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There’s a stillness in the air tonight, warm but comfortable, the noise of the city neverending but dulled by the hour and Eri’s hushing, healing invocations. The angels had spent the morning cleaning the observatory and training, but they’ve long since settled down. Moune and Eri are playing a human card game that Moune seems to be losing badly, Alata is watching an animated movie with Nozomu, and Hyde and Agri are out in the clouds, stretching their wings.
Rather, Hyde is running along a beach, struggling to take off at all, and Agri is flat on his stomach, still exhausted from their flight to the sea in the first place. They’d left early in the afternoon, while the breeze was light but enough to ease their path to the beach where they spent the rest of the day, but now, there’s nothing, not enough wind to even ruffle Agri’s mussed hair.
“Can you really not take off?” Agri asks, and beats his wings to stretch out a stiff muscle. He instantly regrets it when a cloud of dry sand sprays his face, and he grumbles and stands up. Hyde is either ignoring him or can’t hear him, because he’s still running, and he’s still barely managing a few flaps of his massive, sleek wings before splashing inelegantly back into the shallow water. At least it’s warm enough that the cold water is a blessing, but it’s getting late and they still have to fly home, and no matter how warm it is down here, it’s always cold in the air.
“Oi. Hyde.” Agri flashes the other angel with a flirtatious shake of his wings to try to grab his attention. It does nothing. Agri supposes he shouldn’t be surprised, there’s no reason why Hyde would know anything about Landic courtship rituals and why that should be seen as flirtatious and attention-grabbing, but at the same time, he’s still a little annoyed by it. His wings are amazing, after all! Sure, they’re a lot smaller than Hyde’s and he can’t fly as far, and he certainly can’t fly in the acrobatic way that Eri and Alata can, but they look fantastic when he shakes them out like this, the black, white, and bright purple-blue-green iridescent patterns bold and striking even in the dim light of the full moon. Everyone has said his wings are attractive, and even Moune, with her more subdued brown and tan pattern, was always complimented on her wings. So even if Hyde doesn’t know, he should just… pick up on it! Someone so smart should be able to realise what a catch Agri is, and how impressive his courtship dance is. Even if he’s just doing it as a joke, or something.
He huffs, and folds his wings down, though he doesn’t bother dematerialising them. It’s not like anyone is going to see them out here, and they should hopefully be leaving soon anyway.
It’s as he’s making an effort to not sulk that Hyde finally slumps down beside him, his massive wingspan over twice his already ridiculous height less impressive when the dark feathers disappear in shadow. It’s gotten dark, fast, Agri realises.
“We should make a fire for tonight.” Hyde says after a moment, and Agri grunts in agreement. He’s tired, a combination of the long flight and the heat, but Hyde’s right, and he quickly sets up a pit. Within the hour, the two of them are warming themselves and the smoke is rising high into the sky with barely a shift in direction.
“Is this why you always take off from the top floor, even when you know it scares Nozomu?” Agri asks as the two of them eat the leftovers of their earlier lunch, grateful to themselves for packing large portions of proper food and not leaving Eri to do it.
“Well, partially,” Hyde admits, neatly finishing off a cucumber sandwich. “I will admit, I am embarrassed that I am struggling so much today. Perhaps it is a sign that I have been too lax in my physical training.”
Agri hums. It’s true that if Hyde were a Landic, he’d be seen as quite frail. Even the light-boned Skyic Alata has more obvious muscle mass than Hyde, but it could be that Hyde is just so lanky that the muscle gets stretched out, like how his wings are so long but not very wide at all. Agri had met other Seaics before, but none like Hyde, who seemed to have a certain affinity for the open ocean. Maybe his unusual physiology was a part of that.
“I know you’re weird for a Guardian Angel in general, but are you weird compared to other Seaics, too?”
Agri swears he didn’t mean for it to come out like that, but it did, and now all he can do is smile as Hyde turns to him with furrowed brows.
“I am a perfectly normal Seaic, thank you. Perhaps you are the weird one here.”
