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

[AkiBlue]

Once again the demon was staring at him with an examiner's gaze. It was odd, so the only way he could avoid feeling terribly awkward was to look away and watch as the birds scratched and walked around. There was a cold chill as Dani hissed at him. Aoba froze as he was commanded to stay. 'If it keeps me alive. . .' The fallen angel wasn't aware of where the sudden anger was directed to, but he surely didn't want to find out. But when Dani flew up, he suddenly found the reason. Aoba only got a quick glimpse, but when he turned he could see a pair of eyes glaring at him. He went cold for a moment, but looked up as Dani roared.

Instead of a fearful reaction, he gave one of slight intrigue. There was still a lot he didn't know about demons, he was sure about it. And this was one of those things. He compared it to the roar of what the other two would call a 'lesser demon' and tilted his head. It still sounds threatening to me. . . But it wasn't as strong as Dani's.' Scary as it may have been, Dani's roar was better. Kuro was a lot faster than he was given credit for. The fallen angel was not expecting him to show up so fast, only making him jump in surprise. He let out a sigh and got up with his help.

"I'm okay. Dani just pounced on me is all." He reassured and shook his wings some in order to get the dirt off of them. The sudden scream made him jump and he moved closer to Kuro. But. . . Kuro was calm, so it must have been okay. He watched as he got more of the feed for the birds and glanced back where the sound came from. "Uh, yeah. Okay." He scooped some of the bird feed and followed him in. He began sprinkling the food around in small circles, just to see how many he could make before a group of birds ate them. Where the little chicks were huddled, he bent down, giving them their own little share. "You guys have to eat up too. You want to be big and strong like your mommies."
Aoba gave a soft smile as they began pecking at the food with small chirps. The sudden quiet made Aoba turn towards where Dani disappeared. For awhile, nothing happened so he turned back to feeding. But as soon as the bushes rustled Aoba looked over again, tensing up. Dani pranced out with a grin. His hands and his right arm were covered in blood, along with his mouth was converted in blood. At least that's all Aoba saw before paling and turning away to relax.

"That. . . That is disgusting. . ." He shuddered, but heaved a deep sigh and relaxed. I have to get used to it. . . They are demons. It's what they do. . . At least I didn't have to see him attacking. He was still fairly pale, but he didn't feel like he was going to faint or puke.

"He's gone! Hehe, I took care of it!" Dani said gleefully as he approached the two. When he got close, Aoba stepped away in discomfort. He was still grossed out, and in Dani's terms, right now, he was the dirty one.

[PopeAlessandros]

Kuro attention falls to the angel as he begins talking to the little chicks. He stays well away from the little fluffers, knowing that they are far to young and would scatter if he got too close. ' Aww, is there anything cuter than an angel with a baby animal? And he talks to them the way I do when no one's around. . . .So sweet. . And for once it isn't making my teeth rot' His hand moves easily to spread the feed, clucking his tongue to get the hens' attention. They all begin running around his feet as he accidentally spills a bit from his hand on to the bare flesh and he has to beat down a giggle as their little scaled feet scrabble across them.

It is not to difficult to keep from smiling a moment later however as he senses Dani make the kill and begin heading back for the farm. A covert deep breath confirms his assessment earlier of his older brothers inability to understand the nature of what it is to be an innocent little angel. 'He's just going to freak him out, of not outright make him ill. . . .' As his older brother comes prancing out of the bushes Kuro rills his eyes as he seems completely unaware of the affect he's having on Aoba.

However, Dani did overhear what the angel had to say, about he being disgusting, but he is too happy after the kill to have it bother him. At first at least. When Aoba obviously flinches back however Dani stops, starring at him with wide eyes. Like a sudden change in the wind, Dani is furious. “I go and save your life and you don't even say thank you!? Instead you say your disgusted of me and turn away like I'm some worm it sickens you to look at! I'm not the lesser being here! At least when you were an angel you were arguably on equal footing as far as ace goes, not that you could have ever hoped to be my equal, but now you're even less than human! You a-” Dani chokes up, the collar around his neck tightening to cut off his air flow.

His teary eyes turn upon his younger brother and the small little rational part of his mind realizes that he was overreacting a bit. For his part, Kuro had tried to be patient, hoping that Dani would snap out of his funk before going too far, but as the rage went on, he lost it, using the leash manually to stop the onslaught of cruelty. “Pay him no mind Little Mouse. He's not himself at the moment, his madness, as I have said we all have, was just on a rampage.” His tone is calm as his gaze remains locked on his older sibling, now adding a pout and a bit of struggling in his fight for air. Kuro's eyes turn to Aoba, turning from cold and angry to soft and comforting. “You are just fine the way you are, no matter what anyone else thinks, and as long as you don't let others get to you, you'll stay fine.”

Moving closer to the angel he wraps his free arm around the slight body and gives him a warm squeeze, kissing the top of his head. After a moment he lets Dani go, ignoring him as he falls to the ground coughing and sobbing, and wraps his other arm around the little angel. After a short time of coughing and sputtering, one of the most miraculous things about growing up as a sibling under Satan takes place and Dani stands with only a faint look of poutyness in his eyes, rather then say the rage, hurt, or even fear that one would expect from a guy having just been essentially strangled half to death by one of his siblings.

Dusting himself off he grumbles to himself, sticking out his tongue, looking no more hurt than if Kuro had playfully clonked him on the head. Kuro glances over at him and murmurs, “If you go clean up, he'll stop being grossed out by you you know. . .” Dani just stares for a second, then heads for the back yard where he knows the pump is. Looking down at Aoba, Kuro begins purring happily, fiddling with the dusty gray wings gently. “So, ready to take care of the rest of the animals luv?” His tone is light, not even a hint of upset it it.

