"Going to sulk for the rest of your days?"

The Greecian wind tussled my strangely-cut hair. With it came the smell of the sea. Stretched before me was the ocean, glittering and black against the backdrop of the stars and full moon. Behind me sat Corinth. My legs dangled from the roof of some abode, and I had been kicking them back and forth.

"Yes."

Auriel sat besides me with a chuckle. He wiped off his hands, looking out at the sea.

"This is relaxing."

I glared, annoyed. "What do you want, Auriel?"

"I haven't seen you in weeks—not for lack for trying, of course."

I ground my teeth before replying. "Yes Auriel—usually when people don't want to be found, they go places that are unexpected."

Auriel hummed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him swivel his head to face me. "Yes, I suppose. I guess it is a bit embarrassing I hadn't thought you would come to The Surface sooner."

I looked at him and glared. "Don't you have something your attention demands in Metatron?"

"No."

"The hour is late—shouldn't you retire for the night?"

"No."

"Don't you need to lick the bottom of Mikha'el's boot?"

"No. Certainly not that, no."

I sighed, frustrated.

"Seraphin," he told me, resting his hand upon my own. I was admittedly surprised when he called me my name. "I am not the enemy here."

I looked away.

"Sera—no one is your enemy. Least of all Mikha'el."

I snorted loudly and crossed my arms.

"Fine," Auriel said, his voice taking a harder edge, "let us go this route. You are a newly appointed Seraphim and you have not shown up for one of your duties yet."

"If it were truly an issue, Mikha'el would have dragged me back by my ear already," I rebuked. I knew I was right.

Auriel laughed. "Goodness, you really are an infuriating twat, aren't you?"

"Of course you would recognize one of your own kind," I retorted moodily.

Auriel laughed again and removed his hand off my own. He then shifted his body flush with mine, drawing his full attention to me. "Sera, truthfully; what can I do to help you?"

"Why are you doing this?" I asked quietly, bitterly, hoping he hadn't noticed the tears which had suddenly sprung to my eyes.

"Because you are my friend."

I looked at him. He laughed once more. "What? Do not look so surprised, Ulci—sorry, Sera. You are my friend." Then, more quietly, "I only hope you feel likewise."

"Did I fuck up?" I asked in desperation, bursting into tears. "Have I made a mistake?"

Auriel's face twisted into alarm, lips parting slightly. Once the shock wore off, he answered. "Yes."

"Is there anything I can do? I know the naming ceremony is permanent, but, but—is there nothing I can do?"

Auriel cupped my face in his hands. "Seraphin—calm yourself."

"I am sorry. I haven't wept in all the time I've been gone. I guess I can't keep it in any longer." I have a deep, shuddering breath, and my face crumpled. "Does Mikha'el hate me?"

"Oh, Ulcinin."

Auriel drew me into his arms, gently beating his wings to create a soothing breeze.

"It's Sera," I sniffled against his chest.

He laughed. "Yes, Sera. Dearest Sera. Take heart—he doesn't hate you."

I stilled.

"But that isn't to say he's not angry with you. He is. Deeply so."

I pulled away. "Even now? After all this time?"

"You broke his trust, Seraphin. Certainly you comprehend that?"

I couldn't. I could only imagine what I looked like when all my wings drooped and I looked up at Auriel wide-eyed and tear stained. "I have?"

"Sera," Auriel chided strictly, "you didn't tell him your plans, you outright refused to answer his questions about your name, and then you declared yourself as close to seraphim as you possibly could."

I didn't reply, just cast my eyes off to the side in guilt.

"Had you told him your name, this could have been avoided. Yes, I'm sure you both would have squabbled. Yes, I'm sure he would have tried to talk you out of it. Yes, perhaps you would have had a proper row about it–but it wouldn't have escalated to all this. "

Auriel gestured to me up and down, then out at the sea and our surroundings.

"He only cared at all because he thought it would make him look bad," I spat out.

"And it did!" Auriel admonished. "It made him look very bad!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, boy," Auriel snapped. "He is the one who watched over you. He is in charge of shaping you. He has his own reputations to uphold, all of which reflect not only on him but on God Himself. So to have his closest disciples, an angel he has been tasked with constructing from the ground up, for that pupil to be pompous and arrogant?"

"I think I am going to be sick."

"You most certainly are not! And if you do, look that way; the last thing I need is your mess on my robes."

I snorted. Then I laughed. Then I tilted my head back and looked up at the stars as the sky began to rain.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Well for one," Auriel said, clambering to his feet, "come home. Stop hiding from everything."

"And for another?"

Auriel bent at the waist to look at me. "Learn how to be proficient in the area of ass-kissing."

"Ha-ha," I said drly.

Auriel stood up. "I'm serious—to a point. You really screwed up this time, Sera. Yet there is hope; he can't hate you forever. He loves you too much for that."

"He...hates me?"

Auriel tisked and crossed his arms. "I hate you, to an extent, because of the grief you've caused my brother. But like I said, hate doesn't last forever, especially in angels."

Thank God for small miracles, I thought bitterly as it began to pour.

"Come Ulcinin. It's really quite miserable out. Let's go home."

"It's Sera."

Auriel laughed and then we both flickered back to Heaven.

~

I couldn't find Mikha'el for three days.

On the fourth day I caught a glimpse of his blonde hair. He sensed my presence, for he looked over his shoulder, took one look at me, and hurried away.

I couldn't find him again on the fifth day.

On the sixth day I caught up with him. Touching his shoulder was the absolute wrong thing to do on my part. He whirled around and burst into flames. Literally. Everyone yelped and scurried away, tripping over each other and colliding in mid-air. For a second I saw his true form—our true form. Yet for the first time I wasn't afraid. On the contrary I found him even more beautiful.

My look of... I don't even rightly know. Devotion? Reverence? Love? Whatever it was, it quelled his snapping white flames immediately, the eyes disappearing. He was his human form, glaring at me.

I almost preferred his terrifying, full-blown seraphim form compared to the look of annihilated anguish he cast me. I was so taken aback it felt like I had been stabbed in the chest.

I had caused that look? Turmoil, betrayal, sadness, grief? I had done that much damage to him?

"Don't," he told me in a low, flat, threatening voice with a sharp edge of pain and vulnerability I couldn't stand.

As he turned his back to me I had my answer.

I also had a vow.

I was going to set things right with him as fast as possible.

So, on the seventh day...On the seventh day, when Heaven went into soft lock down like every seventh day, I disobeyed God. Instead of resting I spent the entire day inside Metatron, doing anything but.