Defiance (Feathershipping)
Under normal circumstances Taye DeLorian was incredibly hard to irritate. There were, of course, things which regularly got on his nerves, such as seeing victims of abuse make their way to his clinic and then return to their abusers afterwards out of fear, or when Franny insisted upon walking around the apartment in the nude, but for the most part Taye's good nature seemed to be fairly unflappable. He was, however, beginning to lose his patience with the three men currently sitting on his living room couch sipping tea as if they hadn't a care in the world. "E-excuse me?" the blond asked his brothers, arching an eyebrow in confusion.
"All we're saying, brother dearest," Raphael explained, smiling pleasantly at the fledgling angel who was looking at his siblings in mingled annoyance, confusion and disbelief, "is that we don't approve of your relationship with the human man." Michael, who sat to Raphael's left, nodded in agreement with Raphael's statement while Gabriel pretended to find his tea cup more interesting than the conversation, though all three of the other angels present knew the brunet was paying close attention to the goings on.
"I don't seem to recall asking for your approval in the first place Raphael," Taye retorted, scowling lightly at the black haired male from his chair. The blond pressed on, shaking his head as his brother attempted to speak. "What I don't understand is why you three have shown up to talk to me about this now, and why you thought you should in the first place. To be honest, your motivations are beyond my ability to understand."
Michael and Raphael stared at the young angel in shock before exchanging a glance. The larger of the two angels nodded his head towards the irritated blond, arching an eyebrow as Raphael shook his head, gesturing that Michael should speak. The older blond agreed, clearing his throat as he turned steely grey eyes towards Taye. At any other time than this Taye might have had the presence to be intimidated by the warrior's gaze. At the moment, however, Michael's intense stare had far from its desired effect as Taye returned it calmly with an unwavering, sky-blue stare of his own.
Michael cleared his throat again, leaning forward with his elbows atop his pinstripe clad knees. "Lately it has come to our attention that you harbor...unholy feelings...for the human, Lafayette Garret. It is our worry that you are in over your head. You're young Tyriel, inexperienced."
"You're less than a century old," Gabriel put in, shaking his head. "A baby. We don't want to see you get hurt."
"And you three are somehow under the impression that my...unholy feelings...towards London could harm me in some way?" Taye asked, his face a mask of solid disbelief.
"It's not so much the feelings themselves dear brother," Raphael said, coughing awkwardly as Taye fixed him with an arched eyebrow, waiting silently for Raphael to elaborate. "It's more so that we think you could do better than an atheist with a bad past. We don't want to see you get hurt when the human does something foolish and gets himself killed, or makes a mistake that harms your faith."
Taye had to force himself to look away from the older angels. The blond clenched his hands into fists, locking his jaw as his nails dug into his palms. "...harms my faith..." he murmured, frowning. "What would you know about that?" Taye asked, folding his arms over his chest as if to hide himself from his brothers' presence. The youngest of the angels worried his lower lip, fidgeting uncomfortably as he waited for one of the Archangels to speak.
Gabriel set his teacup down on the side table, unfolding his long legs. The brown-eyed angel nudged Taye's calf with his boot, demanding his attention. Taye complied, glancing up at Gabriel through long eyelashes. "We are only discussing this because we are worried for you Tyriel," God's mouthpiece said, smiling reassuringly at the distressed blond. "We've seen it happen before to angels more experienced than you...the end result is the same in all cases brother. Their humans do something to make them hurt, they cheat on them, they harm them, something happens...and our brethren lose their wings."
"We would hate for that to happen to you Tyriel," Michael explained, sighing heavily as Taye recoiled, moving his chair further away from the other angels.
"It's true brother. It would be a shame for you to lose your wings...they're very special," Raphael added, shrugging lightly as if to dismiss the topic.
"And that is why you disapprove?" Taye asked quietly, shivering in discomfort as he measured out his next words.
"That's why we disapprove," Michael affirmed, nodding his head. "I'm glad you understand. Now if you would just-"
"With all due respect, I don't think I do understand," Taye interjected, shaking his head. "You three disapprove of my relationship with London on the basis of worrying for my faith and yet I personally feel that my faith is stronger than it has been in a very long while," the blond said, regarding the trio with a stare that belied his current anxiety. "Furthermore, I've yet to see any indication that our Father disapproves of my relationship with London in any way. And... And frankly, even if he did, by some chance, disapprove I'm one hundred percent positive that I would do nothing to change the status of my relationship with London. He's very special to me."
