake with his drink. But his attention turned when she asked for his order.

"Oh, um, yes." He decided to order a burger and fries. He forgot about the lemonade Kuro mentioned. The woman scribbled the order and then quickly went on to take Kuro's order. When he ordered, the woman nodded and was off once more. The little angel tasted his drink, more rather Kuro's tea. "Hm, this doesn't taste that bad. Still, not what I asked for." His cheeks puffed slightly and he looked over at Kuro, pushing his cup towards him.

[PopeAlessandros]

Kuro can not help but agree with the “Wild Animal” comparison of his kind. For the most part, the description could be considered accurate as far as Kuro is concerned, and he's not about to deny that quite often he would love to treat many of the beasts who pick on him as such. 'It's not like below a certain level you can find many who don't just sneak around doing nothing but killing and often times feeding on the flesh of humans, not just consuming the soul. Those lower level ones don't have what it takes to be tactful' He smiles at the happy look on Aoba's face as he decides on what he wants, but a moment later his smile shifts into a false one as the old woman returns with their drinks.

He lets out a little sigh as she places the wrong cup in front of him and is about to switch them around, but he pauses as Aoba pulls the tea towards him. 'Well, this may be interesting' Looking up at the woman he lays out his order and as soon as she's done writing it down she scoops up their menus and walks off, the click of her heels making Kuro flinch. 'Those things. . .Why do humans insist on torturing themselves?' His attention however shifts swiftly over to Aoba as he takes a drink of his tea. The demon decides it was worth not telling him about the mix up as the little angel's cheeks puff out cutely, and expression he's growing to adore more and more each time he sees it, before pushing the cup towards him.

Shakes his head a little Kuro pushes Aoba's drink to him and murmurs, “She's an old woman. The fact that we got the right drinks is a blessing, even if she got who they go o mixed up. Here's your water luv.” Pulling his tea forward Kuro begins sipping at the overly sweet drink, the chill of it making him feel rather pleasant after all the sun he got earlier in the evening. Setting the cup back down Kuro begins talking fondly about the animals they are to be caring for, answering Aoba's questions about raising and caring for the beasts. Occasionally Kuro wanders off on some story or another about some of the animal encounters he's had over the years, but he always ends up back on the actual animal care before long.

When at last the food arrives Kuro pulls out the ketchup and dumps half the bottle on to his hash and proceeds to mix it all up into a bloody looking cheesy mass with little strips of brown and white throughout. He smiles at the mess before offering the bottle to Aoba then digging into the mess. He makes short work of the hash and move on to his burger, only putting a little ketchup under the bun before taking a huge bite. It's been so long since he's eaten “Well” the demon can not help looking a bit like a garbage disposal as he mows through his meal. He can feel a familiar demon presence in the area, but being in plain view of so many humans, Kuro doesn't even bother with trying to scare the little bugger off. Instead he eats and stares happily att he little fallen angel before him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

'Look at him! Eating with that think like it's an equal! He's so stupid, he needs to learn how to treat his toys' Dani sits atop a roof across the street, his legs dangling over the edge as he kicks them lightly. He knows his dear little brother can feel him there, but for some reason he's not responding. Dani doesn't like this. Dani doesn't like being ignored. However, since he knows there isn't much he could do in town without getting into trouble, the little demon contents himself with just staring daggers at his younger sibling. 'He'll see. Soon, I'll have his pet for myself, and then he'll see how you're suppose to treat lesser beings. . . .The book nerd. . . .'

[AkiBlue]

Aoba blinked and replaced his drink with Kuro's. "Oh, I guess you're right. Thank you." He took sips of his water and then began listening to Kuro talk. They discussed how to tend to the animals. Aoba asked a few questions, but after a bit of explaining, the tasks don't seem all that difficult. Kuro's fascination with the animals made everything seem much more exciting than it seemed. Aoba thought it would just be more work to do, but that was explained otherwise. "You really do like animals."

The food arrived in haste and Aoba looked at his plate. It smelled pretty good, so he was going to rely off that opinion. His stomach growled lightly to remind him of his hunger and he nibbled on some fries. Seeing Kuro douse his food in ketchup and then devour it made him giggle lightly. He only watched, and then decided to use some of the catch up- of course not as much as the demon. Unlike him, he ate much slower to enjoy the food. "This isn't bad." He said, more noting it to himself for the future. There was the odd feeling that someone was watching him and it made him shiver slightly. But eventually, he ignored it to continue eating.