[AkiBlue]

The sudden change of emotion was still something Aoba had to get used to. Dani went from being joyful to downright furious with him. It came as a shock and Aoba only cowered back, looking away. His words hurt, but Aoba stayed silent as he yelled at him. 'I didn't mean to make you angry. It's just not something I'm used to. . . But I'll get better. I'll try to- His thoughts were interrupted when Dani seemed to be choking. Aoba looked up to see that he was, thanks to Kuro.

Kuro spoke gently to him, but Aoba watched Dani getting strangled. Even though his feelings were hurt by the demon, he still had enough heart to call out softly. "Don't- Don't hurt him too much. Not if he didn't mean it. . ." When Kuro finally turned to look at him, Aoba looked at the ground for a few moments before meeting the other's gaze. With a soft smile, he nodded in response and allowed the hug. But the sweet angel can't help but look over at Dani. "Um. . ." He paused and glanced at Kuro before looking back at Dani who was still coughing. "I'm sorry. I didn't. . . I didn't mean to offend you. I really am grateful though..." He gave a quick nod before moving away and back to Kuro. He fought the queasy feeling her got at the sight of so much blood around the place.

He watched as Dani gave him a look of confusion, not understanding why Aoba would apologize after he yelled at him. But he soon ended up just going to clean off because the fallen angel moved back to the cleaner demon. He watched for a little longer, letting him Kuro toy with his wings. And finally with a nod, Aoba grabbed one bag of feed while Kuro grabbed the other. They both walked to the barn and set the feed down where it belonged. "We still have the cows to feed." He said and examined the area. The sheep were fed, the pigs were fed, the chickens were fed, and the turkeys were fed. All that was left were the few cows they had. Three healthy cows and one of them was soon to have the fourth.

"Are we going to lead them to the field? Or is there another bag of food for them to eat?" The accomplished feeling started to return as he realized they had almost finished settling all the animals in and had them all fed. He wondered how much time had passed since the animals had gotten there. With the nice time he was having caring for the animals, he seemed to have lost track of time- something he barely had track of as it was.

[PopeAlessandros]

Kuro chuckles and rolls his eyes, at both the apology and Dani's confusion. He does somewhat understand his brother's questioning glance, having wondered himself at the true kindness and whatever else causes the one wronged to apologize, but for now he decides to let Dani try and figure it out on his own. He gives the angel a faint nod and picks up the larger of the two bags and follows after Aoba. 'I think that may be something to work on with him. He had no real reason to say he was sorry back there, seeing as it was Dani who was rude. Sure, blood has never really bothered most of those Dani has ever known, but ignorance is no excuse'

Setting the bag in it's place in the storage room Kuro checks the chart to see if there is something to feed the cows, and indeed there is a barrel of corn. 'I recall using that as a treat mostly, along with barley and oats. . .I guess if they can not go out and graze, corn would be good to go along with the hay' Giving a little nod he turns to Aoba with a smile. “There is feed, but that is for stormy days.” He motions to first the cows, then the sheep. “Both are pasture animals, so we can put them both out now.” Moving to the back of the barn Kuro pulls the rope hanging right of the large doors, activating the pulley system that lifts the large bar from in front of the doors.

The doors at the front of the barn are about half the size of those leading out to where the chicken run is, and the quickest path to the pasture, and with a faint groan Kuro pushes them open and lets out a sigh. Looking back to the angel he motions towards the coop. “Go stand next to the run and don't let any of them go to your left when facing the barn. They will all need to go to the right. I'll go pop open the gate then start driving them out.” Racing over to the fence leading to the large grassy field and flips the latch, pulling the large gate open. Racing back into the barn with a giddy smile he makes sure Aoba is in place before quickly pulling open almost all the stalls with cows and sheep, leaving the prego one in it's pen, setting them loose in the barn.

He quickly closes the front door, then begins making herding noises, calling out and clapping to get them all moving. Once in motion they all move in one big herd. 'These guys are well trained. At least these ones were raised on a proper farm before now. He glances at the female heavy with child and once more agrees with himself that the last thing they need is her calving in the field, the helpless little thing attracting Dani and perhaps pushing him over the edge' His eyes go back to the herd, then to the angel helping him direct them. His head tilts as he watches Dani approach Aoba, now clear of all signs of blood. 'Oh boy, now he wants his pat on the head' He chuckles, wondering how those puppy dog eyes are going to work on his little angel.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba made note to only feed the cows their food when it rained. He also had to make sure he knew when it was going to rain, so he didn't accidentally send any animals out. He was sure he could remember all the little things. The fallen angel drifted to where he was supposed to stand, and when the door opened he directed the animals to the right as he was told. "Come on. This way, this way." He coaxed the animals and smiled as they listened. "This isn't so hard." He noticed one curious cow looking to the left and he quickly moved to get in between the cow and the wrong direction. "No, no cow. Wrong way. Go that way." He gently pushed the cow, and it turned back on the path.

He listened to Kuro herding the animals and he laughed lightly. The cows were a little slower than the sheep, so he watched making sure the little fluffs didn't get stepped on. "Go on, go on." He motioned for them to go down the path. The animals moved a little faster and Aoba tilted his head a little before turning to see Dani. He jumped slightly, not expecting him to be so close. His eyes softened a little seeing the puppy dog eyed expression. 'Aww, he looks so cute.' He didn't know exactly what to do though. It was Dani. He could get upset over the littlest thing he did. The two were staring at each other for a moment, one with puppy eyes and the other with widened eyes.

He noticed the blood was gone from Dani and he couldn't help but smile. Dani noticed and seemed proud of the small show of happiness. "Um, thank you again. For saving me." Dani puffed up proudly and Aoba smiled. Now that he knew the toy wasn't still running away from him, he could go back to focusing on everything else. "And. . ." Dani raised an eyebrow as Aoba continued. "I didn't mean to make you upset, sorry." Once again Aoba was apologizing for unnecessary reasons. And once more Dani was confused.