“No, I mean, uh… I was thinking, I don’t know much about Seaics except what you’re like, can you tell me about what’s normal in your tribe?” Agri fumbles over his words, but he’s determined to get them out. “Like, I don’t know, how do Seaics do their courtship dances, stuff like that…”
Hyde’s eyes narrow briefly, but his face then shifts to something else that Agri doesn’t recognise and rapidly colours, noticeable even in the flickering firelight.
“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, I know not everyone is as open about stuff like that as us Landics, or at least me an’ Moune’s particular part of the tribe...”
“No, rather, yes, it is true that we Seaics are not the most public with our mating displays as compared to your tribe, but…” Hyde trails off, and flicks his right wing in a curious motion that could be to shake off water, despite the fact Hyde’s wings never get wet in the first place, or… could mean something else entirely. There’s no way he could know, of course, but he’s intrigued, and Hyde’s openness to the topic has emboldened him.
“How about I show you mine first? It’s pretty impressive, so don’t feel pressured if you can’t match up to it, just watch, alright?” Agri jumps up, and he can feel the warmth in his face. He must be as red as Hyde, but it’s fine. He’s practiced this a thousand times. A dazzling display is as important as combat training in the Landic tribe, after all. At least for the males, though many female Landic members are joining in on the tradition these days too, some even dyeing their feathers while some prefer to remain natural. It’s one of Agri’s favourite things about Landic society, and something he’s missed. While he and Moune can critique each other, it never feels quite right to go all out in front of a sibling, and Moune never practiced much to start with. He breathes out steadily, and takes a few steps back, looking for the right angle for the light to best hit his feathers.
“C’mon, Hyde, watch me!” Agri complains as he notices that Hyde is staring more at his shoes than at his wings.
“Sorry, I… Of course, please, continue. I appreciate that you are willing to share this part of your culture with me.”
Agri huffs, but begins his dance. His wings flap down against the ground lightly as he moves his body rhythmically, his feet moving in time with the deep Landic drum beat echoing from his Tensouder. Then, the real impressive part, at least in his opinion. He raises his hands above his head, wrists slightly crossed, and his wings follow the curve. While his wings are short compared to Hyde’s, they’re much flashier, and he’s confident that he can mesmorise anyone, even a stuffy Seaic, with this part. His wings flutter where they’re raised, their full width and intricate patterns on display, the shimmying dance highlighting the multidimensional pigment of his central feathers and pulsing through to the tips of his flight feathers. He turns and lets Hyde see the full glory of the back of his wings too, and while he’s starting to feel tired again, he’s not going to give Hyde anything less than his best. He turns back around and covers himself with his wings once, twice, three times, beckoning and promising until he finally bows, arms, back and wings parallel to the ground. He holds the position for as long as he can stand it, then stands back up, a little out of breath.
“So, what do you think?”
If Hyde was blushing before, he’s positively scarlet now. His mouth moves without any words coming out, and the wing that he had flicked out before is stuck out at an odd angle while the other one stays tucked behind his back.
“Pretty hot, right?”
“It was certainly… different to the types of courtship rituals common in Seaic tribes.”
Agri deflates a little.
“But I would be lying if I were to say that it did not convince me of your worthiness as a potential mate—”
Hyde looks like he’s going to say more than that, but Agri’s sudden overjoyed leap into the air and the gust of his wings startles him.
“I knew I’d win you over if I managed to get you to watch it just once! I mean, thanks! It means a lot, coming from you.” Agri scratches the back of his neck and folds away his wings in embarassment, though still beaming victoriously.
Hyde lets out a short laugh at that, but he finally stands and stretches both his wings out. They’re so long that Agri has to turn to see either tip, and Hyde’s not even standing close, the fire still flickering between them.
“I would like to share a dance with you too, Agri…” Hyde’s voice is low but mild, and he tucks his wings back in before he continues. Agri tries not to read it as rejection. “But we should sleep. Not only are we both tired, I would prefer to show you in the light of day so you receive a better understanding of the differences between our two cultures.”
“Sure, yeah. Of course. Makes sense.” Agri says, and starts to put out the fire with sand as Hyde cleans their lunch boxes and prepares fresh water for them to drink. The awkwardness lasts even as they cuddle into each other to sleep, Agri’s wing providing warmth above them as Hyde’s provides shelter above that, but they fall asleep quickly, the events of the day taking its toll.
