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Aether loved humans.
It was his job to keep an eye on them, after all. Observe them, keep record of any important details and history that occurs amongst humanity, then report it to Celestia. Between watching them start and end wars to them falling in love and falling apart, Aether saw it all. He loved how real it was, being a human.
But it was unexpected, when he found a human he couldn’t keep his eyes away from. It was a simple day for Aether, as he followed a group of mortals into one of the city’s libraries. The building was tall and covered with greenery, with lights hanging from the ceiling to create a natural glow that reminded Aether of sunlight. The students walked through the doors and past tall bookshelves when a man caught his eye.
The human was sitting by the window, almost looking bored as he flipped through the pages of his book. The group of people approached the man, and he gave them no attention even as they started to speak. They were saying words that Aether couldn’t quite understand, mentioning projects the students were working on and lectures at a place called the Akademiya.
Aether took a seat next to the man, using the opportunity to observe him closely. From the way he spoke to his classmates, it was clear that he kept everyone at an arm’s distance. He was in his own world and had no intentions of letting anyone else inside. But being able to silently sit beside him like this, Aether felt like he could be a part of that life. Maybe the angel could become a part of the people adored, if it meant becoming closer to this human.
Aether watched the man’s fingers as he shooed the group away. He would have thought that it would cause disappointment or sadness the way the man just brushed off the group like it was nothing. But the students giggled and laughed like it was normal, something they already expected from the man regardless of their attempt for a more positive reaction.
He had seen so many different interactions between humans during his time as an angel. For as much as he loved mortals and their complicated lives, this was the first time he felt desperate for more. A chance to escape his life from Celestia above and experience life if this one man could see him. If he could see Aether, would he ignore him like the rest? What would their conversations be like? Angels in Celestia could be monotonous, but everything about this man was unexpected. Aether craved more, and he had to find a way to satisfy the feeling.
——
He found out his name was Scaramouche.
The more Aether followed him around his daily life, the majority of his peers called him Scaramouche. He actually had a multitude of names, but Scaramouche was the one that he heard the most. Aether learned that the Akademiya he went to was a college, and he was a student there studying history. He wrote a lot of research papers on the origins of the nations and different historical events, gaining his popular reputation. Aether couldn’t help but wonder how he would react meeting someone who has seen all of the events that he’s spent so many hours researching, and the long conversations they could have about life.
There have been a few times where he worked harder to make his presence known. Aether would use all of his energy to flip a page of Scaramouche’s book to a certain page he was trying to find while researching, granting a raise of the man’s eyebrow in interest. He never said anything out loud about the random phenomena, but Aether hoped it was enough to reach out.
It was late at night when Aether finally finished his duties for Celestia, and he decided to visit the student’s apartment and see what the man was up to. It wasn’t surprising at this point to find him reading at his desk, and it made Aether laugh a bit. Conversations he’s seen from Scaramouche and his aunt popped into his mind, discussions about the young man doing more than only reading and researching.
Aether sat on the edge of Scaramouche’s desk, looking down at the book resting flat on the desk. His eyes scanned over the words before they widened, as shock settled in when he realized Scaramouche’s book wasn’t the usual textbook he would catch the student reading. The book was a romance novel, although Aether couldn’t figure out what the story was about from the pages that were displayed to him. He was on a page where the two love interests were having a conversation, with inner dialogue describing the main character’s conflicting feelings towards the love interest.
He didn’t expect Scaramouche to be someone who was worried about things like romance. The angel never sees him with many people, and he never noticed anything different in behavior that would imply romantic interest. Aether’s studied humans for hundreds of years, with different ways that they’ve expressed interest in another person. But Scaramouche never displayed any of these traits. Was there someone Aether never noticed?
Scaramouche let out a soft sigh, catching Aether’s attention. He closed the book as he pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes shut tightly. Aether thought he looked frustrated, but also more tired than usual. His assumptions were proven right as he watched Scaramouche rest his head on the table, eyes still closed but more relaxed now.
“Maybe just for a few minutes…” Scaramouche mumbled under his breath. It was a sound Aether grew to love, the softness of his voice when he was alone. It was cold around others, but only in rare situations Aether got to hear the gentle tone of Scaramouche’s voice.
