*Oona’s POV*

After trying for two days to return to his human form, Andy had been getting exceptionally cranky. He had a ring of dark, ugly bruises around the base of each wing and a smaller one at the base of his tail. It was difficult to watch him fail; I hadn’t really been in any situation like this before. I had seen Juliet be supportive previously, as I had watched them through the mirror, but those same words just didn’t come easily to me.

It was more in my nature to assume an incubus, as Andy currently appeared to be, wouldn’t want attention drawn to anything that amounted to a lack of success; that the most compassionate thing I could do would be to ignore him until he finally triumphed in his endeavors. It was only as I watched Andy from afar, looking frustrated and disheartened, that I remembered not to judge a book by its cover. Especially not that book; Andy was special.

I talked to Andy and we came to realize he felt intense pressure in my presence, to the point of distraction, but he wouldn’t even entertain the prospect of me leaving. We both agreed I couldn’t return to my home (or anywhere else) in the Underworld until we knew my body had metabolized his angelic energy and broken down his angelic semen. He fussed when I suggested I go elsewhere on the Earthly plane for a while, and he wouldn’t settle until I gave that idea up.

I declared I would, at the very least, go for regular walks, and Andy got agitated at even that, fearing for my safety. Reluctantly, I agreed to let Penemue come along with me, so long as he knew how to masquerade as a human adequately, which it turned out he did.

Penemue and I decided to take some currency that Andy offered us and go to the commodity store to buy kitty litter and toilet tissue. I was excited to get out and about! After a brisk walk, the store was very brightly lit, crowded, and colorful! Though I found many things I was interested in buying (very small hot dogs I felt were amusing to look at, a small container that looked like the candy humans called ‘M & M,’ socks that were clearly too fat to fit inside shoes, I was even surprised to find more of the essence of cattle mammary secretions in a variety of forms!), Penemue grumpily told me Andy had not given us enough money. I had no way of knowing if Penemue was being truthful or just being a curmudgeon.

Penemue selected what he assured me were appropriate varieties of kitty litter and bathroom tissue. I pointed out that the paintings on his toilet tissue package were also present on a larger-sized parcel, but Penemue insisted that it was ‘not for fannies.’ When I looked closer, he proved to be correct- the imagery was false! Inside was actually the rougher paper used in the kitchen! I shook my head, shocked, thankful both for Penemue’s guidance and for the little windows that allowed me to see past the deceit of the similar plastic pictures.

I followed Penemue silently as I saw that a human attendant processed items for purchase using the aid of machines, after which coinage was tendered, and people were moved rapidly and with little talk. I hid my signs of panic when I observed that all the human patrons were paying with the plastic chips I knew enough to identify as credit cards. Would the attendant sniff us out? Was cash even allowed?

Penemue didn’t flinch, and bravely presented the paper money as though he did it every day. I noticed the transaction seemed to go smoothly. The human employee took the note, and the little machine whirred, moved, and dinged. Some coins shot out angrily at Penemue, and the attendant handed him more notes back than Penemue had originally had to begin with. However, I knew better than to question it, and just nodded sagely, as though that were a matter of course, and moved along. I was impressed that Penemue even reached to scoop up the coins from the small cup that the machinery had spat at him.

---

*Andy’s POV*

With Oona out of the house, I felt like it was a little easier to focus. The fact was, the seed had been driving me absolutely insane! I wasn’t sure if it was something about being an incubus or what, but I was getting ridiculously horny, incredibly irritable, and it was out of control. It was driving me up the wall whenever Oona didn’t think we should have sex, because I hadn’t succeeded in returning to my human form, so I hadn't gone shopping yet. It just reminded me of my failure, half the time I ended up yelling and throwing shit. It was embarrassing afterwards, when I came to my senses!

Oona had been a sex demon or whatever her whole life, she was used to it. I found it was making every moment really passionate and overzealous, one way or another. I was exhausted!

What I really craved was some serenity. I wanted to be able to achieve the state of tranquility necessary for me to accept my ancestry, as Penemue had said. I just wanted to show Oona that I could…

I had the brief sensation of vertigo for a moment, and ran my hand on the carpet, by my leg, to get my bearings. I blinked, looking at it a second time. My claws were gone!

I grabbed at my butt, and felt nothing. I was excited, until I rose to stand, and felt the distinct pull of heavy, feathered wings still present.

No! Horrified, I turned far enough to see a white wing out of the corner of my right eye. No! In denial, I ran to a mirror, and saw exactly what I didn’t want to see: angelic-Andy, looking terrified, complete with halo.

Neither Penemue nor Oona had a cell phone, and I didn’t know how to talk via mirror, if they even did that (did they do that?)! Shit! I did the only logical thing and ran to grab a cigarette and lit it.

I didn’t want to tell the cats, I knew they couldn’t help me, and I didn’t want them to offer to do something crazy, like run off to the grocery store. They could get hit by a car or something; I’d never forgive myself. Briefly, I considered calling Juliet, but she would probably just panic. Besides, she had just eaten my energy, and needed to stay away for a bunch of reasons.

I needed to fix this on my own. I had to meditate, make peace with my ancestry, and fast. I needed to become human again, right the fuck then.

I stubbed my cigarette out and decided that I was going to go take a piss, then sit my ass down on my bedroom floor, and rock the shit out of meditating myself into a totally painless demanifestation. I nodded to myself. Positive attitude, man, it was everything.

I emptied my bladder and flushed. As I washed my hands, I thought to myself that I really could have looked worse with whitish hair. I wondered if Juliet would like it? Or if she’d prefer me as an incubus? As I dried my hands, it occurred to me that all the crazy 'forms,' they were all me, just through a different filter, or different aspects of me, sort of.

It was as I was thinking such humdrum, introspective thoughts, feeling optimistic, that I stepped out of the bathroom. That would be when I noticed the incredibly tall, pale, dark-haired man in my bedroom.

Shit.

Wait. No. He had black wings, like mine as an incubus, but a halo. What the fuck did that mean? He was like some kind of black metal or goth angel! Shit, what if he sensed me thinking that? Can un-fallen angels do that? Was that what he was?

I wasn’t sure if I should scream, run, or try and fight. Did angels have a ballsack to punch? Um… Why wasn’t he attacking me? He was just looking at me… It was getting awkward.

I decided to try and break the ice. The expression on his admittedly, well, angelic face looked more irritated than full of righteous wrath. Maybe I could make friends? “Uh… are you here to, um, I mean-“

The ‘alternative’-looking angel shook his head, looking pissed, then rubbed his temples. “I just cannot believe my poor luck! You are a bloody idiot, Andrew Dennis Biersack!”

Notes

ahoy all! please, do yourselves a favor and check out the following:

Shadowglass

My Fallen Angel

tell them anathema sent you. :D

also- if i don't post again before then: perhaps i'll see some of you folks at the Andy Black shows in Seattle & Portland?