Dawn greets them with a burst of warmth and a tickling breeze. Agri wakes first, slightly too warm, and he goes to stretch before he realises that Hyde’s still asleep, his large wing with its sleek blue-black feathers and little patch of white fluff underneath keeping them bothsafe. So he relaxes again instead, and indulges in the stories of each grain of sand that slips between his fingers as he watches Hyde sleep.
He doesn’t sleep that much longer. Agri had just started to doze off again as he feels Hyde shift.
“G’morning, Hyde.”
“Good mo— oh, I’m sorry. I hadn’t realised that I had trapped you under here.” Hyde folds his wing back sheepishly, and Agri folds back his own and stretches, slow and languid.
“Pretty comfy trap, to be fair,” he teases, then sighs as he rolls onto his back and looks up to the sky. “Nice bit of a breeze. We can probably make it home before the others realise we’ve been out all night.”
Hyde stretches too, and sits up, the breeze ruffling his hair, his regular preened-over hairstyle washed out and replaced with one much more natural if still a bit spiky from salty seawater.
“You are correct. But…” he hesitates, and brushes sand off his white pants as he stands up. “Did you… Were you still interested in learning about the Seaic courtship dance, while we’re here?”
Agri leaps to his feet.
“Yeah! I mean yeah, sure, if you still wanna show it.”
Hyde smiles stiffly and takes a few deep breaths.
“Okay. Well… It’s a bit different to the Landic one in that we’re supposed to do it together,” he explains, “I mean, that is to say… If you were interested in another angel, you would perform the dance together as best you could, but uh, I’ve actually… I haven’t...”
Agri blinks, and Hyde finishes his explanation with all of the lack of grace of his running take-offs.
“I have never actually performed this ceremony as the leader.”
Agri furrows his brow.
“What do you mean by that? Is it normally done by women, or something?”
“No, rather, the gender of the leader is irrelevant. It is just… I…”
Hyde’s expression clouds as he looks away, and Agri nudges his shoulder.
“Hey, c’mon, you don’t have to show me if you don’t wanna, I’m not gonna be offended.”
“I apologise. It is just strange for me to be the older partner. A Seaic’s first romantic partner will almost always be someone older and more experienced, arranged by their family and community, so to guide them into doing the right thing when they move into pursuing an adult relationship of their own when they come of age.”
Agri frowns.
“Doesn’t seem very romantic.”
“It is logical,” Hyde corrects, “And chaste.”
Agri huffs at that, and crosses his arms.
“Chaste and logical. Talk about a great first love.”
“Yes, it was.” Hyde says wistfully, either not picking up on Agri’s sarcasm or ignoring him. It could go either way with him, Agri knows. “I miss him every day, Agri.”
Agri doesn’t need to ask who. The pain of losing Magis weighed so heavily on Hyde back when they had first started fighting the Warstar, and though he’s long since made his peace, Agri knows that losing your partner leaves scars on even the most experienced of angels, let alone fledgelings. He always suspected Magis and Hyde’s relationship was romantic, too, given that they had a pair of childhood friends and a pair of siblings. A pair of lovers would have perfectly rounded out their team dynamics, and would have been perfect for what Master Head wanted them to learn about human life and relationships on Earth. Angelic romance is so different from what they’ve learnt of messy, chaotic, but somehow still charming human romance, after all, but still close enough that they can draw comparisons and learn from it.
“Hyde…” Agri starts after the silence between them starts to grow wide, but he doesn’t know how to finish it.
But he doesn’t have to, as Hyde looks at him, his eyes teary but a rare broad smile on his face.
“I can never forget him, and I will always regret that our time together was cut short… But that is not to say that I can never move on. It would be a disservice to the time he spent with me, teaching me all he knows. Agri, may I have the pleasure of this dance?”
“Uh, sure, of course!” Agri mimics Hyde’s bow, and restrains a shiver as Hyde’s right wing stretches out straight, and his right hand with its long, cool fingers slide up his arm to rest lightly on his left shoulder.