The demon was unsure of what to say to the apology and gave a quizzical look towards Kuro. That's when Aoba noticed that Kuro was watching them the entire time, he looked over as well, but then turned to focus on the slower animals.

[PopeAlessandros]

Watching the staring contest with mild interest Kuro follows close behind the last cow, wanting to get to his angel in case something happened. 'I trust Dani's love for his wings, but one never knows with him. . .' The pride swelling his he brother's eyes and posture makes the younger brother roll his eyes and sigh. However the following curiosity makes Kuro hang his head for a moment. 'I really must train that out of him. He does not need to apologize all the time, and if he keeps doing it to Dani, he's eventually gonna snap and try and beat it out of him' As Aoba looks over to him Kuro gives him a faint smile, noticing how he almost immediately turns away again, focusing on the animals. Pausing just long enough to wrap an arm around in from behind, kiss the angel's left ear, and whisper, “Don't apologize so much luv, you'll just confuse him. I'll explain later.” Kuro follows the cows, his arm falling back to his side after sliding across Aoba's back.

He continues ushering the animals forward, slipping back and forth a few times to keep them from turning. Meanwhile Dani slides up to stand right next to Aoba, his eyes on his little brother, a look of concentration in his eyes. “He's right you know. I don't get why you keep apologizing. I mean, I'm not so oblivious as to not realize that I go too far for such a softy as you. I mean, that's part of the reason I don't hang on earth a lot, when I slip, I draw attention, and that's bad. Papa gets upset.” He crosses his arms, turning his attention on to the angel. “So, stop saying your sorry to me, unless you actually do something stupid, and even if I say it's stupid at the time, no saying sorry unless you check with Kurotama, he at least knows what's going on most of the time and knows about interacting with things other than demons. The nerd's one saving grace.”

Giving the last cow a firm pat Kuro makes sure that all the animals are in the field before turning to look at the angel and his brother. He watches as Dani seems to make some sort of declarative and Aoba responding to him. The animal noises around him block out what exactly they said, but seeing as there seems to be no danger from the smaller demon he does not make to race back to Aoba's side. 'The more they can bond, the better. As long as I can get Dani attached to my Little Mouse even a little bit, he'll be more likely to defend him willingly and not try and connive his way through the rules to get him killed, or me for that matter'

Kuro pauses. It suddenly occurs to him that he hasn't laid down any rules concerning his own safety around his brother, but after a few seconds he shrugs. 'I can hold my own, and he'll need someone to beat on once the lesser demons give up and the greater demons begin biding their time and plotting' Running his hands through a the wool of a few sheep he makes his way over to the gate and swings it shut. Once sure it's securely in place he watches the sheep wander further out more swiftly leaving the cows to begin grazing their way along the line of the fence. Patting the gate firmly he turns and makes his way over to the other two. Smiling he brushes back his hair. “So, what we talking about?”

[AkiBlue]

Aoba glanced up at Kuro and nodded slowly. Now he had to remember not to apologize so much. It was natural considering he always apologized for things he thought he did wrong. He seemed to always be apologizing for getting in other's way, or bothering them. He nodded once more and continued helping the herd. When Dani stood by him once more, Aoba looked over at him. "Um, yes?" He was told to stop apologizing to the demon unless Kuro said it was okay. That sounded harder than it seemed. . . Aoba poked his fingers together and looked down at his feet. One of the sheep pushed between them in order to catch up with the herd. Aoba looked up at Dani as he waited for an answer. "Oh, sorr- I mean. . . I'll, um, I'll try."

Maybe this would be a lot more complicated than he thought. Dani seemed to frown at the slip up and followed him. "Why do you apologize so much? You're not guilty of anything are you? People that apologize a lot are often guilty. What did you do?" Once again, Dani was invading Aoba's personal space. His eyes narrowed as he moved his face closer to Aoba's. The angel couldn't help but step back. A wandering sheep was tripped over and it made a noise of annoyance before bumping its head gently into Aoba's side.

"I didn't see you there, sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you." Aoba patted the sheep on the head and then gently nudged it off. Dani was still staring down at him, now with large curious eyes. "Oh, um sorry... I mean-!" He was failing the task already. "Nyah...! I don't know why I apologize so much. I normally am apologizing when I'm in the way, or if I bother someone too much. Usually with the staff or something." Dani raised an eyebrow, looking up at Kuro as he walked over. His attention turned back to Aoba.

"Staff? Staff of what?" Aoba was still on the floor so Dani grabbed him and yanked him onto his feet. He was rather light, so he ended up having to catch him from falling forward.

"Thanks." Aoba dusted himself off and continued. "Medical staff. Well, the higher ranking staff. I'm not- I wasn't in the higher ranks. But they would always tell me to go somewhere else, or tell me to be patient or something. So I assumed I was a bother. . . And I apologized...?" He looked at Dani, unsure what to make of the expression he had. He wasn't if it was confusion or boredom, or a mixture of the two. It was hard to read his expressions.

His attention turned to Kuro and he waved slowly. "He was just asking me about the medical staff I use to- be in is all." He wasn't sure that was the appropriate words for it. He was sort of in the medical staff, but it never felt that way. Well, now it really didn't matter. Because he wasn't much of a medic anymore. He did have basic skill, but that was about it without his powers. He focused on trying to figure out what Dani's reaction would be after telling him such.

[PopeAlessandros]

Kuro manages to overhear the last bit before he arrives and when Aoba tries to brush it off as nothing of import the young demon can not help but heave a great sigh. 'He really need more confidence boosters. Maybe I should have him make the trough for the pigs and not help him at all. . . .Or maybe even something that would require him using his head more. . . .' There is a long moment of silence where Dani simply stares at the angel, the cogs in his head working overtime as he tries to understand something he's never come across before.