Even if he wanted this to be just for a minute, it didn’t work out the way Scaramouche intended. It only took a minute for sleep to take over, and Aether let out a quiet laugh. He reached down to lightly brush his fingers along Scaramouche’s cheek, and move the strands of hair blocking his view. The angel uses enough strength to make sure the hair stays behind Scaramouche’s ear, despite a few of the shorter strands falling forward again. Aether always tried his best to be considerate of the human’s privacy, making sure to never observe him during moments that felt too invasive. Sleeping was one of those instances, but he couldn’t stop admiring how peaceful Scaramouche was as he slept. There was only so much he could do as an angel, only watching and never truly living.
An idea creeped into his mind, and he made his decision. No matter the cost.
——
The human world was more overwhelming than he thought, now that Aether could feel everything. The rush of people going to destinations, the different sounds that passed him by, the colors and lights were much more intense than the man could ever imagine. It was enough to make him reconsider his decision to descend from Celestia, but it was a choice he had to live with for the rest of his now mortal life.
He sighed softly as he tried to move through the crowd, a bit unsure of where to go in the first place. Aether had a home to go to thankfully, his sister and fellow angels made sure of it. But as far as what he was going to experience first, he couldn’t decide. His instinct was to find Scaramouche, but he worried that it would be too weird. What if things didn’t go as he planned? The thought of ruining his chance to meet the person he’s fallen for was terrifying.
Aether didn’t realize his eyes were focused on the ground as he walked, causing him to bump into another person. The force was strong enough to knock him to the ground, at least that’s what he expected. A hand was placed on his lower back as the other held onto Aether’s forearm, and he looked up to see who had stopped his fall.
“Are you alright?” Scaramouche asked, only a slight amount of concern shown across his features.
“I, well…” Aether stumbled with his words, staring at the man holding onto him. It made him shiver, that Scaramouche was this close and actually touching him. It was something he dreamed of, and it finally came true. “I’m fine, thank you. I’m… Sorry, for bumping into you.”
“Just make sure you’re watching where you’re going next time.” Scaramouche paused, a small breath escaping his lips. “You have pretty eyes, you shouldn’t be staring at the ground like that.”
“... thanks.” It came out quietly, and Aether found the strength to stand upright again. Scaramouche took that as his chance to pull away, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Are you new to the city? I’ve never seen you around before.” Scaramouche’s voice seemed to soften, different from what Aether had heard before. “Not to mention the way you were stumbling around the street. You look like a fish who just learned how to walk.”
Aether muffled a laugh, his voice a bit teasing when he spoke up. “And what if I was? Would you help me out?”
Scaramouche rolled his eyes, his arms unfolding as he steps past Aether. But as the former angel followed along, Scaramouche didn’t seem annoyed at the fact that he now had a follower. It almost felt like Aether was expected to follow, as Scaramouche glanced beside himself to make sure the blonde was still there.
The streets grew busy as they walked, and Aether could barely keep up with the man leading him. He assumed they must be walking to the library, but he couldn’t show that he actually knew where it already was. Aether pushed past pedestrians to stay close to Scaramouche’s side, until he felt a hand on his wrist. He was about to jerk away when he was pulled close into Scaramouche’s body, fingers sliding down to intertwine with Aether’s.
“It’s easy to get lost here at this time of day,” Scaramouche said. Now that they were close together again, Aether felt like the rest of the crowd disappeared. “I’ll lead you, so don’t get too scared. Got it?”
Aether gave him a nod before he silently followed Scaramouche, memorizing the warmth of his hand just in case they were pulled apart again.
——
But Scaramouche never let go. In fact, he pulled Aether even closer.
It did confuse him, how Scaramouche was so willing to let someone in. Aether had seen him push away everyone that came close, and yet there was no hesitation to let the blonde stay by his side. There were few times when Aether tried to question it, even in times when he saw Scaramouche still keeping others at a distance.
“You weren’t like that when we first met,” Aether said. They were in the library, hands interlocked as they sat at one of the tables in the study area. “Why did you keep me close when you pushed everyone else away?”
Scaramouche shrugged, brushing it off as a feeling he had and changed the subject. But Aether refused to dwell on it, deciding to appreciate it. After all, a feeling Scaramouche had let them fall in love with each other like Aether had dreamed of.
