niteo (verb) - i am radiant

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥  dreamers by oh gravity

AMIR COULDN'T BELIEVE
CASSIAN GOT WINGS BEFORE HIM

Amir was understandably upset, and maybe somewhat a little in awe of Cassian's wings. They were dark; leathery like a bat with a wide, warrior-like wingspan. He found it particularly fitting, but that didn't mean he wasn't a little jealous. Slowly, his eyes trailed over the newly-born wings, ignoring the slowly brewing envy that was beginning into his chest. Even then, he couldn't pull his eyes from them.

That is, until he felt a gentle hand on his arm.

Amir glanced up then, meeting the warm, reassuring eyes of none other than Freddy Harrow. The touch against his skin ran down deep into his blood, traveling backwards up the veins and sending glittering oblivion into his heart. Their eyes remained locked for a moment, before his hand gently retracted, turning back to Cue, who'd just entered the room with some kind of salve in his hands, pulling out a chair as he sat. Amir couldn't really help his lingering gaze towards his friend.

Has he always been that pretty?

Forcibly, he turned to look back to the gathered immortals around the table, where Cassian was, shifting almost uncomfortably. "So, let me get this straight, I just got wings because the universe thought I needed them?"

"Yes." Cue's answer was straight. Simple and to the point, as it most often was, only opening the container in front of him to inspect the dark glittering substance. It looked like the embodiment of a nebula; galaxy palates colliding and mixing with each passing second. Clearly, Cue felt the expectant glares of his companions, and he lifted his head once again to expand upon his obviously astute observation. "Asia needed you Cassian. And I don't think you could have broken that door down without some kind of magic in you."

"Rude. First of all."

Asia rolled her eyes, tapping the table with recently dried stiletto's, "Why was it Cassian though?"

Amir watched as Cue and Cordelia shared some undecipherable glance, before he nodded slightly, and Delia pushed up on her chair, resting her arms on the table. "Well, because he heard you Asia. Not just..out loud." She blinked, shaking her head, "None of us heard it. You and Echo are the only people who heard it."

That much was true. Amir himself had been in his own house, enjoying a wonderful episode of Queen Charlotte. It was just so sweet, he really couldn't help himself. Opting to stay silent, he crossed his arms over his chest, feeling the tension rise in the room as Asia turned to Cordelia.

Amir doesn't really think he'll ever stop being grateful that they aren't enemies.

"What are you saying exactly?"

"You're soulmates, Asia." Cordelia looked to Cue again, as if for confirmation. Cue's face was practically unreadable, but somehow, someway, Cordelia could read it. She turned back to her fellow immortal in less than a second. "I know you are."

Cassian leaned forward on the table then, a slow, conniving smile darting over his face. A cocksure grin, certainly, and one that was often as foreboding as Joon's signature smirk. "Nice."

Anastasia looked conflicted, eyes darting between them, that is until Echo set a plate on the table, a warm, lovely on her face as usual. Her interjection was much-needed, and well-deserved. "Don't be so shocked. We all knew it. It was practically inevitable." Echo's hand found Asia's back, rubbing it in soothing circles before smiling again at her. The smile that seemed to send an outpouring of sparkling magic down onto the floor, promising sun-kissed days, and lullabies by the stars. "Everything is alright."

Asia slowly relaxed into her chair, nodding a little as Cassian's hand found her own. Amir hid his own smile, sharing his own silent glance with Freddie again.

God, he really is pretty.

Instead of dwelling on that thought a little too much, he turned back to Asia when she spoke, her brows furrowing. "Wait, so how did Echo hear me too then?"

"She was in your head, Asia. That day on the beach." Cue's response was bland, sipping his coffee as he looked through a book, one in French in particular. Amir fought the building pride in his chest at the realization it was one of the one's from his own library that he had gifted to him.

"Oh." Anastaisa didn't really look convinced, but seemed to let go of the issue, instead looking back to Echo where she was washing the dishes quietly. "Where are your wings? Did they heal already?"

Amir felt himself tense, watching as each of the others did the same. Echo, always unphased, smiled lightly. "Yes."

Lie.

Asia didn't even question it, at least at first, but she glanced around, watching as each immortal avoided her eyes. Every immortal, except him.

Fuck.

"Amir." Her tone was cold, and that thick, prying sensation infiltrated his head suddenly. "What are you hiding?" Her tone was nothing short of accusatory, and he watched her eyes narrow, that pressure in his head building steadily.

"I'm jealous of Cassian's wings."