Finally he whips around to his little brother and begins ranting. “What the hell is up with this guy? I mean, always assuming you did something wrong? That's just stupid. I haven't seen him do anything wrong yet, not in any of that true sense of the word stuff you're always talking about. Does this mean they're all kicked puppies up there? That's just, not right. I've fought humans with more confidence than this, well not really fought, but slaughtered, and all the angels I've met have always had heads too big for their necks. Is this what it means to be a good “person” and if so, why the hell would anyone ever try to be one?”

As he falls silent Kuro doesn't offer Aoba even a glance before responding. “No, it's not normal for angels to act like this, but from what I understand, they all treated him like a door mat up there, or tried to, and if you treat someone like that long enough, it tends to take hold in their mind, and even if they are as amazing as my Little Mouse here has the potential to be, somethings linger and are hard to get rid of, so despite the fact that he no longer has any need to, he will keep apologizing until he gets it beaten out of his head, figuratively of course, that he no longer has to say he's sorry for every little thing. It's one of my many goals for making him into the best fallen angel there has ever been, and unlocking his vast potential.” Kuro knows that as long as he can sound like he's telling the whole story, Dani won't ask too many questions. The last thing he needs is his older brother asking about how he knows about how Aoba was treated in heaven.

It seems to work ass Dani screws up his face in thought. His voice is slower now, his age starting to show thought. “So, you don't just want a fallen angel as a pet, you want him to be the best, and free to be whatever it is he will naturally grow into?” He casts a critical eye up at his brother, all marks of insanity gone from his gaze.

Kuro shakes his head lightly. “I can't have him as a pet. If he is to grow, he must grow freely, without being owned. Ownership would stunt him. I will not tell you now, but I owe him at least that much, and beyond that, I really want to see what he can be.” He chuckles lightly. “It's like I've found an egg and I have no idea what's inside, and in order to find out, rather than cracking it open, I want to warm it, care for it, and hatch it, giving me something far better than a dead chick. Understand?”

Dani stands silent for a long moment, serious thought closing his eyes an pressing his lips together. As he thinks Kuro looks over to Aoba and motions for him to remain silent for now, trying to say with his eyes that he will explain later. After several minutes the older brother's eyes open and he gives a nod. “That is better, to see what hatches, and to help it get bigger. The bigger the bird, the more to eat.” Kuro nods back, his food driven logic making him smile inside. Dani turns to Aoba and in a sudden motion he leans up and nips the lobe of the angel's left ear hard enough to draw blood. The meaning behind the nip keeps the orders in his collar from activating. With a big goofy grin he flies off to the fenced in area to watch the sheep and cows.

Kuro immediately pulls Aoba in tight and licks the wound clean, healing it just enough to keep it from bleeding any more. He can not help running his tongue over the roof of his mouth at the angel's flavor but he does his best to hide it from the young one in his arms. Looking down he smiles warmly. "Congratz, he now wants to protect you of his own volition. I'm sure he still wants to keep you as a pet one day, but for now he'll look to me as to how best to not harm you.” Stepping back he hangs his head a bit. “I am sorry for talking with him about you like that. If I did not speak clearly and at length, he would have asked too many questions and found out some things I'd rather he not know.” Glancing over he makes sure Dani is out of ear shot, hopping along the length of the fence to follow the sheep around the pasture, before dropping his voice low. “I can't really having him know I got captured yet. It would be really bad.”

His hand comes up and he gently strokes over the fresh bite mark on the angel's ear. “I Will say I'm sorry that this hurt, but I won't apologize for letting him do it.” His hand pulls back and he points at it with a smile. “That's the equivalent of a promise wrapped in a contract topped with an oath.” His eyes fall once more. “I made such a pact with you as well, however mine was made with the spilling of my own blood, heh.” He smiles softly, scuffing his foot in the dirt as he waits for the angel to process it all. It was a lot to take in, so he supposes, and he wonders just how his Little Mouse will respond.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba was silent the entire time Dani started talking. . . .Hurtful. Nothing is wrong with me gosh. . . Hey! I have confidence. . . I think. He realized Dani mentioned slaughtering humans. He pulled his collar gently, but stayed silent. He was kind of offended, and Kuro didn't defend him so Aoba could only listen to them talk- as if he wasn't standing right next to them both. His wings showed much of the emotion he held like a puppy's tail and ears would. There was surprise, hurt, and a bit of confusion displayed- all silently though so he didn't interrupt anything.

His arms crossed. I have you both know that I'm not a pet! And I'm not a chicken either you weird demons. He retorted in his head, not wanting to have them retorting back. He probably wouldn't have a good comeback regardless. His gaze went from both demons, noticing the sudden maturity in Dani's eyes. . . It was weird. He was so used to the rowdy childlike Dani. When Aoba was motioned to stay silent, the fallen angel couldn't help but return the look of 'you have a lot of explaining to do'. After all, he had been telling him he'd explain later.

Dani seemed to accept the way Kuro wanted things to go, which he was fine with. Was, until the sudden nip on his ear. He squeaked in surprise and then frowned a little as he flew off. "Ow..." He was suddenly pulled into Kuro's embrace and licked. It made him shiver and then gently wipe his ear. "Um, thanks?" He couldn't help but rub his ear again as he was congratulated. As Kuro apologized, Aoba nodded. "It's okay I suppose. No harm done. . . Besides the weird ear bite. But that's fine now. Don't worry, I'm not going to tell your little secret."

He glanced at Dani, seeing him reach out towards one of the cows that mooed at him before swishing him away with its tail. He was back to his childlike nature as usual. He looked back when Kuro touched his ear. "An agreement to protect me? Well, that's one way to do it. . . A simple word would have been nice, but I guess this is okay. Demons have weird customs." He looked as a sheep walked past the two, poking its head in the gate, and he bent over to pet it. "So. . . What's next? If he's going to stay around, are you going to make him sleep in the barn still? And what do we do when we're done with the animals?" Aoba had forgiven him, so he decided to move on in conversation. There were a lot of other thingss he wanted to worry about, so the moment passed with him.