It was getting later, and less and less people were in the diner. Aoba had finished his burger, but still had a bit of fries left. "I'm full." He learned quickly that he didn't- or couldn't eat that much. He ended up giving the rest of his fries to Kuro, being too full to finish. "It's getting really dark too... Can we go home?" The waitress came over to check on them after some time.

"Are you two enjoying yourselves? Do you need anything else?" Aoba shook his head quickly, not wanting anymore to eat or drink. He pushed his cup aside and watched as Kuro paid for the meal before they both got up to leave. Aoba walked out, staying close to Kuro in dim light. He still had the odd feeling someone was eyeing them, but Kuro didn't seem to panic, so Aoba relaxed.

Dani had flown off ahead, still rather curious about his younger brother's antics with the toy. He decided to hide out for a little bit longer before he left.

[PopeAlessandros]

Raising an eyebrow Kuro slows slightly in his consumption as he notices Aoba pause, shivering. 'Well, that is interesting. He's been being stared at all day, and it's like, suddenly, he finds it disturbing. . .Or at least that's what I'm guessing at right no, since there are no drafts in he-. . . . .Oh, wait, I don't feel Dani staring at me. . . .Now I do. . . .' Kuro rolls his eyes as his brother begins actually paying closer attention to Aoba and himself, but goes back to chowing down at full speed so they can head home soon. Aoba too seems to get over the chill of being scrutinized by his older brother and continues with him meal moments later.

Kuro relaxes back into the bench as he finishes eating, a mild smile on his lips at the feeling of food in his belly. He just sits back and relaxes, watching Aoba eat in comfortable silence for now. He perks up however when a half eaten plate of fries is pushed his way, and moments later, they too vanish into the black hole that is Kuro's stomach. When the waitress walks over, he holds up a hand to show that he too needs nothing more. She nods, laying down the bill on the table. 'Not the most chatty waitress in the world. I'll count my blessings there, as the good book says' He knows that teasing one of the good things taught by “The Good Book” is in poor taste, but with all he's be telling Aoba about it, he can't help the little jab.

Setting down enough for the bill and a two dollar tip Kuro stands, and snakes an arm out to hold Aoba gently. He can still feel the eyes of his brother on him, but as they step outside, the feeling vanishes and Kuro lets out a long sigh. 'Well good, now we don't have to walk home. There is no way I'm going to be caught with my wings out around Dani. If there is one saving grace to him being the stalker, it's that he always forgets that he has them out. It makes kicking his ass easy' Sliding his hand up he ruffles the hair on the back of Aoba's head before grabbing his hand and pulling him off to a darkness around the corner of an antiques shop. “Now to home and a nice bath.” He murmurs softly, wrapping his arms once more around the angel's waist.

The trip back to the farm is likewise short and uneventful, but as they draw close Kuro can feel eyes once more upon him. He growls lightly, but sensing no hostile intent, for the moment at least, he decides to not bring it up with his Little Mouse just yet. Instead he drops down into the back yard near the tub and begins humming softly as he lets the angel go and begins getting the bath ready. Sliding the big wooden cover he smiles at the sight of a fairly clean interior, and with a few sweeps of his hand he cleans it entirely. “Well, this should be fun. Hey, Little Mouse,” He turns to look at the angel, “there should be a pipe laying around here, most likely between the tub and the house. Could you dig it out for me? I need to grab the firewood.”

[AkiBlue]

Their walk was short lived as Aoba was pulled into an alley once more. In seconds, Kuro had once again pulled him close and flew off to the farm house. Aoba watched everything pass by, still fairly quiet until he was set down in the backyard. Bathing sounded like a wonderful idea after all the hard work they had gone through for the day. It was a surprise that Aoba didn't pass out from exhaustion. "Alrighty." Aoba nodded and looked around for the pipe in order to dig it up as he was told. Despite being tired, he continued to get the work done.