Michael's eyes widened as he stood from his seat, glowering down at the younger blond with anger clear upon his features. "You are dangerously close to blasphemy Tyriel! I caution you to watch your tongue!" Michael hissed, raising a hand warningly as Taye stared up at him with trepidation. It took the terrified blond nearly a minute to collect himself to the point where he felt he could speak without becoming ill.
"There is nothing blasphemous about being honest," Taye argued, shuddering violently as Michael reached across both of his brothers to grab his wrist. The doctor recoiled instinctively, knocking his chair over as he rose hastily to his feet. The plush armchair fell to the ground with a loud bang as Taye, panting harshly, shook his head, holding his wrist defensively to his chest. "There isn't! It's as much a sin to lie as it is to kill or to commit adultery. It's in admitting that I would be willing to be disobedient that I'd hoped to convey to you how important London is to me. I still have faith in our Father, but I have faith in London as well. He would never hurt me. He's a good, just person."
"Faith in a human," Raphael scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Michael, sit down. You're scaring the boy," the archangel ordered, tugging on Michael's jacket to force the burly male to take his place on the couch. "You see Tyriel," Raphael continued, shaking his head patronizingly, "this sort of naivety is what we're worried might lead you to being hurt. We're doing this for your own good brother. We only want to protect you." Gabriel nodded in agreement while Michael settled for scowling at Taye as he allowed his anger to abate.
"...Just like you protected me three years ago?" Taye asked quietly.
"Now that's not a fair thing to mention and you know it," Gabriel chided Taye, his tone light yet disapproving. "It was beyond our jurisdiction to do anything about that...dreadful...situation and you are fully aware of that. You must understand brother that our hands were tied back then. It wasn't as if Uriel was inferior to us, being of equal rank and all that."
Taye shook his head, taking a breath to regain his composure before he responded. "You could have stopped him at any time. You could have offered me comfort, or safety within your ranks, your garrisons. You could have protected me from...from him. But you didn't. You knew. You all knew what he was doing, what he...what he did to me, every day, and yet none of you, not one of you made any move to mediate the situation," the blond started, glancing anxiously out the large windows of his living room at the cityscape below. Gabriel opened his mouth to protest but Taye cut him off with a sharp noise.
"I'm not finished," the young angel admonished, shaking his head. "The truth of the matter is that you were all too happy to offer me up to Uriel because it was convenient for you to do so. He behaved civilly and professionally around you in public, which reflected well upon your collective rank as archangels, and you liked that. You liked that. And in exchange for Uriel's good behavior you three willingly turned a blind eye to the things that he did in private even though you knew what I was going through."
"He abused me! For three years I dealt with abuse and violence that very nearly broke me and you knew that it was happening, and when I called out to you, Michael, to help me you ignored me. When I begged you to save me Raphael you looked the other way, and when I pleaded with you to let me stay with you Gabriel, to let me join you as a healer, you denied me even though you knew my reasons for asking. Every day...every day for three years I hurt until I could take no more...I was dehumanized, made out to be a thing that Uriel was free to use however he pleased because I hadn't the authority to resist him and because the people that did have the authority were too interested in their own needs to help me. That is what damaged my faith!" Taye finished, hugging his arms to his chest as he regarded his brethren with an icy glare. The three stared back at him in stunned silence.
Raphael was the first to recover. The archangel adjusted his tie, humming lightly in thought as he studied Taye. "Do you feel better now brother?" Raphael asked, smiling patiently at the blond.
Taye closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between a thumb and a forefinger before pointing towards the front door. The blond opened his eyes again, teary, green-blue eyes regarding the trio coolly as he spoke. "You need to leave. You are not welcome here, any of you."
Michael tsked, shaking his head. "You see brother? This is what we are talking about. You've changed since you've been with the human," Michael groused, rolling his shoulders as he sat up in his seat. "Before he came along you never used to act this disrespectfully towards anyone," Michael continued. Gabriel and Raphael nodded in agreement.
