Ablackwing

I grabbed my phone from the table nearby and passed it to him.

"Whom are you calling?" I asked him as he dialed the number written on the card. "I'm just wondering."

"The Don."

"Don?" I repeated and wondered if he was calling someone from the underground.

"Yeah, Don de Jerald. We all call him 'The Don'." That guy must have been a friend of his.

"I've heard that name somewhere."

I pondered upon that name. It was very familiar.

"Yeah, you must have. He is, I guess, the eighth ric.h.e.s.t man in here? Well, he was eighth a few years ago."

No wonder the name sounded so familiar! I had heard about him in the news. Mr Jerald was an old man in late sixties. His personality was a little aberrant. He treated money like paper, throwing it away at random places and investing in things that had a high probability to fall to doom. It was a mystery how he even stayed rich. I didn't wonder about that strange man until now. Not my concern what others do with themselves.

"He is seventh ric.h.e.s.t now. What's your connection with that guy?" I asked to sate my curiosity.

"Yeah. He's the head of Gaia core right now... Um... Like the chief of an embassy."

"Whoa, you have an embassy here?"

"Yeah. Angels need to organise them too." Black tried to call again. "It's their work to help us with basic stuff like providing protection, backup in crisis, financial help and things like that." I was mesmerised how the angels were working from the shadows all this time and no one of us had any idea about it. Who knows how long they have been there? Well perhaps the government knew and they kept it away from the public?

"He's not picking," Black said as he returned me my phone. "I need to go there. What is this place? I mean where are we right now?" He hasn't gone out of the house.

"It's Valerie, Beltone."

"I see. Is this place far from here?" He asked while showing me that silver-ish card. That card has a big 'R' printed on it. On the bottom was the contact number and the address. It was somewhere in the Flores city.

"I guess that place is about 10 hours drive from here. Never been to there though."

"Do you own a car?"

"Yeah, I have. A black mustang." I replied with head high. My dad gifted it to me on my seventeenth birthday. It's been a few years but I didn't let even a single dent on it till now. I was proud of my driving.

"Will you lend me your car?"

"Sure," I replied without thinking. I couldn't say no to him. He was too cute to be said no to. "But you don't appear to be in any condition to go anywhere. Look at yourself. You can barely stand."

"It's important. And I'll be fine."

"I can drive you to wherever you want." Thought I might have to ditch a few days off my college but whatever, I won't get a chance to go on an adventure with an angel. And this idiotic angel was unable to drive.

"Thank you but it's dangerous... You shouldn't involve yourself in this stuff. And I'm sure a lot of demons will be after me. You'll be much safer here." I looked at him carefully. Even though Black was so weak, he cared so much for his fellows and me too. And those assholes still called him by so many bad names.

"But I want to." I insisted on going along with him.

"You can't sweetheart." My plea was rejected with a mere three words. I was sad that I couldn't persuade him to take me but then he looked at me. In his eyes was fear, a genuine one. That fear was not of getting hurt himself but fear that I might get hurt. I couldn't continue asking him after seeing that look. "I'll be back as soon as I can... probably in a day or two."

"Promise me you'll be back."

"I promise. I'll return to my angel even if means the end of the world." He smiled. Such a sweet talker. Too much, too much, he was just too much.

Black sat on the bed, still wearing nothing. I made a note in my mind to get him something. I smiled thinking I don't mind him being that way around me. His brows curled a little, smiling slightly, asking me to tell him what's funny without saying a word and then he proceeded to check his body. I had no intention to answer him.

Finding nothing on himself, he just smiled at me. I can bet he was thinking that I drew on him when he was asleep. That funny guy. I'm not a kid to do that stuff. I wasn't that kind but that moment, I seriously thought of doing that in future!

"Pass me my coat please." His coat was on the bed, to the right of me.

"It's torn up," I said as I unravelled the cut on the back side of that coat.

"That's ok." He said as he raised his hand towards me. And suddenly his smile widened to reach his ears, his expressions changed "Let me show you something."

A few months after I got admission in the school, there was a drawing competition. For some reasons, I didn't tell my parents about it. Miraculously, I won first place. It was surprising and unexpected for me. I got a gold medal for that. That day when I was called down for dinner, I grabbed my medal in my hand and ran down. I stood there without saying a word, my hands behind me clutching upon that medal tightly as they ate.

They must have realized I had something to tell them. My breathing was heavy, partly because I ran to the dining table and partly because I felt a little nervous. I was so excited at that moment. I wanted to show it to them so badly yet not show because I didn't want to be embarrassed. I wanted to scream my lungs out and tell of my achievement and yet no words escaped my mouth. I wanted to see that proud feeling on their face. After gathering all the courage I could, I spoke meekly as I presented my prize to them and told them with a whisper.

