Shake it off!

[Cori Viera]

The. Wings. But. No but. They were wings! They were wings sprouting from his back and he felt them and they moved when he thought about them because they were his wings and it was like suddenly growing a new arm or something--

Cori's brain short-circuited around the time Lieve started repeating himself. He laid there against Lieve, stunned, too scared to look behind him at his own iridescent wings. They weren't white, he saw that much from the brief glimpse he had. They had a sheen to them, a sort of rainbowy color--the product of an angel and whatever his father was that made them this way.

"I just want to be Cori!" He grasped onto Lieve, looking up at him in sheer desperation. "Make me Cori again Lieve!"

[Lieve Averesch]

"You are Cori. Just, there's a lot more of you now."

Like, wings and magic and so much energy. No wonder things grew like crazy under his touch. And somebody tried to corrupt that, to make everything he touched turn to ash and dust. But whoever it was, they weren't stronger than Cori. Whatever Rip told him to help him remove the curse, it really, really worked. Cori hadn't just pushed it aside, he had eradicated it.

And no wonder; a celestial was much higher on the supernatural being scale than some fae. Even a royal fae wasn't a match for a celestial of the lowest order. And Cori... Cori was not the lowest order. Not by a long shot.

"I don't want to scare you, sweetie," Lieve said, gently stroking an arm, as if that would help not scare Cori. "But your kind of power on this earth is... a little bit like being a god."

[Cori Viera]

"There was enough of me before!" Really Cori didn't need there to be more of him out here! He was doing okay with his mom, his grades were kind of middling in school but he got by. He liked hanging out at Lieve's plant shop and playing around while Lieve puttered around making things bloom and grow. He liked that Lieve was the special magical one between them, that he could admire him secretly when he thought Lieve wasn't looking and think about how pretty he was.

Cori couldn't be the special one. He didn't want to be. All his life, he was Cori, not an angel or a half-angel or whatever he was. It was okay to be normal; he wanted to be normal. He thought it was more exciting watching other people use their powers because--hey--somebody had to be there to gasp and be in awe! That person was Cori!

"I'm not. Not a god." He buried his face against Lieve's neck, at the juncture with his shoulder. "I'm your Cori!"

[Lieve Averesch]

"Of course there was." He didn't mean to imply otherwise; there was always enough of Cori. It was just, really, there was a lot more Cori now. It was a little disconcerting, to be sure, but it wasn't anything to be afraid of.

Normally, he would have rubbed Cori's back as he held onto him this way but now there were wings to contend with. So instead, Lieve gently rubbed his lower back, which was distinctly different and honestly? Gave off very different vibes. After a moment, he stopped, because he felt like maybe he was giving off the wrong signal in the wrong moment.

"Hey, you're still my Cori." Nothing in the world could change that. But it was obviously upsetting to suddenly go from average human to cursed by a witch to... godlike. And that wasn't even touching on the harrowing kidnapping and escape. It was a lot to go through. It was too much to go through in the span of a single day.

"You're the sun," he said quietly into Cori's ear, to soothe his frayed nerves. "You were hidden by clouds but now they've parted and you're shining so bright that everything is eager to please you, even little bell peppers. It's nothing to be afraid of, Cori... It's something to be proud of."

He pulled away and he looked down, taking hold of Cori's hands, turning them over, palm side up.

"These hands can grow and heal. You don't need a fixer, you're stronger than any fixer could be. You fixed yourself and didn't even know it." He smiled at Cori. "It's nothing to be afraid of, all right? You have me and... and Rip as guides. And when we find your mom, she'll be so proud of you."

[Cori Viera]

Lieve's soothing voice did its magic on Cori, settling him enough for him to quiet down and listen. His words--like his nature--were sweet, gentle, calming. Lieve could do no wrong where Cori was concerned, naturally, but today he sort of scared him a little bit. Just a little bit. In the panic of the moment, seeing Lieve riled up also riled him up.

But now it was just them, and Lieve was back to being himself. Cori swallowed hard as he listened, focusing on the words rather than on the way Lieve's breath brushed his ear. Or the hand that went pretty low... on his back... skirting a dangerous place.

He looked down at his hands too when Lieve drew attention to them, but all he saw were his hands. Nothing glowing, nothing special. The wings at his back still freaked him out, though. In the periphery of his vision he saw them waving around, freakishly... big. Big enough to enclose both himself and Lieve if he wanted them to, like fluffy shields against the dangers of the outside world.

"But..." He lifted his hands to cup Lieve's face, arching towards him like an eager sunflower trying to find the brightest ray of sunshine. "You're the sun. You've always been my--the sun and I don't want that to change..." Something pulsed in his chest, something warm and soft and--he looked down. Something glowing? Cori didn't even have enough freak-out in him to yell about it. He just stared at it, and then he stared at the light in Lieve's chest, pulsing gently.

