Hello my darlings!

I am so happy to get back into writing, though I will admit I have not been doing well. I am back in the hospital, thus the lack of updates, my brain hasn't been functioning at its best and trying to keep up with UNI classes as well as pushing updates is a difficult thing!

Thank you for your patience, I hope this chapter isn't too bad! Things are going to start to get serious soon so enjoy the warmth of this chapter! xx

Thank you for over 600k reads, it means the world and more to me. Wishing you all the best, as always. Hope this can serve as a late-halloween treat!

Zanthus POV

"Y-You know we c-could go home i-if you'd like." The morning felt more dreary than it should have. Likely because of the damper in both our moods after last night.

Angel shook her head minutely, "No, no, I don't want to ruin the trip. Everyone was looking forward to it. Plus, you've only just got to see Dimitri and Ben after so long." I kissed the side of her head and pulled her closer to me.

"Y-You wouldn't be r-ruining anything, love." She huffed and pushed me away haphazardly.

"You know what I mean, Z. I was looking forward to this trip too. I just wish that William could treat me as an adult for once. I'm thankful for the ways he's essentially raised me, but he also needs to let go of this idea that I'm still just his kid sister."

I nodded and rested my head on her shoulder. I didn't know exactly what to say. As an only child, I've never had to deal with siblings so I couldn't relate to her situation. All I knew was that I hated how upset she seemed over all this.

"Tell me w-what I can d-do."

Angel sighed and relaxed against me. It was nice to get to be here for her like this. To be able to do simple things like holding her in my arms.

"This is nice, maybe just more of this please." Her words were muffled against my neck and I laughed at the sensation.

"This. Do y-you mean cuddles?" She laughed as well and turned herself further into me.

"That's exactly what I mean, yes. I'm quite the cuddler if you weren't aware already." That wasn't an over-exaggeration in the slightest.

I sighed and ran my arms up and down her sides softly, "H-How could I-I not know that?"

Angel pulled away from me just enough to make eye contact. She raised her eyebrows, " Are you saying you don't like it?"

I was quick to shake my head. "N-No, no that's-no."

She laughed and fell back against me. "I was just messing, don't worry. I could never pass up a cuddle from you."

My smile grew uncontrollably at that. Things like that made my heart stutter. It felt like I would never get used to really having Angel.

"You think s-so?"

It felt like things had suddenly become incredibly intense. The fact that it was only me and her alone at this moment was much more apparent than it had been before. It was almost overwhelming, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

"I do, yeah." She leaned in and kissed me once swiftly.

I pouted and pressed our foreheads together "That's all I-I get?"

Angel laughed and brought both her hands up to squeeze my cheeks together--something only she could get away with. "For now, yes."

She huffed when I groaned and dropped my forehead on her shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her as tight against me as I could.

"You know this isn't going to make me kiss you, yeah?" She murmured against the top of my head.

"H-How about I-I s-say please?" I knew she wouldn't take up my offer, but tried anyway.

Angel curled further against me as a cold breeze ran through the air. I ran my hands up and down her back in attempt to provide some sort of heat.

"Nothings going to make me fold." I hummed in agreement and closed my eyes when she started tracing mindless shapes over my back. Her touch was so delicate it drove me crazy.

Neither of us said anything for a bit. We just sat together in silence. It was nice having someone to be able to do this with. To just lay with each other and just exist.

"You know, I only ever don't let you kiss me because you stress me out." Angel was so quiet I almost didn't pick up what she said.

I pulled back and propped myself up on my elbow. Angel immediately turned her eyes to her hands while I watched her cheeks slowly become tinted pink. There was genuinely nothing she should be shy about. She looked breathtaking without even trying.

"W-What do y-you mean?" She groaned and turned on her stomach, burying her face in her arms.

"You're evil. Don't make me say it."I let out an involuntary laugh at that. Sometimes the things she said were just so precious.

"Unfortunately, I-I can't read y-your mind love." We've definitely gone over this before.