[PopeAlessandros]

Kuro shakes his head with a chuckle. “Words for a demon are meaningless for the most part, at least when it comes to pacts and bonds. Blood is the script and ink in Hell and for those who were born in it.” He looks towards the barn, then to the animals finishing up their meals, then off to Dani who promptly falls into the pasture, scattering the sheep only to have him prowl after them. “Well, we may have the bare minimums now, but there is plenty more that needs to be built and worked on before we can call this farm respectable.” He grins patting Aoba's head playfully before skipping sideways slightly. “I think for now however, we should have a little fun, and perhaps some exercise.”

After a thorough look around, Kuro pulls out his wings and spreads them. Just as he's about to take of, wanting the angel not to fall out of practice with his own, he pauses. 'He's been trying for quite some time now you get a better look at these. I wonder if he's still curious. . .' He can feel a touch of unease enter his mind at the thought of anyone being so close to his wings, but after a glance to confirm that Dani is thoroughly entertained by a cow trying to sit on him, the young demon moves a little closer to Aoba with a soft, almost shy, smile on his lips.

“Before any of that however, I seem to recall a little angel who was very very curious about demon wings. . .” His voice is soft and as he spreads them wide, he relaxes his body, moving within arm's reach of the angel. As he waits to see what Aoba will do he lets his own gave travel over the gray feathered wings of the smaller male before him. He'd gotten to examine them completely when he washed them the night before, however they are still at the top of the list of interesting things he'd like to learn more about.

[AkiBlue]

"Fun? And exercise?" He echoed. He knew what each were, even if he didn't practice either, but he didn't know how they could have fun around the barn. And he was sure they did enough exercising lifting and doing all that labor. But, Aoba didn't complain. He was staring to just assume 'Kuro knew best'. If he wanted to, then if Aoba had the strength then sure, he would follow. When his wings spread Aoba watched with childlike curiosity. He started to reach out to touch them, but pulled his hands behind his back. He didn't want to accidentally upset Kuro, or worse, freak him out. Then again, he didn't want to accidentally mess them up. Kuro did say they were fragile.

The fallen angel took all that into consideration and decides to just watch. He looked over to Dani and smiled toward his silly behavior. "I hope he doesn't get upset if one of the animals succeeds..." His head turned when Kuro spoke in a soft manner. At the permission, Aoba lit up like a child and clasped his hands together. "Really? Can I?" He was answered when Kuro's wings spread out wider and he rocked a little on his toes. The fallen angel didn't know why his wings were so interesting to him, but he really wanted to examine them. And when he realized how excited he must've sounded, Aoba's face flushed lightly and he stood still.

"Uhm, s-." He stopped and bit his tongue lightly before he could apologize. Instead, he nodded and slowly reached forward. His fingertips brushed against the thin wings and he smiled moving a little closer to brush his hand across. They were smooth and rather nice. Obviously they were much different from his sturdy and fluffy wings. It was still a nice feeling nonetheless. His hand went up, and he paused noticing the little hook on his wing. "Oh, you have a claw there." He gently poked at it, noting how sharp it was. He moved to the other wing and did the same thing. Curiously, he opened up his own wings fully. They weren't the same size. Kuro's wings were a little larger and wider than his.

With a content nod, he looked up at Kuro. "Okay. What were you going to say about fun, and exercise?" He thought about flying, but he realized he didn't do much of it when he was in heaven. Not besides, shorts bursts of flight for speed. The idea didn't sound so bad, and for some reason it did intrigue him. But he wasn't going to fly- not until Kuro did at least.

[PopeAlessandros]

He feels a light chill run through his system at the first little touch and his eyes go from the feathered appendages attached to the angel's back to the soft flesh running across his own. His eyes nearly close as he watches the fascinated and mildly excited look on the young one's face grow stronger and more entertained as he goes along. “Despite his obvious excitement, he's keeping in mind how fragile they and. . .This soft touch however. . .'[/i] A ever so quiet purr starts up in his chest as Aoba openly caress a part of his body. 'I bet he does not even realize that, as much as we keep them hidden, that our wings are almost equivalent to the most sensitive and untouched parts of his body' It only makes sense, all the nerves running through the thin flesh that allows them exact and complete control in flight, that such gentle and intimate touches would cause his body to respond positively.

He keeps himself in check however, decided to explain this later, perhaps even much later, unless the younger male figures it out on his own first. His eyes trail up to follow to motion of those thin fingers over to the crook of his wing, touching on his talon before moving to the other wing to play with that one as well. He covers the growing purr with a faint hum, keeping half an ear on Dani, who seems to still be thoroughly amused by the sound of things. His eyes open a little wider as Aoba spreads his own wings and looks between them a few times. A long string of dirty jokes about 'size' runs through his head as Aoba compares wing size, however he keeps them all to himself, instead just smiling warmly.

When at last the angel looks up into his eyes Kuro's smile widens even further as he relaxes his wings a bit, bringing the talons together so that they can hook around one another, creating a cool effect behind him. “Yes, exercise, and fun.” He points at the fluffy bits attached to Aoba and chuckles. “I got a good feel of them last night, and it's obvious you don't use them much. I'm sure you can fly just fine, but for your safety, and to make life easier, I think we should work with your wings once a day.” He nods once. “Even after you reach a good speed, you'll have to keep working out to stay in shape.” His grin turns into a smirk. “That aside, flying is one of the most fun things to do, if you know what you're doing. There's nothing like coming up with a trick, or finding a new way to do something, and with your wings, there will be things you can do that no demon can.”

He nods once before lifting off and waiting for the angel to rise. Once he is in the air Kuro flies around him a few times, noting how hard it is for the young angel to hover. 'I was right, he's never really trained these. I'll have to come up with some sort of schedule. Now that he no longer has his energy to aid him, flying will be far more difficult on his body' “Well, I don't want you exhausted, but if you could show me, say, your tops speed and what control you have, like for turning and diving, that would be great. And don't worry about falling, I promise to catch you. . .” He trails off, letting the purr enter his voice as he comes around to hover in front of the younger male.