“Mirror me. I will lead best I can, but… Agri…”
Agri mirrors Hyde’s position, stepping closer to make up for their height difference and the length of Hyde’s ridiculous arms. There’s no way he can match Hyde’s wingspan, but he stretches his wing out as far as he can anyway.
“Is this good?” he asks, and Hyde nods, a faint blush starting to stain his cheeks.
“Yes, but… Agri, I just want to let you know… I don’t want to be your first partner.” Hyde mumbles rather rapidly, and outstretches his left wing as he rests his left hand on Agri’s waist.
Agri mirrors his positioning again, and shrugs the shoulder Hyde’s hand is resting on, trying to disguise the way his heart just skipped a beat.
“Despite what Moune thinks, I’ve had some experience with love before, you know. Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you have to teach me anything.”
He can feel Hyde relax under him at that, and can’t help but to flutter his wings a bit in the flirtatious Landic way. Hyde smiles at him again, and yeah, Agri could really get used to seeing that.
“C’mon, let’s just do it naturally. I’m a quick learner.”
The dance is not that difficult to learn, in any case. He follows Hyde’s motions, smooth dips, soft swaying and wing movements he supposes are meant to simulate riding the ocean waves and currents, but it’s all rather slow, with a lot of emphasis on exact angles if Hyde’s gentle corrections of his limb and wing placement are not just Hyde being Hyde.
He’d almost say he’s starting to get bored, but then Hyde moves closer, much closer, so close that if they were closer in height Agri’s sure their lips would touch. But instead of a kiss, Hyde lowers his head down on Agri’s shoulder, and Agri mirrors him as best he can in this, too. They sway like this for a while, more of a hug than a dance at this point, and Hyde slowly closes his wings and lets his hands drop from Agri’s body. It’s then that the serious and logical Hyde returns, though his voice is soft and low, and his cheeks are as red as a freshly blossomed rose.
“I am embarrassed to admit… When we first met, I… The way you so frequently touched my shoulder… I may have perceived it as flirtatious, and responded at the time as a Seaic rejecting a new suitor while grieving their former partner. I understand that you must not have known such an action could have been perceived in such a way, and apologise for any discomfort my admission may bring you, as well as my previous demeanour towards you.”
“You’re still pretty prickly now, Hyde,” Agri teases, but his heart is beating so hard it feels like it might crack his ribs. He knows for a fact that Hyde had only brushed off his touches early on, and after the fight with Crisolar, he’d become more and more accepting of them, even leaning into them and returning them every now and then. He’d personally just taken it as Hyde learning to relax more around the team once he’d had some time to properly grieve Magis and begin his healing process, but he never could have imagined it could be something… more.
He touches Hyde’s shoulder again, not so much in his joking nudge or soft punch way, nor in the measured, delicate manner of the Seaic’s courtship ritual, but something that would be hard to misinterpret even between the two of them and their shopping list of misunderstandings so far. It’s a caress, fingers dancing over and around the back of his shoulder before they slide down to the edge of Hyde’s grey t-shirt sleeve, then back up, pushing the fabric away so he can wrap his hand around the slim, bare flesh of Hyde’s upper arm.
“Does Seaic culture allow kissing between unmated and unpartnered pairs?”
“It is more typical that such behaviour comes after the announcement of courtship to family and friends, but—”
Agri already has Moune on call before Hyde can finish explaining.
“Hey sis. Me and Hyde are courting now. Tell the others. See you soon!”
“… I was going to say, for intertribal relationships, you can follow whichever tribe’s culture you prefer with regards to—mmmph!”
“Good to know.” Agri says after he pulls back, and grins widely as Hyde tries to find his bearings again after being tugged down to kissing height. His grin is quickly replaced with a shout of surprise as Hyde decides to sit back down in the warm sand instead, and pulls him down with him.
“Seeing as there’s no longer any need to sneak back before anyone notices we have been missing for the entire night, perhaps we should spend some time working on that technique of yours?”
A dozen rebuttals dissolve behind Agri’s lips as Hyde’s own lips press against them, soft as clouds and salty as the sea.