"I have changed," Taye agreed, straightening his back as he put his hand down. "But I've changed for the better thanks to London. Before him I...before him I had no sense of self...no identity. He lets me think for myself, and allows me to tell him my feelings and thoughts. He...London makes me feel safe, and protected. Safer than I've felt in the past few years. He treats me like I'm precious and makes me feel as if I'm something to be treasured, but he also gives me space when I need it."
"I can be completely at ease with London and know that he is not going to force me to do anything that I don't wish to do, and that he won't harm me for telling him 'no' for any reason, at any time, in regards to any thing. He won't touch me without my permission, and when he does it's done to comfort me, which I appreciate. He's honest, and upright, well intentioned and considerate. He's a bit dense at times, but then that's also my fault because I...because I often have difficulty expressing myself and telling people what I want. He's loyal and kind and he...he accepts me for who I am, scars and fears and all...and for that I love him."
"London healed me. He fixed my faith and helped me regain my footing. It's thanks to him that I'm stronger now than I've ever been, and I do not appreciate you three showing up at my home unannounced with the intention of telling me to stop seeing the man I've willingly decided to give my heart and my body to under the, pardon my language, frankly bullshit pretense of protecting me. You have no right to tell me how I should conduct myself; you lost that right when you allowed Uriel to strip me of my sense of self-worth, which I've only recently regained. With that said kindly remove yourself from my home..now...before I become even more irate," Taye said, scowling as he pointed again at the door, his tone boding no argument from the three chastened looking archangels on the couch.
"I...I see," Gabriel murmured, adjusting his suit-coat as he stood up, nodding politely to the irritated blond as he passed him. Gabriel paused only to clap Taye on the shoulder before adding, "Keep in touch brother. I do miss talking to you." Taye didn't dignify him with a response.
Michael left with a nod and no other farewell save for knocking over Taye's living room coffee table and pushing over the other armchair as he brushed by it. Taye was instantly reminded of a petulant child who hadn't gotten his own way. Michael, he reflected as the angry Archangel vacated his home, was not used to being put into his place, especially by a person of lower rank than himself, and was throwing a temper tantrum as a result.
Raphael was the last of the archangels to leave. The lanky man stood, stepping towards Taye to place a chaste, brotherly kiss on the blond's lips. "Farewell brother. It was good to talk to you again," Raphael began, opening his mouth to speak further before noticing Taye's pointed, furious glare.
"Get out of my home and don't even think of returning. You are no longer welcome here," Taye hissed, echoing his earlier statement as he crossed his arms, nodding towards the door. "The same applies to Gabriel and Michael, and if any of you attempt to set foot in my home again, or if I find that you have taken it upon yourselves to be personally involved in my affairs uninvited every again I will not hesitate to make you wish you had not crossed me. Now leave."
"As you wish brother," Raphael acquiesced, nodding rapidly as he quickly made his escape from his angry sibling's presence.
Taye watched the door shut, standing stock still between the overturned table, realizing, almost as a secondary reaction, that he would have to clean up the glass and the tea from Michael's and Raphael's broken tea cups in addition to tending to the table and the chairs. The leg of the chair his brother had pushed over appeared to be broken. Idly, Taye wondered if it were possible for him to send Michael the repair bill, even if such things were a human construct and angels really didn't have to abide by bills and the like.
The blonds’ posture relaxed as he moved two fingers to his neck, placing them gently beneath the curve of his jaw as he felt for his pulse. Taye closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing and concentrating on calming himself. Slowly, once his racing pulse had returned to normal, the blond made his way into his bedroom leaving the mess lying forgotten on the living room floor. With shaking hands and trembling fingers Taye reached out for the cordless phone on the nightstand, carefully dialing a number he knew by heart. The blond smiled softly as he held the phone to his ear, speaking clearly into the mouthpiece. "London...? It's...It's good to hear your voice...I know you're busy right now, so I'll...I'll be brief. I just felt as if I had to hear from you. I...I wanted to tell you London, I love you. Yes...I realize this is the first time I've said that word...are...is it a bad thing? Ah well...I love you. Very much. I'll see you when you come home from work...take care..."
End call. Dial tone. And Taye felt much better than he had in a long, long while.
Dr Taye DeLorian · Tue Oct 22, 2013 @ 11:21am · 0 Comments |