[AkiBlue]

Dani's attention turned when he noticed both his brother and Aoba take off into the sky. His head tilted curiously as he watched Aoba take off. The angel wobbled a little, but eventually steadied himself. "Hmph, he can't fly? What can that toy do..." Even though he may have looked at the angel as fairly useless, Dani still wanted him. And had already made the pact. So, he watched with a small interest, ignoring the animals. Although the animals were perfectly fine with Dani not tormenting them.

Aoba flew up, and wavered a little. His balance was a little off, but he easily got that. He didn't realize that flying without the aid of his power would be a lot more complicated. Thankfully, without too much use of his wings with them, there wasn't too much of a change. Staying in one spot was difficult, so he flew upward a couple of times. "Speed and maneuvering? I can do that." With a nod, Aoba flapped his wings forcefully and flew off to a short distance. It was fast, but he usually did that only for short bursts. He didn't normally fly for very long anyway. Aoba's stopping was abrupt, but his turns were shaky.

"This is... fun." Aoba laughed lightly and flew around. It wasn't too fast, but he flew up to try diving. When he folded his wings, he started to dive. It was fine at first, but when he opened his wings to catch himself, he staggered and began falling. Before he could panic too much, he felt arms around him. He thought it was Kuro, so was a little surprised to see Dani with a smug grin. "Thank you!"

Dani looked a little surprised by the sudden hug but nodded and patted his head. "Yeah sure. Don't need you damaged or anything." He did manage to stick his tongue out childishly to Kuro when he received the hug. The demon pulled Aoba away, but held his wrists, to keep him up while he they flew. "My dumb little brother can't teach you how to fly! I'm better at it than he is." He stuck his tongue out again, more so because he got Aoba's attention rather than the little angel being under Kuro.

"Oh, well. Okay?" Aoba glanced over at Kuro, but was immediately pulled forward. He had to keep up with Dani as he tugged Aoba along to fly around. Eventually he let go and flew around the angel a few times. Dani poked at him every now and then, tugging at his wings to keep them straight when they were suppose to be.

"It's easy! Just flap a few times, and then hover. Nothing to it!" And then he'd demonstrate, making it seem easy. Aoba didn't have the heart to tell him that he didn't have good teaching skills, so he just tried to learn it on his own quietly.

[PopeAlessandros]

Kuro chuckles lightly as Aoba seems to almost incapable of staying in one spot, but he supposes that angel's wings aren't really designed to do that. 'I've seen angels hover, but I guess that's an advances skill or something. I can hover just fine, butt hen again, I can feel every part of my wings, while the feathers on an angel are unfeeling' True to his word he remains just a little closer to the ground than Aoba, ready to catch him. It's easy fro him to keep up with the young one, his only nervousness coming from the notice that Dani has his attention caught by their actions. 'If he gets upset for whatever reason, I'm not sure if I'll be able to defend my wings. However, he seems fairly fixated on my Little Mouse, so I think I'm safe for now. . .'

He smiles as Aoba finally seems to find the fun in what they are doing, but his smile falls moments later as at the same moment Dani takes off, and Aoba stumbles. He tenses, but relaxes as he notices what his big brother is up to, sliding aside gracefully as to not get in Dani's way. A small touch of possessiveness runs through him as Aoba hugs Dani, the younger brother completely ignoring Dani's teasing for an instant. 'He never hugs me like that, and I've done so much more for him. How come Dani gets hugs and all I get are shy looks and him pushing his way out of my hugs. . .' He continues to pout to himself even as he stays close to the flying pair, making sure if Dani slips up he'll be there to keep Aoba safe.

Kuro can not help his jealous nature, it being a natural part of him and just about every other demon out there. The possessiveness of demons is indeed legendary, and this need to have things all to themselves has lead to many terrifying happenings both in hell, and on earth. His gaze becomes a little heated as Dani continues touching his Little Mouse, unable to completely conceal his feelings, however as he watches his older brother be complete fail at teaching Aoba anything he shakes his head, his eyes returning to normal. Darting up he passes between the two, staying clear of Aoba's wings as to not knock him of course, and give his brother a 'get lost' look that Dani has no choice but to take seriously.

With a sigh he rolls over and begins flying under Aboa so they can talk. “He's not entirely wrong, after all, he does have more practice, so he's probably better than I, however I don't think he makes a better teacher.” He glances back to see Dani land in the pen to play with the pigs before returning his attention to the angel. “However, he knows nothing of how to fly with feathered wings.” He looks down with a little smirk. “I'm sure there isn't much I can teach you either, all my experience with feathered wings coming from books, but I can tell you what I know, unless you'd rather practice on your own.” He tilts his head as they turn. “There are a few things I think you should practice, but it's up to you whether or not you want help learning to be a better flier. . .”

[AkiBlue]

Aoba watched as Dani flew off. He assumed Dani thought his teaching was over and decided to let Kuro handle it. He looked down, flying above the demon and listened to him speak. Aoba made sure Dani was on the ground before he whispered softly. "Dani isn't a very good teacher." He poked his own cheek lightly, before he gave a shrug. "I don't mind the help." His cheeks puffed up slightly and he added, "I can fly. I just haven't in awhile. I'm not that pathetic." He stuck his tongue out playfully. While he was talking with Kuro, his flying became a lot smoother and better. But once his concentration turned to flying itself, he wasn't as good.

He looked down at Kuro again as he explained a few things. 'Follow my instincts, don't fight them. Aoba took a deep breath and flew upwards some to move from above Kuro. 'Don't think. Just do.' His eyes closed and he felt the gentle breeze ruffling his feathers. With a gentle sigh, he flapped his wings once despite being told that he shouldn't. His wings caught the breeze and he began gliding and following the wind patterns. He hummed a soft song to low for many to hear as he flew around. It was getting a lot easier than he expected. Although, it was tiring using his wings so much at such a random notice so his pace slowed.