"Aha, I found it." He grinned when he found the pipe. Once it was dug up, he looked around for Kuro, waiting for him to return with firewood. As he waited at the edge of the bath, the bushes caught his attention. Shifting and shaking made him step back a little. When it stopped, Aoba readied himself to make a quick break inside the house. If anything, Aoba was a fast flyer when he needed to be. Something jumped out and Aoba nearly took off. But there was no sound that made him distress, so he looked back.

To his surprise, it was just a random wild rabbit. It sniffed around only to go back into the bushes. "Aw, come back." He said in a hushed tone. He took a few steps forward, but realized that was probably a bad idea, so he stayed by the pipe he found.

Dani had been watching from a far. When Kuro put them in the backyard, he stalked over as quietly as possible. Finding a nice spot, he eyed the angel and then grinned when he was left by himself. Just as he was about to take his chances and risk it all, the bunny caught his attention. 'Hehe, dumb rabbit got two close. Instead of going after Aoba, he attacked the rabbit and ate that. 'What does that idiot brother of mine planning on doing?

[PopeAlessandros]

Watching with a smile as Aoba does what's asked of him without question, Kuro eventually huffs slightly and wanders off to the wood pile along the side of the house, just around the corner from the tub and his precious angel. As he loads up his arms he can feel Dani getting closer and closer, but he remains calm, still not sensing anything inherently hostile. Just that usual selfish curiosity that Dani tends to have when he finds something new and interesting. 'I bet he's beyond confused at this point. I mean, he's always known I'm different, but being so peaceable with an angel? Sure, he's a fallen one, but I've killed a few angels before, when they were trying to kill me. I bet he just wants Little Mouse because it's. . . .He's mine'

Kuro shakes his head, realizing that a bit of his possessive demonic nature is beginning to color his thoughts. His head snaps around as he hears Aoba's hear rate jump, but a quick peek around the corner reveals nothing but a little rabbit. Knowing that this will most likely provide him with a good distraction for Dani he scoots back over to the wood pile and stacks a few more logs on to his left arm. 'I have the feeling I should leave one hand free. I can make more than one trip' As he comes back around the corner the black haired demon rolls his eyes as a rabbit scream comes from the bushes. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Aoba panicking once again and with a sigh Kuro pulls off one of the hunks of firewood and whips it through the foliage like a small wooden missile.

Dani is half way through the rabbit, his sharp little fangs slicing easily through it's flesh and small bones, when the wood projectile hits him square in the temple. He lets out a yelp and stands up quickly. However a second block of wood takes him in the forehead and he blacks out, falling softly into the tall grass. Kuro sets down the pile of wood an looks over to Aoba. “Little Mouse, this is my older brother, Dani, second youngest of Satan's line.” He speaks as if making a normal introduction. Without another word however he walks over to the unconscious demon and scoops him up. 'My luck, his wings were out when he conked out'

Bringing him over to the tub aria he dump his body unceremoniously face down on the ground and kneels at his side. “Stay back for a sec luv, I need to leash him real quick.” Calling out his energy he makes sure the angel is standing back before he wraps a band of his own energy around the base of Dani's wings. 'Should he try and retract them, or should I feel like it, this will cut them right off. I know how much he loves his wings, and re-growing them would take years. He won't risk it for a bit of potential fun at some point in the future' Curing the end of the “leash” around his right index finger Kuro finishes his work then stands. Wandering over to Aoba he touches his shoulder gently. “He may be around for a while, but don't worry, he's harmless for now. Until he finds someone who can get his leash off without me noticing.”

[AkiBlue]

Aoba's attention turned from the rabbit once he was sure it disappeared. He was going to sit on the ground and for Kuro, but the sudden scream made him jump. Before he can run for safety, he watched Kuro toss a log into the bushes. "Kuro what's over there? There was a rabbit and I think it screamed. Unless that was some other creature." He went over to stand closer to Kuro. He realized he had heard a yelping sound and then watched as something leapt up. "Who- Kuro you just hit someone!" Despite saying that, Aoba had no intentions of getting close.

"Older brother?" The angel echoed but watched as Kuro grabbed the male. He flinched slightly when Kuro dropped him. "He doesn't look very old." He mentioned after catching a glimpse of his face. Kuro didn't need to tell Aoba twice to stay back. He stepped away, but watched in curiosity. He noticed the leash was on his wings than around his neck. It must have been because they were fragile like Kuro told him. "He looks younger than me." Aoba replied to his comment about being harmless.