[Lieve Averesch]

Lieve laughed softly as he slid his hands over Cori's wrists. Funny how Cori thought of him as the sun when Lieve had always identified Cori's energy as the sun. Of course, then it had been the warmth as seen through the cover of trees. That was a natural way to view things for somebody like him, whose entire life involved plant life. Cori was the sun and Lieve was the tree, reaching up high...

But he didn't think Cori liked that view of things. It was a lot to take. Not to mention all the rest of the things he just learned today, like how he had a father... who kidnapped his mother. But his mother was alive, probably. Hopefully. If she was, she could be rescued and who better to do that than her powerful son and all his friends?

It did cross his mind that she probably didn't want Cori involved but... She was his mother. It was only natural that Cori would want to find her, to save her. And for personal reasons, Lieve wanted to keep him out of the front lines of any fight that ensued, too. So whatever they did, they would have to be really smart and careful about it.

But in the moment, he was confused by the way Cori was looking downward, at their chests. Lieve looked down but he didn't see whatever it was that Cori saw.

"What is it?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

[Cori Viera]

The light was mesmerizing; Cori couldn't take his eyes off of it. And the more he looked, the brighter it got, the more it twinkled prettily in a thousand different shades. It was like holding a crystal up to the light and watching its myriad colors sparkle and shine.

"I don't think so?" He didn't know what he was looking at, so he didn't know if it was good or bad. His own light, Lieve's light, they weren't exactly the same but they were both very pretty. Lieve's shone more in blues and greens and warm, earthy browns. Cori's was every color he could think of, and more besides.

Slowly he reached out, slipping his hand down from Lieve's face to his chest. Tentatively he pressed two fingertips to where the light was, not sure what he was doing or even, really, why he did it. It just felt like a thing he could do. He could touch the light--just so--and under his fingertips it burst into an almost blinding flash.

"Ah! Lieve! Are you okay?!" He withdrew his hand quickly, spooked by the sudden brightness.

[Lieve Averesch]

Well, good. They could do without more shitty things happening. Lieve let out a sigh, then dropped his hands as Cori began to explore Lieve's chest for whatever reason. Was he thinking he saw boobs? Because Lieve could assure him that he did not have boobs. And Cori would know; he'd seen him practically naked as an adult so many times.

Lieve was about to tell Cori that maybe they should see the others and then get him on home--he had gone through a lot and he needed some time to sleep and process everything that happened to him--when Cori touched his chest, right where his heart was... and something really, really strange happened.

"...a-a-ahhh..." It was a sound of confusion and almost of... ecstasy. Like an unexpected orgasm, in his chest. In his heart. How else could he put it? That was exactly how it felt; like that moment during sex when sensation was so raw and so vulnerable that just a single touch against a certain place could get a person off.

Even as Cori was withdrawing his hand, Lieve was immediately striking his own hand against his chest.

"What... did you just do?" he asked with wide eyes, feeling strangely breathless. Well, it did take the breath right out of his lungs!

[Cori Viera]

"I don't know Lieve! I don't know! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Cori babbled, edging far, far away from Lieve as possible. "There was a light in your chest and I touched it because it was really pretty but then it got brighter and-and please don't explode!" He implored, now reaching the far edge of the couch, leaping off of it and running to the door.

He killed Lieve.

In his mind, he killed Lieve and he was frantic as he called for Mik, who came running in a few moments later with wild eyes. "Mik Mik I killed Lieve!" he babbled again as he clung to Mik, then violently let go of him to run over and curl up in a corner.

"...Um?" Mik stood there looking sort of baffled. "No Lieve's... alive. Cori. Baby. Could you... put those wings away real quick? Just do that for me real quick." Mik went over to check on Lieve, peering into his eyes.

Cori haphazardly imagined putting on the cloak, and hiding his wings. They vanished. He was breathing hard as he asked, fearfully, "Is Lieve okay?"

"Yeah he's good." Mik sounded strained. "He's good. Right Lieve?"

[Lieve Averesch]

"What?" Anybody would be alarmed to hear they might explode. Lieve didn't see the light but he wasn't... well, he wasn't celestial. Just a dryad. A plain, everyday fairy. He ran his hand over his chest again, feeling oddly warm inside. What happened when a celestial touched somebody's heart?

Mik arrived in a panic, probably brought on by Cori's panic. Lieve blinked as Cori looked into his eyes, wondering if he saw anything different there.

"What?" he asked, suddenly nervous where he hadn't been. He glanced away, seeing that Cori put his wings away. Lieve was going to get to that, he swore. Just... some things got in the way before he could.

"Yeah..." Lieve said, feeling a little dazed as he sat up straighter. "I'm okay. Just peachy."

Realizing his hand was still over his heart, he dropped it.

"We should really get going, Cori." To Mik he said in a quieter tone, "I don't know what he just did but... I think I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

[Mikko Ashby]

When one of your friends suddenly screams out from down the hall that he just straight up murdered your other friend, that was kind of a sign that things were not going As Planned. Mik's strategy was to get Lieve to calm Cori down, and for Cori to calm Lieve down. Also, he wanted to make out with Rip because--whatever, judge him for being horny all the time at 19 years old, go ahead.