The next time it sank in was during a banquet the Akademiya was holding. Scaramouche’s connection to the head of the school granted him an invitation to the event, and naturally he brought Aether along as his partner. But even in an environment like this, there was no changing how Scaramouche avoided others.
After a bit of small talk with guests, he leaned in close to speak in Aether’s ear. “Can you meet me on the balcony? I’ll wrap this up here. It’s getting too loud.”
But times in loneliness like this made Aether think back to everything he’s done, all that he’s sacrificed to get here. He leaned on the railing as he looked up at the sky, wondering how the others in Celestia were doing. If anything had changed because he was gone, or if anyone even noticed his absence. His heart tugged toward the stars hanging above him, missing the feeling of the wind underneath his wings.
“You seem far away from here, Aether.”
Aether turned his head to look at Scaramouche, who walked beside him. He leaned against the railing as well, letting their shoulders touch. “Sometimes I wonder if you’ll fly away if I let you go.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Aether exhaled, eyes still on the starry sky. I have nowhere else to go but to be with you after all, he thought to himself.
“You don’t talk much about your home, you know.” Scaramouche whispered. “For as much as you listen to me grumble and groan about Inazuma and my mother, you never talk about where you came from.”
“That’s because it doesn’t matter now.” The blonde glanced over, giving him a soft smile. “All that matters to me is that we found each other and that we’re together, right?”
“Yeah, you’re right…” Scaramouche’s voice trailed off, and there was a beat of silence between them. But Aether could tell it was still on his mind, and he was proven right when his partner spoke up again. “Do you miss your home?”
“Honestly, not that much,” Aether replied with a laugh. “My sister visits sometimes, but it’s much more fun here. I’ve gotten to experience way more than I ever could have back at home.”
Scaramouche swallowed, taking a deep breath as he approached his next question carefully. “Do you miss your wings?”
Suddenly the air felt cold around them. Aether had gotten so used to feeling Scaramouche’s warmth that he forgot what it was like to freeze, to feel the fear of losing something. Losing him.
“What?”
“Your wings… I’m sure you looked beautiful with them.” Scaramouche reached over and let his fingers brush along Aether’s back, trailing up until they found his shoulder blades through the satin of his shirt. “I… I saw the scars on your back. That’s what they were from, aren’t they?”
“Who told you?” Aether’s voice began to tremble, eyes watering no matter how hard he tried to stay calm. The stars in the sky were crashing around him, and he wasn’t ready to fall down with them. Scaramouche was the one to catch him the first time, but who would save him if his love was the one to push him out of his heaven?
“No one told me,” Scaramouche said. He stepped closer and pulled Aether against his chest, their hips bumping together. “What if I told you I saw you before we first met?”
Aether’s eyebrows furrowed, his lips pursing just a bit. “That’s impossible.. Humans can’t see beings from heaven, unless they become a human themselves. That’s how it’s always been. No one has been able to see me for thousands of years.”
“I did. It was a dream at first, at least I think it was.” Scaramouche rested his head against Aether’s, letting out a soft sigh as he spoke quietly. “Sometimes I would have a nightmare, but this blonde man with angel wings would come to me and pull me out of my fears. When I saw you that day, I knew it had to have been you. The scars just confirmed it.”
As he always did, Scaramouche’s words slowly brought him back down to earth. Aether relaxed into his touch, melting against his chest. “...Sometimes I miss them. But I would rip them out over and over again, if it meant I could be with you every single time.”
“You sacrificed too much for me.” His head turned to place a gentle kiss on the side of Aether’s head, his voice soft next to his ear. “You don’t have to do that anymore, okay?”
Before Aether could respond, he heard voices calling out for Scaramouche to return. The man groaned, pulling the blonde closer by the waist as he tried to use Aether’s body as a way to hide. “Can’t they see we’re busy…”
Aether’s lips curled into a grin as his fingers tilted Scaramouche’s chin up, giving him a playful kiss. He didn’t let the man do anything else before he pulled back, taking his hands as he tugged Scaramouche along. “Let me save you one more time?”
Scaramouche met Aether’s smile with one of his own, a smile Aether grew to love more than anything he had witnessed before. “Lead the way, angel.”