He felt like a kite in the wind. It was a nice feeling. When he looked down everything the animals seemed so small and the area he called his was rather large. The scenery was nice from where he was. And far away, he noticed the town. Everything was so nice to look at. With him enjoying the scenery, he didn't realize he had been hovering the entire time. Aoba smiled and spiraled in joy at being able to fly, before he lowered closer to the ground. "This takes...a lot more work than....I thought."

[PopeAlessandros]

He watches happily as his words seems to get through to the angel at some level and he lets Aoba drift off to work on his own. His wings are not made for soaring and as they beat faster and faster to keep up Kuro can not help but grin as Aoba seems to take to the air almost as a natural. 'Sure, we may all be born with wings, however it's not like all of us are meant to fly. Some of us are penguins and ostriches too, heh' He smiles warmly each time he manages to catch the younger male's gaze, his own eyes never leaving the other, always at the ready. 'It is good I can still use my energy, otherwise I may have already become exhausted with all this flapping. I never had much need to fly before, even when I was escaping my siblings'

He huffs quietly, the faint sound of humming from above making him smile a little wider. 'Yeah, up to a certain point, I never took my wings out for fear of what they would do to them. The only time it was safe before I left hell was when Pops was around. He would keep the others off me so I could practice, not willing to actually watch us fight. . .Not that he'd protect me any other time they wanted a piece of me' Flying lessons in hell are the only fairly good memories he has of his father, most of the time being ignored or even picked on by the ancient demon once angel. Flying however was something Satan insisted all his children should be able to do well or at least well enough to evade angels.

'I remember him flying beside me, knocking me this way and that as I practiced dodging rocks and fire spouts. . .' His smile becomes a little nostalgic as he recalls the few times Pops would wraps his arms around him small body and carry him out of harms way, a pillar of fire or falling stone coming so suddenly that Kuro had no chance of avoiding it on his own. His expression take on an ironic tone as he also recalls the aftermath of him getting cracked in the skull by an overbearing fist every time it happened. 'The hugs were nice, even if that was not the intent, it made me feel safe. . .Even for just a few brief moments. . .'

He comes out of his revery as he spots Aoba hovering high above. He chuckles softly as the angel twirls around in delight and he snaps into a few simple patterns as brunet comes down closer to him. He settles in next to the angel, listening with a sassy smile. “Yeah, it can be. You're a natural, but that doesn't mean I was wrong about needing exercise. For now however. . .” Swooping in behind Aoba he stills the smaller male's wings and wraps his arms around his waist. “I think that's enough for today.” Hovering, he turns his head and raises his voice ever so slightly so that he's sure Dani can hear. “Dani, we're going to town, we'll be back soon.” The smaller demon waves them off and Kuro shifts so he can fly towards town. “As nice as it is eating pre-made meals, I think it's time to pick up some groceries. I checked the ice box, it's working, so we can bring home some fresh stuff to eat for the next few days. That way we don't have to sacrifice hours out of our days to eat. . .” He kisses the back of Aoba's neck and nuzzles it gently before turning his focus on to his flight.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba's wings immediately folded and he heaved a sigh when he was carried. He realized how tired he was when he let Kuro carry him around like a ragdoll. "Bleh. . . Yeah, you're right. . . Exercise. . . Later." He stuck his tongue out and hung his head to watch as Dani waved them away. Everything was getting farther away as he watched the world from an upside down view. Kuro rambled on about food and the angel realized he hadn't eaten in some time. His mortal instincts and complaints kicked in and his stomach growled some. It couldn't have possibly been that long since he had eaten...? The day seemed to fly by. They only worked for a couple of hours, maybe 5 at best. And there was plenty of sunlight in the sky. . .

It must have been all the hard labor he had to do that made him hungry. Kuro spoke of buying groceries and Aoba lifted his head up some. "Oh! I read somewhere that the essentials foods that humans normally buy are. . . In food groups. Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy... hmm one, two, three, oh Grains and.... Protein! I don't know if that'll help, but apparently I'm supposed to eat one of each. Sounds like a lot, but maybe I can have each in tiny portions to make one regular meal." He huffed and watched the world upside down again. "Being human is so weird."

The town got closer and they landed in an alley. The fallen angel held onto Kuro until his feet were solid on the ground. "I remember passing a place that said 'something Market'. It was. . . That way." He moved away from Kuro, leading the way to the busiest place in the town. Seeing all the people going in and out, Aoba folded his wings more and moved closer to Kuro. He didn't say anything, but he did look around as people grabbed things from shelves and placed them in baskets. "So...what are we to get?"

[PopeAlessandros]

Kuro chuckles at the limp angel in his arms as all the strength seems to drain out of him now that he no longer has to work to keep himself up. He's a little put out that his Little Mouse had no real reaction to the kiss, the disappointment feeding into his already abused sense of possessiveness, however he lets it pass with as much grace as he can muster. 'He really is truly innocent, I can not expect him to react to every little thing. He can pass of almost everything, short of pure nudity or direct kisses as just my little oddities without so much as a second thought. . .'

He can not help but grinning wide when he mentions being human. “You're not a human Little Mouse, just close to it.” He nods as he thinks about the food pyramid, the thing Aoba can not quite remember, and apparently, understand. 'He'll get in the habit of eating more the more he works. With his build, he shouldn't get too muscly, but he will definitely get more firm. . .' He checks carefully to make sure there are no humans around as he lands, a final glance around before dropping his shield. He follows along behind Aoba as he leads the way to the market, scooping up a shopping basket as they pass through the front doors.

