https://www.instagram.com/p/Be1zAWKFPFi/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1nz98y83k93gz

Lance

Pidge Gunderson of the Stationary Angel Legion was probably the most intimidating angel I'd ever seen. As we sat across from her in the sleek, black limo that had been waiting for us outside of the hotel, I couldn't help but feel nervous. I knew Pidge personally- she was Matt's twin sister and my own sibling as well, but the SAL was 'stationary' for a reason- angels who were chosen for the force grew up on Earth.

She and Matt talked often on the phone or through the windows angels above used to look down at the Midworld, but didn't see each other in person unless Matt came down to the Midworld himself. And even that was seldom, as the Midworld held unpleasant memories for Matt of Kuron. But the Gundersons still stayed in contact as much as they could.

Pidge eyed me warily as we sped along the highway, heading to somewhere unknown but likely to the SAL HQ. Suddenly, I remembered what had been nagging me since Pidge had shown up and leaned forward suddenly.

"That was you!" I blurted, alarming Keith beside me. Pidge raised her eyebrow.

"What?"

"At laser tag! That was you, wasn't it?"

I recalled the day before, slipping through the arena with the stranger beside me, her circular glass glinting in the bursts of red and blue lights. Now, those same glasses were perched on Pidge's nose as she gazed at me skeptically.

She smiled slightly, "Oh, yeah. I had to make sure it was actually you- those stunts that you pulled during your little one-on-one fight in the arena were very impressive, Lance- have you been training?"

I looked at Pidge sheepishly and replied, "Yeah, with Matt and Adam."

Pidge's cool demeanor slipped away at the sound of her brother's name. As we raced along the interstate, PIdge and I were able to sink into a comfortable conversation about Keith's and my journies on the Midworld. The brunette was surprised to hear how much we had been traveling.

"Of course, we've been keeping an eye on Keith since he showed up, just in case anything went wrong, but it's been hard keeping track of you."

I felt a sting at the remark- did Mother not trust me to keep Keith in check? So she'd sent the SAL after us to make sure I did a good job? I bit my lip, wounded.

Pidge went on, "We were initially going to get into contact with you a few days ago, but we didn't want to interrupt anything until we were sure it was you. You've grown a lot since I last saw you, Lance."

I smiled half-heartedly. It was true- the last time I'd seen Pidge was several thousand years ago when Matt had returned from the Midworld with Adam, their hearts in pieces. Pidge had taken leave from the SAL to comfort her brother, and in that time, we'd spent a lot of time together.

Back then, Pidge had long hair that trailed down her back in waves and hadn't needed glasses. Now, she'd chopped off her long locks and had glasses which I could only guess were the result of too many hours in front of a bright computer, coding and hacking and reading.

Pidge and Matt had always been tech geniuses, impressing our siblings and even Mom with their talents, but while Matt had stayed up in the Upperworld to look down at the Midworld, Pidge had chosen that her talents were needed elsewhere, namely the SAL, where she was apparently now a sergeant in the first battalion.

I was proud of my sister, but I still had so many questions for her. "Well, what do you need us for? Why are we being kidnapped?" I joked, but I couldn't help but have an edge of anxiety in my voice. Was Mom disappointed in me? Had I done something wrong with Keith?

I glanced over at my devil, who'd been silent the whole ride. I could see how tired he was, his eyes straining to stay open. I knocked my knee against him gently and he looked at me, dark eyes heavy-lidded and groggy. Silently, I patted my shoulder, tipping my head away from him in an invitation.

I could see him hesitate for a few seconds, then slide closer to me to put his head on my shoulder. I bit my lip to keep from giggling as his soft hair tickled my neck. Within seconds, I heard his breathing slow as sleep took over him.

I looked up at Pidge, who eyed me suggestively. "No," I whispered incredulously at what she was implying. "No, he's just tired. Nothing more than that."

"Right," Pidge whispered back, leaning back in her seat and cocking her head to the side, "Right, you're just friends. I can feel the tension from here." Before I could reply, she'd closed her eyes. She hadn't answered my question, either.

I looked down at Keith on my shoulder. "Just friends, right?" I breathed, letting my cheek fall to rest against the top of the devil's head.

...

I woke up slowly, unaware. Sitting up in the soft bed I was lying in, I looked around, stretching. My bag was placed on a chair across the room from the bed and there were no windows in the room. Nervous, I slipped out of the sterile, white bed, and shivered at how cold the tile floor was as I stepped down. As I stood, the room spun and I had to sit back down.

Taking a closer look at the room around me, I realized that it was pretty bare. There was the chair and the bed, a nightstand beside me, a closet with its doors open, and a doorway that led into a small bathroom.

Looking down at myself, I realized that I'd been undressed, and was now wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of scrub pants. Standing again, I made my way to the sink in the bathroom. Looking at myself in the mirror, I cringed. I was a mess- hair sticking up every which way, chapped lips, bloodshot eyes.