The thought was out before he knew it was. Despite the shame that flooded up his chest and into his cheeks, he was grateful for not letting out the other secret he currently kept locked in his chest. Slowly, he watched the other immortals untense, and even Echo was looking at him now. She shared a grateful glance before looking back at the dishes, remaining her soft, under-the breath humming.

Joon, thankfully, was the one who broke the silence. He had been leaning against the counter where Echo was, but pushed off of it, burying a stifled laugh for Amir's sake. "Aren't we all- I mean they look crazy."

"Yeah, they also hurt like hell." Cassian shot back through gritted teeth before turning back to Cue, leaving the strayed attention on Amir to be back front and center on the reason they were actually gathered.

Cue finally glanced up, sighing as if he'd just been put out in the worst way, then promptly marked his book and closed it, setting it on the table before rising with the nebula-gel, motioning with his fingers for Cassian to follow, "Come on Cass, quit your whining."

'Whining??" He sounded incredulous, but pushed up anyway, following him out the glass doors of the kitchen, leaving the others to prattle after him. "This shit hurts man."

"I'm not saying it doesn't Cassian."

"You just did."

"No, I just implied that you weren't strong enough to handle it." Cue stared at him, almost blankly, before Cassian's face shifted from angry to amused, then he grinned, and started laughing. Amir watched in amazement as Cue's face lightened too, shifting to a gentle smile, and that little huff of a laughter he'd heard more often now. "Come on Cassian, this will help."

Obediently, Cassian went over to him, wings basking in glorious form under the morning sun. They really were amazing. He looked even more imposing now, if that had been possible in the first place. Cue reached for the Gel, motioning for him to turn, something Cassian did, after saying something under his breath. Based on who Cassian was, Amir could guess. Cue got some of the gel on his fingers, then pressed droplets onto the joints of the wounds on his back. In a moment, Cassian's face contorted again, but then they were gone. The wings had vanished, and Cassian whipped back to him, clearly as confused as the majority of them.

Echo stepped forward, onto the grass, and Amir internally winced as she seemed temporarily unbalanced without the steady weight of her wings that had been out consistently for more than a month. She would have fallen on her face if not for Joon, who's arm had shot out, grabbing her hand and pulling her back up. Amir swore he saw something between them before Joon pulled his hand back, rubbing the back of his neck and sheepishly offering some kind of apology.

Amir's smile turned fond, watching them for a moment before shaking his head, turning back to the scene as Echo began speaking. "It's just to help null the magic right now, Cass. I used it all the time when I first got my wings. Because your wings were evoked by magic, there's a lot of active arcana in you right now, so it's just to help regulate until you can do it yourself."

"How do I know when I can do that?"

"You'll know." She nodded firmly, then smiled brightly, rocking onto the back of heels as she clasped her hands together, "So! Anyway! I think all of us could use a distraction, and Bryce invited me to the festival in town today, so we should go! It should be a lot of fun, and we can go shopping and stuff!"

 Excitement quickly replaced any sort of negative feelings that pulsed through his skin, eating his anxiety alive in bouts of exuberant warmth. He felt his own smile burst across his face, echoing the same enthusiasm. "Oh my God, we have too!" He ducked past Freddie beside him, immediately hooking his arms with Anastasia. "Please Asia?"

She just stared at him, but leaned into the touch anyway, huffing dramatically, "Why are you asking me?"

Joon's smile was easy, but Amir watched his hand gently slide onto Echo's back, standing in a position where it'd hardly be noticeable, "You're the injured one, we should really check to see if you're up for it first."

Echo's smile shifted, just barely. It was hardly noticeable. Regardless, she nodded. "Yeah. And we can use Cue's card."

"I'm sorry. I don't remember giving you permission." Cue crossed his arms over his chest, but from behind his arm came Cordelia, ducking past him and holding up his wallet. Spinning on the back of her heel, she walked backwards, facing Cue as she waved it to him.

"I don't remember asking. So that's good news."

Cue sighed, but it wasn't with any malice. He shook his head, but seemed to relent, "Fine, we can go."

Freddie smiled lightly, almost shyly and Amir instead let go of Asia, switching places with Cassian as he made his way back to his friend, taking his arm instead. "Don't worry Freddie, we're gonna get something amazing for you."

Amir felt his friend relax slightly, before he nodded hesitantly. "Alright. As long as you're sure."

"Of course I am." He smiled back, reaching and rubbing his arm gently, softening his voice so only the person beside him directly could hear. "And if you want to go, i'll just come home with you, okay?"