A soft sigh passes through his lips as the sudden chill of the air conditioner hits him and he takes a moment to enjoy the feeling. 'Ah, we really must get an AC unit one of these days. I can see my Little Mouse baking in the climes this part of the world can reach mid summer' He tilts his head from side to side, running over the pyramid and other things he's learned about healthy eating from his years of study and motions off towards one of the aisles. “For now, I can hunt for meat, since I'll be eating the most of it, so we need grains and veggies mostly, along with fruits, but I can get apples any time, so not as many fruits as the other things.”

He eyes the canned veggies warily. “Also, keep in mind, we'll have to carry all this back. On foot or in the air, it might get a little awkward, so let's just stick with some basics. No canned food for now.” Grabbing some bread and some bags of noodles and stuff to make sauce he drags Aoba off to the fresh vegetable and fruit section and motions for him to grab what he wants. 'Even if I don't have as much practice as I'd like, I'm sure I'm a fairly good cook. At the least, I know how to cook all these things, but it may take some trial and error to get them just right' He goes over all the recipes he knows, wondering what to try for lunch. He begins humming softly, happily imagining what Aoba will think of his cooking. Luckily it's mostly adults in the market and he only has a few people paying him any attention, but he's sure that has more to do with how he's dressed than the hormones he's giving out.

[AkiBlue]

Aoba followed closed to Kuro, not wanting to get in others' way. He paused for a brief moment as he felt the AC kick in. "That feels nice." He would've stayed longer, but he would've blocked traffic. So, he stayed by Kuro's side, eyeing all the packaging on the shelf. There was a lot of things there he had never heard of, and some of the stuff in the cans or on the pictures didn't look very appealing. But, Kuro never picked any of it. "I mostly ate fruits when I wanted to refuel. I guess the veggies and all the other won't be so bad." The idea of carrying too much made him stick his tongue out. "Good idea. Carry light as possible."

He stepped backwards as he looked at all the fruits and vegetables in the much cooler section. "It's so much cooler in here..." He sighed and looked over at Kuro. "We should get one of these cooler things. They're really-!" He took a quick step forward when he felt a hand on his wing. Aoba refrained from panicking too much before he looked down and noticed a small child peering at him. Her eyes were wide in wonder and she reached out, not to him, but his wings. Aoba folded them and whispered. "Kuro, what's wrong with the little human and why is she over here?"

The small girl giggled and reached up to him. "Pretty! Pretty!" Aoba's gave a curious look as she pointed and smiled. The small child waddled forward and held on to Aoba's leg, reaching out to the wing.

"K-Kuro?" Aoba wasn't sure what to do, but out of instinct he carefully picked her up. "Where's your mama little one?" She peered over Aoba's shoulder and stared at Kuro with the same wide eyed expression. She wasn't afraid, and to prove it, she reached out to him. "I think she likes you?" Aoba was about to let Kuro get a closer look at the small child but was suddenly stopped.

"Samantha! Samantha!? Oh there you are! You scared mommy!" The woman snatched her child and looked at Aoba. "Thank you. She wandered off and I only turned my back for a second." Samantha was still smiling at both males before being pulled away by her mom. Aoba watched, waving as she went away and then turned back to the task at hand. They still had food to pick and carry.

"Well, that was...weird. Anyway," Aoba looked in the basket, poking at the things Kuro had already grabbed. Most of the stuff was fresh and organic. Other stuff were spices and the likes that had to be mixed with the other foods. He wondered if Kuro could cook all that stuff. It wouldn't have been too bad if he couldn't. They could always. . . Well, Aoba couldn't survive off of just fruit. He had to remember that. "Is this everything for the time being? It looks like a lot. Hopefully it doesn't get too heavy."

[PopeAlessandros]

He begins humming softly as he watches Aoba try and make his selections, nodding without a word as the angel has the same idea about getting an AC. 'Well, there's some common human sense for you. He is starting to recognize things his body craves, now if only he would crave. . . .' His thoughts trail off as he notices a little girl toddling after his Little Mouse. 'Adorable. I think she's still young enough to see his wings' He chuckles as his suspicion is confirmed. He stays back not wanting to spook the little one in a crowded store, however he can not help but move in a little closer when Aoba picks her up.

'Careful there Little Mouse. Mama bears don't always appreciate having strangers pick up their babies. . .' His eyes go a little wide as those bright blue eyes gaze at him in wonder over the angel's shoulder. 'Uhhh, odd. . . .She should be frightened of me, not. . .Oh boy, I think I may have something wrong with me. I'll have Dani do a check when we get back' He waves playfully at the little one, smiling as nicely as he can, however he does not have long to interact with her as the familiar cry of the human mama bear goes up and he steps out of the way so she can rush past and scoop up her baby. Sliding up next to Aoba he waves as the girl is taken away and chuckles at the bemused angel.

“That wasn't weird at all my Little Mouse. Children love the positive energy that your kind gives off, and every little girl loves wings.” He looks off in the direction the mother and child had vanished. “It was weird that I didn't seem to freak her out, but I'll deal with that later.” He ruffles Aoba hair, chuckling. “I'm strong, I can carry a lot, and once we get out of town I can cheat.” He loos through what they already have. 'It's enough for a few days I suppose' Grab a couple more fruits you like, the sugars will do you good for some energy, and I'm going to grab some milk. Just half a gallon since we have milk cows anyways.”

Ruffling the smaller male's wings gently the demon moves off to the dairy section, scooping up a small tub of butter along with some cheese and the milk he said he would. 'Whole milk would be best, since we're going to be drinking the pure stuff soon, it's best not to get use to the light stuff then have to sway over' He giggles at the image of he and Aoba milking cows, having to stop and cover his mouth as he adds Dani to the picture. 'Ah, that would be precious. However I think just getting him to feed the beasts will be a task in and of itself, and a small victory for demon kind, heh' Wandering back over to Aoba he holds out the now fairly hefty basket for him to add the fruits to before heading to the register to check out. The lines are longer than the ones at the other shops they've been to, so for the first time Aoba gets to wait in line with a bunch of humans on either side.