"I don't want to explain it. It makes me feel like I'm in primary school." I brought a hand up to brush her hair out of her face and she glared at me when our eyes met.

"I s-s-swear that I w-won't laugh, yeah?"

Angel let out a resigned sigh and turned her face so she was resting her cheek on her arm now. I cupped her cheek in my hand and smiled at her.

"I get...when you kiss...it makes...like my...going to....alright?" I chuckled and only realized what I'd done after the fact.

"No, n-no, darling," I shook my head but she was already burying her face in her arms again. I couldn't help but laugh again when she whined.

"I told you it was mortifying!" I still had absolutely no idea what she said.

"B-Baby, listen--Angel, l-listen," she huffed, face still buried from my viewing pleasure, but she seemed to make an effort to quiet down. "I h-haven't got a c-clue what you just s-said."

"You just want to make me say it again!" I did my best to keep a straight face but the way she sounded so innocent and it was making it hard to put up a fight.

I ran a hand up and down her back in hopes to de-escalate the height of her current embarrassment. She squirmed away from my touch and turned to face me, mirroring my current position.

"You swore you wouldn't laugh." My heart stuttered for a second when I saw the genuine pout on her lips. It was absolutely adorable.

"Haven't I-I told you? Love, h-honest, I d-didn't hear half the w-words you had to s-say. I-It was all muffled." Angel narrowed her eyes at me and brought my hand up to trace her cheekbone softly. "W-Why don't y-you try to tell me a-again, alright? I really won't laugh."

"You're really not having me on, are you?" It sounded like she wanted to be cross but I could by how soft her tone was that she really was just nervous to say whatever was pressing on her mind.

"I-I'm really not." I leaned in to press a soft kiss to her forehead before letting go of her face and moving to lace our free hands together.

"I said that I still get all nervous when you kiss me and whatnot because it makes me feel like my stomach or brain or both are going to explode, alright?" Angel's words came out at a speed tenfold how she normally spoke.

I bit my lip momentarily to stop myself from grinning like a fool. She really didn't know how she made me feel when she said things like that or looked all shy.

"I-I think that-"

Angel quickly let go of my hand and moved her finger up to my lips to keep me from talking. I raised my eyebrows but she just shook her head. "I'm begging you, don't say anything that will make me more mortified than you've already made me be."

I kissed the tip of her finger before pulling away to continue. "I-I think that it's s-s-sweet."

Angel guffawed and pushed at my chest lightly. "It's sweet? That's all you have to say?"

I laughed quietly to myself before rolling over, catching her entirely off guard. I manoeuvred my hands and legs to rest on either side of her head and stared down at her wide eyes.

"I-I think that it's s-sweet, a-and I think I've g-got the best girlfriend a lad c-could ever ask for." I pecked the tip of her nose and she giggled, cheeks flaming under all the attention. "Thank y-you for telling m-me, baby."

Her breath stuttered audibly and grinned a little wider at that. I pressed another kiss to both her cheeks before dropping back down next to her. I waited for her to make the next move.

"So what do we do now?" She was nearly mumbling again, and when I looked over I realized she hadn't moved an inch.

"Well, w-what d'you mean?" She crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes.

"Don't act like you've got no idea what I'm talking about. I mean what do we do now to move on from me making an absolute fool of myself because of you."

I don't think I could have stopped myself from laughing if I tried hard enough. It was a slip-up, truly.

Angel shot up, and at first, my heart dropped before I saw that she was attempting not to laugh herself. It shouldn't have made me laugh harder but it did. She shook her head and only shot me a quick glance before moving to push up off the ground.

I reached for her waist to pull her back down with me but she slapped my hands away and put her hands on her hips.

"Not a chance! You swore you wouldn't laugh. I'm leaving." It didn't help that I laughed even harder at this.

Angel turned away again and started to make her way to the door of the tent. I didn't have the heart to stop her this time, her face quite literally seemed like it was on fire just seconds ago.

"Come find me when you learn to care about me!" I sat up and rubbed away the tears that had gathered in the inner corners of my eyes.