"Wait, if he's going to be here. . . Does that mean I can't take my bath? Walt, what if I go to sleep?" He didn't want to be taken or attacked in the middle of the night. Nor did he want to be filthy all night. As Aoba waited for answers, he noticed Dani shifting and lifting himself slowly. He growled instantly, making Aoba stick closer to Kuro.

"Dumb brother... I swear when I get my hands on him I'll-" He turned to see his brother and a pair of large blue eyes staring at him. "Why the hell did you throw wood at me!?" He growled once more before standing to his feet. That's when he would notice the line of energy. His eyes followed it, and he froze even he realized his wings were trapped. "Release me..." His voice was softer and much less hostile this time.

[PopeAlessandros]

A long sigh finds it's way out of Kuro at the sudden rush of statements and questions. Dropping his hand he prepares to answer them as quickly and as simply as possible while still being satisfactorily explicit. “Once a demon comes of age they can freely decide what age they want to appear at any time and after I was born Dani was jealous of no longer being the baby in the family so he aged himself down to about 12, while I simply stopped my aging at the age of majority, which is why he looks younger than be despite being older. We can take out bath, with his lease and collar on he can't do anything I don't want him to which means I can order him to go wait out of sigh for us to finish bathing, and the same goes for when we sleep. I can leave residual restrictions in the binding energy that will keep him from doing anything to us or even come near us without losing his wings.”

He lets out a sigh as Dani begins stirring and turns to look at the smaller male. His eyes narrow a bit at the clear hostility in his voice at first, but he relaxes a little when his brother realizes the situation he's in. Kuro shakes his head at the order and Dani's wings droop. “Nope Dani, you're too dangerous to let loose around my pet.” He slides an arm around Aoba's waist, hoping the angel doesn't take it the wrong way. Dani looks helpless for several seconds before throwing himself on the ground and pitching an almighty fit. Kuro just watches silently until he finishes rolling around, digging deep gouges in the ground with his lengthened claws.

When at last he comes back to his feet he looks much more in control of himself and he crosses his arms, pouting as he snaps the dirt from his wings. “Pops is gonna kick yer ass when he finds out to did this to me!” He adopts a haughty looks, but a moment later his eyes go wide and he tears up a bit. Kuro lifts his finger, tugging the collars a little tighter and Dani's arms fall. He kicks the ground, pouting. “I just wanted to play with it. . .It's not like I was gonna eat it or anything. . .”

“That's what you said about the cat I found when I was 9.” Another demon had brought a cat to hell as a gift for her kid, but it had escaped. Kuro had found it, and being the first animal he'd ever seen, he wanted to play with it. He kept it for a grand total of four hours, it eventually trusting him enough to be pet. The Dani came along, saying he wanted to play with it too, and that he loved animals. However, while Dani did not lie, his love for animals runs along a very single minded track. Looking over to Aoba he whispers, “He likes eating small animals, fresh.”

Dani giggles at the memory, but then quickly quiets down, knowing it's not going to help his case any. While he really has no intention of eating the fallen angel, he can not deny that he might. Dani has never had much self control, and he loves fresh meat. Kuro looks at his blood stained hands and mouth, shaking his head slightly. “I'm sure that rabbit you saw? He ate.” Dani doesn't see any reason to deny it so he nods, very pleased with himself. Kuro once more rolls his eyes, tapping the leash lightly. The actual string of energy between his finger and the black sparks jumping around Dani's neck and the base of his wings is invisible, but by concentrating Kuro can “Tug” on it like a real leash.

Dani slumps a bit, his eyes growing big as he looks at his little brother. The little brother smiles back, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I think having a watch dog will be nice. I'll give you your instructions later, but for now I want you to go to the front yard and stay there until I come get you, got it?” Dark purple flames jump around the smaller demon's body at being ordered around but with a little nod and some light grumbling Dani vanishes around the corner. Relaxing Kuro lets Aoba go and picks up the pipe. At one end is a corner curving one way, and on the other a corner curving the other way, making it like a really long awkward 'S'. Wandering over to the pump he sets one end on the edge of the bath, the bend facing down, while he screws the other end on to the mouth of the pump. He waits quietly for Aoba to speak, unsure of what he's going to think of this sudden situation.