But he didn't expect Cori to end up in the corner, and for Lieve to look strangely flushed. Suspiciously flushed. But also... glowing. Literally glowing. Mik ran a hand over the side of Lieve's head, concern creasing his brow. "Okay let me know if anything weird happens to you, we'll get you to a doctor or something ASAP," he muttered back, then swooped in for a quick, warm hug. Best friends didn't hold grudges!

"Come on Cori. See? Lieve's okay! But I think you guys really need some rest, it's super late." He beckoned to Cori, who eased himself out of the corner and came trotting back, looking like a puppy with its tail between its legs.

"Lieve, I'm sorry!" He seemed hesitant to touch Lieve, but Mik pulled his hand over, pulled Lieve's hand over and connected them. Cori yelped. Jumpy little fella, wasn't he? Nothing happened though--nothing Mik could see. Cori clung to Lieve like a lifeline.

"Okay babies. I'll call you a cab. Let me know when you get home, and Rip and I will come around tomorrow to check on you. I want you guys to go straight home and sleep! Sleep off all this craziness! We'll all sit down and talk about it tomorrow when we've gotten lots of rest."

[Lieve Averesch]

He felt fine. Just, you know. Weird heart orgasm. No biggie. And the way Mik was looking at him definitely caused some concern. Plus the way he touched the side of his head, like maybe he looked sick. Did he seem sick? He laughed--a touch nervously--but he hugged Mik back.

"I don't think it would be a job for a doctor," he said in some amusement. At least... at least he didn't have a heart attack? Was that why Cori flipped out? He thought he'd killed him. That was something. At least he didn't seem to recognize the sound that came out of him. And Mik wasn't there to hear it either. A secret he would take to his grave, thanks.

When he stood, his legs were a little on the wobbly side, like he'd just had a good fuck and he was trying to be Totally Normal afterward. What even was that?

"It's okay," Lieve said. "Seriously. It's fine."

At least it was, until they were hand in hand. Cori yelped--did it hurt? But Lieve... He cocked his head to the side in utter confusion. Now he saw it; a light that emanated from Cori's chest. And from Mik's chest. And when he looked down, he could see a bright ass light coming from his chest.

"Oh, well... now it's making some sense," he said, while Mik was rushing them off so he could presumably fuck his boyfriend. The golem. Lieve wanted to side eye him but there were so many things going on at once that he could scarcely breathe.

[Mikko Ashby]

Mik was not trying to rush his best friends out the door, but at the same time they couldn't stay here for the night! Aunt Shel was closing down soon and they'd have to go home eventually! Besides, he swore Lieve had a little bit of a stiffie sitch happening. Kind of hard to tell with his current choice in pants, but. Hmm.

Not being here, though, Mik had no idea what went on. All he knew was that Cori was freaking out but then again, when was Cori not freaking out? Cori was the guy who freaked out if he bent a leaf. But that just meant he was still fresh and innocent, and--ooh boy. Good luck Lieve on that front. Mik personally liked his guys with a couple of notches under their belt.

"Is it?" Mik asked distractedly as he ordered the taxi. "Good?" He looked over them both. Cori was holding Lieve's hand like he could shatter it if he breathed wrong. Mik shook his head. Lieve still looked glowy, but like that kind of after-sex glowy, not glow-in-the-dark glowy. God, he didn't know shit about magic, he was just throwing up guesses.

"Call me if you need anything! I mean it, call me or else!" Mik side-eyed Lieve. "Any time. Don't worry about interrupting anything."

[Lieve Averesch]

"Yeah... Good, I think."

Lieve didn't really know. All that talk about souls and soul mates and here he was, looking at lights coming out of people's chests. Somehow, he was going to have to help Cori with that or trying to sleep was going to become a definite problem.

After a moment, Rip joined them, stepping in hesitantly, hands behind his back. He looked like a good little soldier. But he seemed... mostly harmless. And oddly enough, with his hand still in Cori's, Lieve could see that Rip did indeed have a light inside his chest, just like all the rest of them. It must have been the soul in him. At present, though, it was a rather weak light in comparison to the rest of them. Some part of Lieve actually felt a little sorry for him, seeing that. His little seedling soul still needed its mate. No amount of Mik's affections for him could change that.

Which made him feel sorry for Mik, too. Maybe it wasn't too late, though. Mik just had a crush. As long as he didn't let himself fall too far, he could get past this with... minimal pain.

"I will, I will. Take care of yourselves." He looked from Mik to Rip and back to Mik. "And you can call if you need anything, too. I think that goes without saying but... just in case."

By the time the cab arrived, there were hugs all around. Goodbyes exchanged. I love yous and take cares. The feeling in his chest hadn't changed in all that time but he felt somewhat more comfortable with it as he packed Cori into the cab and then slid in himself. He sat back after he waved one last time, placing a hand to his forehead and briefly closing his eyes.

"What a day..."