"Y-You know I do d-darling. I s-swear I'm not laughing a-at you! I'll s-stop if you c-come back." Angel just shook her head and unzipped the tent, one foot already outside before she had completely opened it.

"Changed my mind, I'll come to find you when I feel less like being swallowed by the ground." 

I rolled my eyes fondly and smiled to myself. I was absolutely in love with Angel.

I had no idea what to do. I had no idea how I would bring myself to tell her. I had no idea how she would react. I had no idea if she felt the same.

I also had absolutely no idea when the last time I'd felt this happy was.

_________

"So what are you going to do about your mum?" I felt like someone had dumped a bottle of ice water over my head.

"I-" I sucked my tongue against my teeth anxiously before shaking my head. "I-I haven't d-decided."

"Well, you do realize you've got get that all sorted soon, don't you? I mean, I know it must be shit trying to-"

"H-How about w-we don't bloody t-talk about i-it then?" Ollie put his hands up in mock defence before shrugging.

"Cheers mate, whatever you want. Just thought I could lend you another head to think it over if you wanted. Not going to pressure you or anything." I nodded but I wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying all too much.

I had been looking forward to this trip because I knew I could get away from all the anxiety that was weighing down on me back at home. I hadn't even talked with my dad about it yet. He was probably going to go mental when I did.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I didn't have to worry about that at the moment. I just needed to let it go for a little while.

I stood up from my chair and clutched at the pack of fags in my jacket pocket. "I'm going to have a smoke." Ollie nodded but didn't say anything, which was for the better and he probably knew that.

The day had been going perfect until this point.

I shook my head and let out a resigned sigh. I shouldn't have thought I could ever really get away from thinking about my current situation. The only thing I wanted to do now was have a few fags and then go back to pretending that Ollie had never brought up the topic of my mum.

Any conversations about her come from the depths of hell.

"Z? Are you--oh. It is you." When I turned I felt an instant sense of relief. Angel always made everything feel better.

She was truly my Angel.

"Are you feeling alright?" I did my best to smile but it likely came out as a grimace. I shrugged and Angel just clapped her hands together and nodded. "Right then, so you're not feeling that brilliant right now."

I sighed and shook my head, opening my arms for her as she inched closer. "N-Not particularly, n-no."

She smiled softly and roped her arms around my waist. "Tell me how to make it better? I want to help."

Angel seemed cold in comparison to me so I pulled back and began to take off my jacket. "T-Take this," She seemed taken back and went to shake her head but I narrowed my eyes and she just nodded.

The jacket was nearly drowning her, and she looked a bit out of sorts once she had gotten the sleeves on. Regardless, she looked like an angel to me. I ran my hands down her hair, smoothing out the bits that had gotten jostled in the process.

"Thank you" She whispered and I just pecked her lips softly in response.

"B-Better?" Her nod was almost immediate, whether or not she had been as cold as I thought still remained unclear but I didn't feel the need to ask her about that.

"Did you come over to have a smoke?" I hadn't forgotten why I'd come over here, but I was surprised that she knew immediately. Then again, she always seemed to be able to tell when I got keyed up.

She dug her hands into both of my jacket pockets, smiling when she found what she was looking for. It should not have been as attractive as it was to have her hand me my pack and my lighter.

"Th-That was hot."

"If you make me all embarrassed again I'm leaving." She clicked her tongue when I chuckled softly. I grabbed my things from her and put my hands up.

"I-I won't."

Angel rolled her eyes but there was a smile on her lips. "Yeah right. You swear, do you? Like you did earlier?"

I couldn't believe she was still hung up over this morning. It was actually incredibly endearing to me that I still made her so nervous. I was just glad I wasn't the only one that felt like losing their minds anytime we touched.

The wind blew mildly while I lit up. Angel didn't say much, just stood next to me as she did sometimes when I'd smoke around her. I turned away from her every now and then to make sure I blew the smoke out of her vicinity.

"You know I don't mind the smell, yeah?" Her tone was fond. I wrapped my free arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "Could I try it?"