I was sure he was feeling the same thing I felt back then. Though from the looks of his eyes, he seemed even more excited. He was the baby who refused to grow up from inside.

"Come closer."

I leaned forward, gazing right at his hand, patiently waiting every second for something to happen.

The black threads that were exposed started moving. I didn't believe it at first. I repeatedly blink my eyes to make sure there was nothing wrong with my eyes. The way they were moving seemed like people dancing around the invisible campfire on his hand. Little by little, they started to grow towards the center. Their waltz ended after a few moments and they marched forward towards each other slowly as if they were soldiers of four armies preparing to clash. They did clash but there was no war. Instead, it was as calm as the sea without waves. I regained my senses and pulled myself out of that imaginary world. All I could see was a black piece of cloth. The hole was filled completely without any trace. I couldn't believe that his coat was even torn. It was damn awesome.

"How did you do that?" I asked as my eyes were back towards his face.

Black smiled, taking pride in out of the world thing he had shown me. I thought he wouldn't tell me because magicians don't tell their secrets but he spoke up.

"It's just one of the things I can do. I can create anything."

"Wow!" Wasn't that too overpowered?

"Haha. That was my first little show. I could have done it before you could blink your eyes."

"You can't be serious."

"I am." I didn't believe him. I thought he was just saying big fat lies in a bid to show off to me. Boys are like that.

"Want to bet? If you can do that, I'll do anything as you say. And the same goes for you if you can't do that." I was happy inside that I had cornered him.

"Anything?" Black raised his eyebrow, trying to frighten me to change the bet. But I was sure his psychological game wouldn't work on me.

"Anything."

I grabbed the coat from his hands. There was a scissor in the drawer and I cut his coat in the same area, in a horizontal way this time. My cut was a bit bigger than the torn up portion from before. I thought some cheating won't matter because I was going to win that bet. I gave him his coat and he was smiling like crazy as if he had already won.

I wondered that it was his psychological play to make me back off again but I didn't budge.

"Ready?"

"When you are." He placed that cut portion on his hand again.

We blink in one-sixtieth of a second. There was no way he could make it good again within that time frame. But to be cautious I planned to try blinking as fast as I could.

"Go," I said and then I blinked.

The next thing my eyes captured was blackness. His coat was good as new once again.

I lost! And I regretted. It was his turn to smirk at me. I made such a fool of myself. He's not from our world. I should have tried to understand his powers first. My mind was trying to learn from this loss when he spoke up.

"So you said you'll do anything."

Black smiled mischievously. He hadn't stopped smiling from the time our little game started. I wondered what was inside his head that he was smiling that much.

"Yeah, I did. And I've all the intentions of fulfilling my bet."

"Then you've to..."

"I've to...?"

"Give me a kiss." He said and pouted. That guy was not as innocent as he looked. Never did I imagined that he could ask me something like that. I never thought I'd be taken advantage of like that. His eyes were closed as if he was expecting me to fulfil his d.e.s.i.r.e. That was my own fault, my own dumb idea that I even placed that bet. I didn't even know what I would have asked him if I had won.

I had my pride and no matter how corrupt his wish was, I had to fulfill it.

I leaned forward. Looking at the red flesh of his lips searching for me. They seemed like a strawberry ready to be devoured. I closed my eyes still moving towards him, seeking for his soft petals with mine. And I finally found it. I kissed though the softness was different than I imagined. I realized I wasn't feeling his lips.

I opened my eyes and I backed off after a light peck. He had turned his head to the right. My kiss fell on his cheeks, not his lips.

I mean he could have had his way. He had every right to. But he didn't. I don't know how he held himself off. Perhaps I wouldn't have if I was in his place. Everyone isn't brave enough to do that. Wasn't my Black too sweet? I'd say he was on a mythical level of sweetness. I wanted to shower his face with kisses but it was embarrassing.

He opened his eyes. He looked as if he was really happy, as if in some euphoric state.

"You stole my left cheek's first kiss too. How cruel of you!" He said like I had taken advantage of him instead.

It was you who asked, alright!

I laughed inside without replying. He stepped out of bed to wear his coat. He looked so weak. I really wanted him to rest some more but he has to go. In his dress, he looked like a professional. The black coat was open from above to the point of the first buckle that was near the middle part. His coat was long, only a foot above from his legs.

"Look, angel," This time he had serious look on his face, not a smile. "There is a slight chance that demons will come here in search of me." Why was he even leaving me if it was dangerous for me? It was all his fault at first place he fell in my place. He should take responsibility! "But just pretend you have never met me. Nothing will happen to you. You understand?"

I nodded and he patted on my head, messing my hairs a bit as if I was just a little girl. I was just a little shorter than him. He had no right to treat me like a baby. But I couldn't bring myself to talk back when he was patting my so lovingly...

"I'll be back soon beautiful."