Angelo doesn't know what has gotten him so riled up and excited. The fact that he was invited to a hang out for teens by a cute boy who loves music or that he's fitting right in in a school meant for the rich. He shouldn't be surprised by that last part because he's never had trouble fitting in.
He's been a social butterfly since he was a little kid, he's never had any problems making friends it all comes so naturally to him. He starts conversations that never end and he makes people feel comfortable. He doesn't do it because he needs to he does it because that's just how he is.
A year ago if his future self told him that he had taken his life he wouldn't have believed him because he loves his life. But he did take his life, sometimes he forgets that bit. He didn't even mean to do it. He was so consumed by sadness and depression and the negative thoughts took over and took him to a dark place. He can handle other people spewing hatred his way, but his parents? His own family? He just couldn't take it. He felt like a monster because his parents made him feel that way.
Does he still feel that way? Well, he was brought back to life by a monster who wants to wage a war against God so maybe his parents are right, maybe he is a monster.
A demon.
Angelo wonders why his new supernatural friends haven't asked him how he died yet or where he comes from. Maybe they already know. Maybe they already know what he is. Well, they did know he had a halo in his heart and they knew his name immediately when they saw him so who's to say they don't know his back story?
So if that's the case. Why on earth are they keeping a homosexual hidden in a religious place? Or do they want to convert him? He's heard about conversion therapy and how brutal it is. Joshua heard about it too that's why he took his life when his parents had suggested taking him to that cursed place to change him.
Angelo doesn't want to know what that's like, but if his new place is going to try to change him into something he's not, then he has to escape from there. Maybe being with the Halo thief won't be that bad.
He's on his way out the school to meet his friends but then he stops when he notices Mr. Bowen packing up. He walks over to the door and knocks.
"Hey, Mr. B."
Mr. Bowen looks up and smiles. "Oh, Angelo you're still here."
"I was just coming from the music room, I can't wait to spend the remainder of my high school years over there."
Mr. Bowen giggles. "You'll love it there but you have to show me what you got if you want to be a part of the glee club."
"How many are there anyway?"
"Uh… seven, which is confusing to me because glee club used to be so cool then now it's becoming less cool." he chuckles. "Kids these days."
"Mhmm, I hear ya. Maybe it will be cool again and Hollywood will make a movie about Glee Club someday."
Mr. Bowen thinks for a moment. "Hmm, a movie about kids in glee club, sounds original."
"Yeah, and there'll be a hot Latina cheerleader who's going to be the main character." Angelo stops when he sees Mr. Bowen smiling at him. He lost himself for a moment.
"You should be a movie director." He says locking up his things and then moving toward the door. "Just wish more kids would join the club, people need music in their lives."
Angelo places his hand on Mr Bowen's shoulder. "Exactly," he says. Mr. Bowen freezes and he doesn't know what has just hit him but he feels a kind of joy, a heavenly feeling he only feels when he's with his wife. But this is grander, he feels at peace like he's in paradise.
He slowly moves his head to look at the hand Angelo has placed on his shoulder. Angelo quickly removes his hand. And then the feeling is gone.
"I uh, I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that," Angelo says, embarrassed, cheeks flushed and head bowed. He should know that the only people he should be touching in a friendly way are other students, not his teachers. But you can't blame him. Mr. Bowen doesn't look like a teacher, he's so young.
"No, uhm… it's fine." Mr. Bowen says trying to make sense of what had just happened. He clears his throat. "I'll see you next week."
"Yes." they both go their separate ways.
Angelo bursts out the door and makes a run toward the parking lot. His supernatural friends are by the car waiting for him. He forgot they can't leave him if they do then they'll be in serious trouble at the headquarters.
"Where have you been?" Chris asks annoyed.
"Yeah, where were you, Angelo? With a girl?" JJ waggles his eyebrows. And Wendy looks at him waiting to know if he was really with a girl. She prays that he wasn't.
Then again they can't possibly know that he's gay because JJ keeps thinking he likes girls. Or maybe he keeps associating him with heterosexuality because that's the tactic the conversion therapists use to change the average person's sexual orientation. He needs to stop overthinking this.
"No, I wasn't. I was with Pedro."
Wendy lets out an internal sigh of relief. Chris wants to know what the hell he was doing with Pedro.
"The grunge kid? He looks dope." Says JJ.
"He is, he invited us to this place called the Lodge tonight. He says it's where teens go to hang out. Do you guys know that place?"
"Of course, we do it's just at Rodeo Drive," JJ says. Then there's a quiet. He looks at his friends.
"So… can we go?"
"We can't," Chris says in all seriousness. "We have to patrol the city. We're demon hunters remember."
"Uh… we can watch out for demons and be at the lodge at the same time," Wendy suggests. "Maybe there are demons there."
