Fallen

I.

Luciel lay quietly on his dormitory bed, wings curled around himself for extra warmth. He knew that he had a class to go to, but the young Archangel couldn’t bring himself to care. If he left the room, he reasoned with himself, they would be there, and they would make fun of him just as they always did. Just because his wings weren’t one color like theirs. Did they make fun of Michael for having golden wings? Or Cassiel for his silver? No, only him, because his started black at the bottom and faded straight through the rainbow, ending with white at the top. His hair was, frustratingly, the same way.

No, Luciel couldn’t deal with the teasing, the jokes, any of it just then. He needed rest and relaxation, and laying on his bed in his room was exactly what he needed. Unfortunately, Gabriel didn’t seem to agree with him. He heard the key turn in his lock and glared at Gabriel when he came through.

“Luciel, you have a class right now. What are you doing in here?” Gabriel settled next to him on the bed, without so much as a ‘may I?’. Luciel had to fight the urge to hit the older Archangel.

“I can’t deal with it today. Please just let me rest?” He curled further in on himself, knowing that that wasn’t going to work, as much as he wanted it to.

“You can’t let them get to you, Luce. It’s just what they want. If you ignore them, they’ll stop.” Gabriel’s voice was soft and knowing, as though he were speaking from experience, but Luciel knew that he wasn’t. The Councilor had never been teased in his life.

“You don’t understand! None of you understand. They won’t stop, they never will, and why am I always the one punished?” Luciel frowned up at Gabriel who gently stroked a strand of his multi-colored hair from his face. “And you have no idea what its like...” He whispered, depressed.

“You’re the only one we catch, love. We can’t punish the others if you won’t give us names.” He was smiling so warmly at Luciel, and Luciel simply turned over and ignored him completely. “You’re being ridiculous! Words can’t hurt you, Luce, and you should be above all of this.”

“The words don’t hurt! I’m used to ignoring the damned words!” He paled and clapped his hands over his mouth the second he realized what he’d said.

“Luciel! You are not ever to swear! You should certainly be above that if nothing else. Now come on, you have a class.” Gabriel grabbed Luciel’s arm and jerked, cruelly, until the Archangel in training was forced to stand. He didn’t protest any more as he was drug out the door and through the streets, didn’t say anything when Gabriel forced him into the classroom and slammed the door behind him. Luciel settled quietly into his seat and ignored the snickers and giggles from the other students. He also ignored the dark look Adriel, the teacher sent his way. Fortunately, because Gabriel had dropped him off, he wouldn’t face any trouble from that end.

F A L L E N

He had just settled in for lunch, not in the cafeteria because that would simply be asking for trouble, when a shadow blocked out the light. He didn’t look up, didn’t react, even when the blow took him across the face. “Well, look at what we’ve got here. The little freak’s eating lunch alone again.” He recognized that voice, recognized Beriel, the most vicious of all of his tormentors.

“Please just let me eat my lunch.” His voice came out as a bare whisper, he didn’t dare look up. He didn’t need to look up to know that Beriel was smirking down at him, face twisted and ugly and so very cruel.

“Please just let me eat my lunch,” he sneered, laughing. “You’re pathetic.” He flinched when he felt Beriel climb on top of him and grab hold of his wings. “Let’s see, I’ve got a black one, I have red and orange and yellow, I guess today’s is green.” He jerked one of the feathers from Luciel’s wings, snickering when the pinned Archangel yelped in pain. The spot bled just a bit but stopped when a feather immediately grew back to replace the one taken.

“You’ve had your fun, now please Beriel...” His voice was quiet and defeated and he lay limp under the cruel trainee.

“Oh, but I think I’ll take a few doubles to add to my collection today. Who knows when one might disappear?” He grabbed hold of another feather and suddenly found himself dangling from a cruel, cold hand around his throat.

“I believe the little one asked you to let him go.” Luciel dared to look up at his protector and saw a very tall Archangel with huge black wings. “Scram, runt.” He dropped Beriel and watched with an amused smirk as the bully turned and fled. He then turned to face Luciel and dropped to his knees beside him in one smooth motion. “Are you alright, little one?”

“I’m fine...” He hesitantly looked into the face of the Archangel who’d rescued him and realized that he had no idea who this black-winged Archangel was. He’d never seen black wings, aside from the bottoms of his own.

The mysterious Archangel reached out and gently caressed his face, stroking the soft multi-colored hair. “Don’t let them treat you like that. You’re better than all of them. Now, I believe you have another class soon.” The Archangel stood and stretched, then extended a hand to help Luciel to his feet. “Run along.”

Luciel smiled sweetly at him and whispered, “Thanks,” before running off to his next class.

F A L L E N

Meros watched the beautiful Archangel in training until he was out of sight, then turned to face the tree Luciel had leaned against. “You can come out now. He’s gone.” He smirked as the wingless man stepped out from behind the tree. “I still don’t get why you couldn’t scare him off.”

“Please, Meros, I am quite obviously not someone who belongs in Heaven. Do you know how much trouble I could get that little one in? He’d be kicked out, and I’d rather he come to us willingly.”

“Yeah, but I’m not exactly supposed to be in here myself. What makes you think that little brat isn’t gonna go rat us out?”

“Obviously he’d have to explain just what it was you prevented him from doing.” The man smirked then tossed his long red hair over his shoulder. “Now, let’s be off before somebody catches us.” He turned to walk away, then paused and looked back at Meros. “And you’d better get used to being up here, I’m putting you in charge of watching my little Archangel.”

Meros sighed heavily and muttered, “Whatever you say, Lucifer.”