Amir watched as Freddie's cheeks slowly flushed, but he ducked his head away, only nodding. Frankly, it was a good enough response for him, so Amir linked arms with him instead, brightly turning to the rest of his friends. Echo's response was bright in turn, her own arm spinning with her and catching Joon's hand where it had been, before interlacing her fingers with his, and beginning to pull him towards her house, prattling on as the others fell into step behind her.

He watched as Cordelia fell beside Cue, offering him his wallet back offhandedly. Cue's response was a light smile before taking it and sliding it into his back pocket. It only took Amir half a second to actually make the connection. 

Shaking his thoughts from his head, he turned his attention towards Echo, who threw open her door, delicately navigating through her space before making it to her back door and turning back to her friends. "We're far enough that none of you should be recognized..but still try to keep a low profile. Make up names, or whatever you want." Her pause was glittering, and that same glint in her eyes glittered as it always did whenever she wanted to tease Joon back. So she hummed, smiling as she tilted her head in mock innocence. "And since Bryce now thinks Joon is my boyfriend, he's going to have to play the part." Echo turned to him, and to everyone's delight, watched the slow heat creep into his cheeks.

"Friends with benefits. I specifically remember her saying friends with benefits."

 "Well congratulations Joon, you just upgraded." Her smile was sly, "that is, unless you want to break up with me right before we go shopping." Gleefully, Echo didn't even allow him to answer, throwing open the door so they were blinded by the new and beautiful sight of a stunning town before them.

Fresh forest air flooded the grounds as they stepped from the house, listening to the bright and gleaming sounds of music and laughter scatter through the grounds. In the deep distance, a shimmering pool of water in the sun. Blooming trees adorned the outskirts of the town, and colors streamed all around them, promising that the rest of the summer season would be a glorious one.

Echo's features were bright, pointing out intermittently the buildings, but Amir's attention wasn't really on her at all. It was on the very companion beside him.

Freddie was smiling. One of those uncensored, nobody is looking, kind of smiled. His own eyes glittering just as much as the lake not that far beyond them. He was still holding onto Amir's arm, and even the thought sent that explosion of butterflies up his chest and deep into his heart.

Only this time, Amir didn't really mind.

He turned his own head away just in time to see in his peripheral vision that Freddie turned back to look at him too, only for both of their attention to be pulled from them, to a stout girl waving to them.

"Echo! Ya made it!"

Echo let go of Joon then, darting over to her and embracing her friend in a hug, "of course we did! I wouldn't miss it." She instead interlaced her arm with Bryce's, turning as she motioned to them, "These are my friends, I brought them too!"

Bryce's smile turned fond, taking her hand "That's great, we could really use all the income we can get from this festival, you know, support'n local business and all-" She turned, "Oh! There's this little clothin' outlet that I jus' passed, we can go there first!" it didn't take her another moment before she was dragging Echo after her, leaving the rest of them to scurry after.

The clothing store was cute, even if it wasn't at all what Amir was used too. Lines of clothing strung up on outside racks to draw in customers. It was cute, and honestly pretty wholesome. Amir pulled a red sweater off the rack, inspecting it for a minute before realizing it read smartass, in big bold letters on the front. Without missing a beat, he turned to face Asia, holding it onto his chest, gasping melo-dramatically. "Asia! I think they got a picture of you!"

Asia answered in a sneer, rolling her eyes before digging through the racks herself, yanking out a pretty black halter that had bitch written on it in cursive. She smiled prettily, "Oh look, here's one for you?"

Joon scoffed then, shaking his head. "Nah, I got you both beat." He just selected a plastic tiara from a toy box, adjusting it on his head, "Now, bow down peasants."

Freddie laughed beside him, pulling out a shortened crop top. An even navy coloration that would hang about mid-ab. Without thinking, Amir nodded. "That'd look great on you."

His companions' eyes lightened, smiling. "Really?

But before Amir could respond, an unwanted, unfamiliar voice pierced the air. "Ew."

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

wyn !!

fourteenth chapter done !

hi everyone - i know that it's
been a while, but i've decided
that i don't want to have an
unfinished book on my page,
regardless of activity. so, if you're
willing to support this book still
i'm willing to write it.

i took a while to decide if i wanted
to delete it or continue, and after
some thinking (and more than a
few cameos from certain immortals
in bookcase), i've decided i don't
want to abandon what i've been
working for. i only have 12 chapters
after this one, and i know i can
do it

so... i hope you'll stick with me