STILL FORSAKEN SHOULDERS FALL SILENT NOW

===

The rest of the day passed in a mild state of discomfort. It was clear to Erebus that the presence of Angel's parents in the family's life was causing them a mild state of distress. None of them said much at dinner, save for Tom talking about his important and busy day tomorrow, how he was planning for the Feynman family to come over for dinner, and Clara chatting with somewhat forced excitement about making a nice meal for their guests. Angel had mumbled something about baking cookies with Erebus before they arrived tomorrow, and Clara had nodded in approval.

It was an unspoken mutual agreement between Angel and Erebus that he would stay with her that night, just as he had the previous night. Not only would the two of them feel more comfortable like that, but it would also give Erebus a chance to stay close with Angel, and provide her comfort while she slept. In the back of his mind, he was wondering if she would end up having a nightmare, just as he had last night. Either way, he was prepared to help her, recalling the way she had calmed him down and helped to keep him grounded in reality back when he had been panicking. If something happened to her, he was prepared to keep her safe, no matter what.

When Angel awoke the next morning to the distant sound of the front door opening, she felt as if she had been boiled alive in a slow-cooker for the entire night. Somehow, the sensation was far from uncomfortable for her, since she knew that it was provided by Erebus being so close beside her. It made her feel so safe when he was around, in a way she was unfamiliar with, but in a way that she wouldn't trade it for anything else.

As she came to her senses, she became aware of a pair of arms encircling her waist, with a warm hand settled on her stomach. Soft breaths puffed on the back of her neck, and she wondered how long Erebus had been holding her like this without her being aware of it. She didn't even know if he was aware of it, and a part of her was grateful for this, because she didn't know how he would react to being in this position.

Here, in his arms, she felt safe and loved. She didn't want that to change.

Lifting her head off of the pillow, she glanced behind her, and nearly leapt out of her skin as she saw that he was awake, half-lidded crimson eyes meeting hers as a small smile crossed his face.

"Hi," he murmured.

"Jesus..." Angel mumbled, chuckling a little. "I didn't realize you were awake... Did you get any sleep last night?"

Erebus nodded. "I didn't go to the- I mean, I didn't have any dreams last night... none that I remember, anyway."

Angel smiled a little, resting her head back on the pillow. "That's good... I'm glad that you tried sleeping again."

"I felt safe doing it with you around."

A blush arose on Angel's face as Erebus said this, but it was one of pride, of happiness that she was able to have this effect on him. That was really all she wanted, for him to feel as safe as she did whenever he was near.

After a moment, she turned around so that she was facing Erebus, nuzzling her face into his neck. He was slightly taken aback by the sudden affection, but he certainly wasn't complaining - his arms tightened slightly around her, and he held her close, resting his head on top of hers.

"Thank you..." she whispered.

"For what?"

Angel quietly hummed as she closed her eyes. "Everything."

"I think I should be the one saying that to you," Erebus murmured. "I just want to show you the same love you've shown me."

Angel let out a quiet scoff. "I might be wrong, but I don't think you'd go as far as to kiss me just to piss someone off..."

"You still remember that?" Erebus looked down at Angel, tilting his head slightly. Angel glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Do I still remember kissing you? Of course I do." She frowned a little. "You don't think it meant nothing to me, did you?"

"So it meant something to you too?"

Angel's blush grew worse at Erebus's words, but she felt obligated to be honest. "Honestly... yeah, it did," she told him. "I could feel that it meant something to me while it was happening. Is that weird?"

Erebus shook his head. "I'm relieved," he said quietly. "I was trying to convince myself that it hadn't meant anything to me either, because I was afraid it meant nothing to you."

"Seriously?" Angel felt a pleasant, yet overwhelming warmth flutter in her stomach. "What, uh... What did it mean to you?"

Looking away, Erebus frowned slightly. "I don't know," he mumbled. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I know yet."

"And that's perfectly okay," Angel reassured him. "I don't know what it means yet either, if I'm going to be honest..."

Erebus glanced back up at Angel, leaning slightly closer to her. "Would you want to do that again?"

"What? Kiss you?" Angel's eyes widened as she watched him closely. "I mean... like, I- I dunno, properly? Or just on the cheek again?" She glanced down, fidgeting slightly with her hands. "Why are- Why are you even thinking about this? This... you know that this isn't something that people just... do, right?"

Erebus quickly moved back. "Angel, did I make you uncomfortable?"

"No, no..." Angel quickly reassured him, shaking her head. "I'm just... I'm just thinking. Talking about what you want or what's on your mind is always good, and I want to encourage that, even if it gets me a little flustered. I was just saying... People usually don't kiss unless they have romantic feelings for the other person."

"But you kissed me," Erebus said. "And now I'm asking for you to kiss me again. Does this mean that I have feelings for you?"

Angel tilted her head. "I don't know, does it?"

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she said this, awaiting Erebus's response. The thought of Erebus having romantic feelings for her was something that she was unsure how she felt about. It scared her, almost, but not in the way that she would have immediately thought. It scared her how much she wouldn't have minded if Erebus felt that way for her. Of course, they weren't enemies anymore, nor were they obligated to be, but the thought was still... indescribable to her. Somehow, it was a good type of indescribable.

"I don't understand what I'm feeling," Erebus told her. "I just know that... that you've given so much to me without even trying, and I want to give that back. And..." He looked away, and Angel could tell that he was blushing. "If kissing you means that I can show you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me, despite everything, then that's what I want to do."

Angel stilled as she felt a warm hand on the side of her face, and her eyes fluttered closed. Warm breath puffed softly against her as she felt Erebus move closer to her, and she braced herself for something to happen between them, to feel his lips on hers, almost as if she was hoping for it. A part of her felt as if it was, at this point, as if she was clinging to the hope that she could kiss Erebus for the same reason that he wanted to kiss her, to make him feel safe, and comforted, and loved.

Nothing came, however, and the sound of the bedroom door opening jolted Angel from her reverie.

"Angel?"

Angel sat bolt upright, feeling as if she had been electrocuted back into reality. "Clara-?!" she yelped as Erebus scrambled away from her, looking just as startled as she felt. "What the f- Just now, w-we weren't- nothing was- are you okay?"

Her aunt's eyes displayed a state of great panic and apprehension, betraying her ever-calm voice.

"Angel..." Clara stepped forward as Angel moved to the end of her bed. "An officer came to the door a few moments ago. He had been looking for you."

A firm weight settled into Angel's stomach. "Was his name Shein? Officer Shein...?"

"I can't remember his name, but that sounds familiar to me," Clara told her. "He... He told me to give you this, but..."

She was holding a photograph in her hands, and Angel's dread only intensified. Had Shein finally caught Erebus? That wouldn't have made sense, since he had been inside throughout yesterday.

"Dear, it's morbid... your parents, they're..."

Every word that Clara spoke only worsened Angel's growing anxiety, so she reached out, gently taking the photograph from her. As she looked down to observe it, the breath was rent from her lungs as she was paralyzed by shock.

A grainy photograph from an overhead security camera depicted the image of a secluded alleyway. On the concrete lay the dismembered bodies of Lydia and Joseph Abrams, what was left of them sprawled across the ground, still and lifeless. Blood was smeared on the wall of the alleyway, patterns and shapes forming words that were faint but easy to make out, words that clutched at Angel's heart and sent a chill down her spine.

"See you soon, Angel."

===

TO BE CONTINUED IN LOVE, ME NORMALLY