"Yeah, come on Chris. We can have fun by being normal high schoolers for once while killing demons." Says JJ and Angelo looks at him waiting for his verdict. Chris rolls his eyes and Angelo can swear he hears him growling. Chris is so strange, it's cute.
"Alright fine. But remember you have training to do."
"Alrighty then." the gang steps into the car and after turning it invisible they drive off. Luckily the invisibility cloak on the car can blind all angels and demons from seeing it.
Joshua doesn't need to follow them anyway. All he wants to do is watch and observe. He flies away.
After a nice meal and a conversation with Jacks. Angelo changes into a white shirt and sweatpants and heads to the training room. As soon as he walks in he stops in his tracks when he sees Chris is ready and he's wearing a black tank top which shows his nicely crafted muscles.
Angelo swallows. Every time he sees this man it takes another confidence out of him. He's just so beautiful it is that annoying. Everything about him doesn't look real.
He prayed to God to dream about Angel Gabriel once again but he didn't instead he had dreamt of Chris, naked. He still can't get the image of him nude in the shower out of his brain. When he turns around to meet Angelo's eyes Angelo realizes that he's staring. So he looks away.
"Since you don't have any celestial blades we will be using real blades crafted by humans." he throws a sword Angelo's way and Angelo catches it with ease.
"When did your weapon choose you?" Angelo asks. He remembers JJ telling him that Chris' scimitar sword chose him at a young age, Angelo just wants to know what age in particular.
"When I was thirteen." he shrugs like it's no big deal.
"So you've had your scimitar sword since you were thirteen."
"Mhmm. Now, I'm going to be teaching you the basics of how to fight with a sword. Firstly you hold your sword tightly and firmly." Angelo does as instructed. "Try not to stand still because it will be easy for you to avoid being hit. And gives you possible openings for attacks. You can also stand in a slighted position with bent knees to make yourself a smaller target. Hold your sword in ready positions at all times and open your body at a 45-degree angle, your left foot ahead of your right.
Practice the eight different angles of attack. Straight down from the top, straight up from the bottom, diagonally down to the left, diagonally down to the right, diagonally up from the left, diagonally up from the right, and left and right strikes horizontally." Angelo does all the things he instructs and Chris goes quiet. Until he… "Learn to defend yourself." he attacks Angelo. Angelo blocks it.
"Parry."
The two swords clash with one another. Angelo slid his sword away from Chris. He tries to kick Chris in the groin but Chris grabs his leg swiftly and throws him to the ground. Chris points the sword at him.
"Make sure you do that with a quickness." Chris helps him up. "Again."
They go again. Swords crashing, body hitting the ground over and over.
"Remember Angelo you are going to be fighting demons and possibly other angels you have to stay focused, be swift, be harsh on your attack do not be afraid to hit—"
Angelo kicks Chris on his groin and Chris falls backwards further away from Angelo crashing into the table filled with human-made weapons. Chris grunts as his knees touch the ground. Angelo gasps and then runs toward him.
"Chris, Chris I'm sorry." Chris raises his hand for Angelo to stop talking. Angelo stops.
"Another rule." he rises to his feet and shakes himself up. "Do not apologize to your opponent. A smile forms on Chris' cupid's bow lips. "But you did good."
Angelo beams. "Really?"
"Calm down, I said you did good, not great."
"Eeeh!" Angelo squeals and out of excitement, he hugs Chris. Chris begins to feel a different kind of way, he sees his parents but they're not burning in front of him they're with him holding his hand and smiling. He's at peace with them. They're at peace. What is this sorcery?
He throws Angelo off him and a hurt Angelo adjusts himself.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Chris I shouldn't have done that. I was just so exci—"
"What the fuck just happened?" he looks around him. He doesn't understand how he can be with his parents in another place and then be back here.
Angelo looks at him with furrowed brows. "I don't understand."
"I—" he stops looking around in confusion then faces Angelo. "We don't know what weapon is going to choose you," he says in a low voice. "So JJ is going to teach you how to use a gun tomorrow and Wendy's going to teach you how to shoot an arrow the next. Different nephilims with different weapons are going to be teaching you how to use their weapons."
"Okay?" Angelo says still confused as to why Chris is talking like he's just seen a ghost. Was him hugging Chris so bad? Does Chris hate physical touch? Of course, he does. Chris looks like the type that hates hugs so he shouldn't have done that.
"I'm sorry again Chris."
Chris looks at him like he is a ghost. "It's fine. You were excited. Let's get ready to go to the lodge." he walks ahead and Angelo almost slaps his face.
"Cool Angelo, you are so cool." He says to himself in a sarcastic tone looks at his sword and then he spins it and he pretends like he's fighting with someone by swishing it in the air.
Holding a sword is so cool.