I scoffed and shook my head. "Y-You shouldn't w-want to."

Angel poked my stomach and I took another drag before turning to look down at her. Her fingers clutched the front of my shirt. "Are you saying that because I'm a girl?"

I smiled at that and shook my head. "I-I'm saying that b-because you're m-my girl." Angel predictably flushed red almost immediately.

My Angel.

"Alright, alright, that's well enough of that." She poked me again and laughed quietly.

Angel raised her eyebrows when I pulled away and took a final drag before flicking the cigarette onto the floor. I stepped on it with my foot to ash it out proper. She motioned towards the pack, silently asking if I was going to have another.

"A-All done." She nodded, leaning back into me.

I slipped the pack and the lighter back into the right jacket pocket before rearranging Angel and me with my chest to her back. My arms wrapped around her waist and my head rested in the crook of her neck. She shivered when I kissed the side of her throat before relaxing against me.

After a few minutes of us swaying in silence, she moved her hands to rest over mine and squeezed. "Do you want to talk about what's got you upset?"

The thing is, I really, really didn't.

It was nothing against her, it was just the fact that I genuinely thought if I were to bring up the topic it would give me an anxiety attack. That's not something I had the capacity for.

"L-Later?" I hoped that she would accept that answer for now. She nodded, thank the gods above, and I buried my head in her neck as I hugged her tighter. "Thank you."

"Oi! You lot better get your arses over here. Jax is trying to scale a tree!"

It was silent for a beat before both of us dissolved into a fit of laughter, bodies shaking in harmony with each other.

"Babe, move your foot to--NO! Not there! Move it, oh buggering fuck, just--"

"Stop throwing shit at me, you absolute vile plebians!" Jax's shout could probably be heard miles away. "I will retaliate if need be!"

Angel turned her head up to meet my eyes with an amused smile on her face. "Should we..." She motioned her head towards the rest of the lads and I weighed out my options.

I smirked at her before grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into me. She gasped when I leaned down to press a randy kiss on her lips and I just used this as an opportunity to slip my tongue into her mouth. I pulled away after a moment and she took a breath.

"H-How about i-in a few m-minutes?" She nodded quickly, eyes wide. I just laughed and leaned down to press my lips against hers again.

Everything would be alright.

______

"Why have you decided to wait until now to plan for your first anniversary together?"

I glared at Maxim while I flipped him the bird. "Fuck off."

"I'm sorry mate, but he's on to something. Pray tell." Xander and Maxim were both right, but it wasn't what I needed to hear at the moment.

"Do y-you really think I-I haven't been on m-my own arse about s-s-something this i-important?" Really, I had been. I just wanted it to be perfect, and I hadn't landed on the right idea yet.

"Right then, what've you come up with?"

My hands instantly came up to cover my face. "I-I'm going t-to get her flowers--"

"Well don't outdo yourself." Jax should really keep his mouth shut after the whole tree situation yesterday.

"Y-You know w-what, I-I'll just--"

"Why didn't you wake me this morning?" Angel looked like a sight for sore eyes If I had ever seen one before.

She was wearing one of my jumpers, the deep brown fabric reaching past her knees. Her hair was done up in a messy bun, her face on full display for me to stare if I did please. I definitely did so.

I made my way over to her from where I was sitting next to Hades and greeted her with a soft kiss. She smiled against my lips and I brought a hand up to cradle her face.

"G-Good Morning to y-you, my love."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a tight hug. "Good morning." She sounded put off by something.

I frowned and ran my hands up and down her sides. "You alright?"

Angel nodded against my shoulder and I took a breath. I'd definitely be asking her about it later. Now really wasn't the best time to get into anything.

"Did I interrupt?"

"N-Nothing ever more i-important than you." I didn't have to look to know Angel was blushing. "Want some brekkie?"

She shrugged and pulled away, "Not too hungry at the moment, maybe later?"

I didn't know why I felt like something was off with her answer, but I let it slip by anyways.

"Tea then?" She nodded at that.

"Tea sounds fine."