Sighing, I pushed a little Energy into my face and watched as my lips smoothed out and the blood vessels in my eyes faded back. My hair lay a bit more flat, too. Now, about these clothes...

In seconds, I'd ditched the scrubs and instead wore a baseball tee and classic Adidas sweats. I glanced up at my halo in the mirror and gave it a playful flick. As if flustered, it wobbled before quickly righting itself. I filled my palms with water from the sink repeatedly, feeling the water begin to work itself into my dehydrated system, then turning off the tap and walking to the door of my room.

For a split second, panic took hold of my senses as I realized that I could have possibly been locked in, that maybe the SAL wasn't my friend, but the panic dissipated as the door handle turned cleanly, admitting me outside.

As I peeked outside, I realized that my room was situated in the middle of a long hallway. The tiles of the floor were the same as those in my room and it gave the whole place the feel of a mental ward. I looked both ways, searching for another person, but when I didn't see anyone, I turned left down the hallway.

Doors lined the hallway, identical to my own, but none of them were unlocked. At the end of the hall, there was a T-intersection. To the left, another hallway, to the right, a stairwell. I took the stairs.

Just as I was beginning to think that maybe this was a dream, I heard muffled noises coming from the floor beneath me. Frowning, I hurried down the stairs a flight, then pushed through the door to a new room.

I entered what seemed to be a cafeteria, but the sheer mass of Energetic tension in the room was enough to make me stumble back. All around me, the air popped and crackled with electricity from angelic Energy, a sure sign that something was wrong.

The room was as standard as you could get, neat rows of tables and benches with aisles for people to walk through, an open area off to the side where I could smell food. But the most shocking part of the room was the group of angels in the center forming a large circle. They were shouting over each other, but a single syllable kept ringing out, over and over again.

"Lance!"

My panic from before hit me like a truck when I heard the distress in Keith's voice. "Keith!" I yelled, sprinting through the cafeteria to get to the group of angels. Some of them turned, their giant wings twitching, an odd look on their faces as I rushed forward. I lept over a table and shoved through the crowd, my heart pounding in my chest as my own wings escaped from my back, the sound of ripping fabric ceasing the shouts of the angels.

"Lance!" The sound tore at my heart.

In the middle of the circle of angels crouched Keith, terrified. As soon as I reached him, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, wrapping my wings around us as well. I felt the Energetic tension lessen as the angels stopped concentrating on my devil.

Keith was shaking as I held him, wheezing and coughing as he clutched my shirt.

I turned to the closest angel, eyes murderous. The angel stepped back, hands up in surrender. "What the hell were you doing to him?" I snarled, holding Keith to my chest.

"He went berserk!" the angel, a tall, stocky young man replied, his tawny feathers quivering. "As soon as he woke up, he worked himself up and wouldn't calm down! We had to keep him from hurting anyone!"

"Why didn't someone come get me?" I demanded. The angel shrugged helplessly. The other angels in the group looked equally as clueless. Turning back to Keith, I tented my wings around us and pulled back slightly, looking him in the face.

"Are you okay?" I asked, trying to hide my anxiety.

The whites of his eyes were black and his horns protruded from his forehead as he looked up at me. "I don't know what happened. I didn't know where you were. I thought they took you..." he looked away, "or something."

I brought my hands up to his face and cupped his cheeks in my palms. He flinched but didn't pull away.

"There's no prison that could hold me so that I couldn't get to you," I said boldly, "I will always come back." I smiled a little, "What kind of angel guide would I be if I couldn't even guide you?"

Keith's eyes went wide. His hair was a mess and he was wearing the same scrubs I had been dressed in. His eyes had settled back to normal and I watched his horns retract, the skin of his face smoothing over where they had been.

He nodded once and I stepped back, pulling my wings back in. The crowd of angels had somewhat dissipated, but at that moment, a door on the far wall slammed open and a furious-looking Pidge stormed through, her foggy grey wings opened threateningly. Her focus was on the cadets around Keith and me.

"Oh dear," someone squeaked.

...

heeeeyyyy yaaaalll happy saturday! I hope you guys have liked this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you liked some of that fluff haha

I may be able to get out another chapter tomorrow or monday (since I have off), but I guess we'll see ;)

btw uhhhhh this is my favorite song atm and i love it sm so i hope you listened to it and liked it too haha. Usually, I stan prettymuch when it comes to (english) boy bands, but why dont we has some bOPS

anyways

qotd: what is your favorite band/artist? 

aotd: for me, it's a bunch, but my mains are bts, patd, billie eilish, dean, bruno major, troye sivan and cavetown 

also, I'm sorry if I haven't been able to reply to some comments, I've been really busy :( I do read everything, though, I promise

I love you guys so so so much <333