Who Is He?

"Raymond, you can't just pop your wings out. People will see." Ravi frantically drags Raymond into the house after he finds Raymond with his clothes torn off when his wings forcefully emerge in the middle of their yard. Ravi sighed heavily, he didn't see anyone around them for a while he was a little relieved.

Raymond's huge wings clasped behind him. Ravi looked at Raymond understandingly and asked "Why did you come out of the house and show your wings? We already talked about this, right?"

Raymond's eyes drifted away from Ravi's gaze. "Someone was looking in Ravi's window all the time. So I came to take a look."

"And you took out your wings? Listen, Raymond, you can't show that in public. People will be scared and there will be a lot of trouble," explained Ravi patiently to make Raymond understand.

Hearing Ravi speak Raymond immediately stood stiff, his head automatically lowered it was clear that the man regretted it, but Raymond didn't respond and closed his lips tightly. Ravi took a deep breath and stared at Raymond intently as Raymond started to open his lips for him to close again.

"That person is probably just a neighbor," said Ravi bringing up Raymond's excuse just now.

However, Ravi's eyes did not escape to catch a small shake from Raymond. Ravi's brows furrowed questioningly. "So who is it?"

Again Raymond shook his head.

"Look Ravi, he's only been here a week and he's going to make the world go crazy about his cleverness." The cynical words came from Daniel who suddenly came into the living room toward Ravi and Raymond.

"Daniel!" Ravi rebuked Daniel, glancing between his brother and Raymond.

Daniel rolled his eyes and he just walked away. Ravi stared at Daniel's back for a long time, the twinkle in his eyes dimmed with the memory that burst out.

'Star, tell him. I hate it so much. Hate more than I can do.'

Ravi remembers that sentence came from Daniel with strong hatred. Is that Raymond? How much did Daniel hate Raymond? But why?

Ravi as if he forgot his anger towards Raymond, left him and walked briskly to the room. Somehow in Ravi's mind, he couldn't accept that anyone would hate Raymond, let alone it came from Daniel. Even his father and mother accepted him on the first day and Ravi himself believed the first time he saw Raymond his heart told him that Raymond was not a bad person.

Ravi once again asked himself, who is Raymond to Ravi? He didn't even know how Raymond used to live until he was sent here. Don't know why it has to be Ravi, which is written on Raymond's chest. Ravi knows that since Raymond's arrival, his life will completely change later.

***

Ravi was thinking so much that he didn't notice the sun was starting to rise. He thought about how his days had passed with Raymond without questioning what Raymond was doing and why he lived where the horses were in the same room as Raymond. Exactly, why was he sleeping in the stables? The wounds? And how could he end up here just because Ravi prayed while blowing out the candles? It couldn't be that simple until Raymond got here?

Ravi remembers Raymond saying he came earlier than he should save him from execution for something he never did. However, if Ravi hadn't asked for that on his birthday or if Raymond wasn't executed would Raymond still come into his life as he is now? Ravi didn't know if this was fate or something that had been planned.

Ravi away from the window stopped his activities daydreaming while standing staring out there. He grabbed the door handle which was cold against the leather and opened it to find Raymond sitting leaning against Ravi's door.

Raymond gasped and immediately stood facing Ravi. His nose and eyes were red with traces of tears running down his cheeks. "Ravi sorry. Sorry for making Ravi angry, I promise not to do that again," Raymond begged in a hoarse voice and Ravi didn't know how long Raymond had been crying like this.

"What are you talking about?" asked Ravi.

"Ray pissed off Ravi with those wings," he regretted.

Ravi's eyebrows rose. "You don't have to keep crying. You were wrong, but I forgive him."

Raymond wiped away the tears with the front of his shirt and Ravi realized he was still wearing the shirt with the back still wide open.

"Raymond?" called Ravi slowly.

"Uh!?" Ravi's breath hitched as a thick scent that he had forgotten about all day suddenly entered his senses of smell in a way that seemed to hit him hard.

The smell of autumn melted chocolate and other scents that Ravi couldn't describe in words, made him glued to his cheeks that felt hot to his earlobe. What was it with Raymond staring at him with his brows sunk in his messy hair? Don't forget the twinkle in those different-colored eyes that get brighter from time to time.

What was it about him who suddenly had the urge to bury his face in Raymond's chest and breathe there? Ravi thinks he might have gone mad.

If Ravi stayed still inhaling air as if he would never breathe again, maybe Ravi's smell would take over him to get rid of his embarrassment for acting abnormally towards Raymond who was just like him. "Sorry to Daniel too about his words."

Ravi's tongue stuck to his dry lips or he might just be a little nervous, Ravi didn't know himself. He just waited for Raymond to respond and was grateful that the scent was no longer pressing on him so strongly as before.

"Daniel's right. Ravi doesn't need to apologize, I was wrong," he softly looked down at his long outstretched fingers.

Ravi closed his eyes for a moment only to hear his heart thumping. "We're done with this talk, I have to get some decent clothes for you."

When Ravi stepped into Raymond's room, he still faintly heard Raymond's muffled mumbling. "Sorry."

***

"Ravi, look!" Raymond was about to scream stifled when he saw something outside his bedroom window.

Ravi placed the blue koas on the nightstand and headed to Raymond's side focusing his eyes on what Raymond was pointing at. "What is it?"

"Over there across the street. The same guy was looking into Ravi's room all the time. And he's doing it now, Ravi," Raymond said in a voice that Ravi feared would come out and make the man leave immediately.

Ravi could see it, he was a tall man with strange clothes, and silver hair and Ravi was sure he was staring at him. He was just standing in the sun, Ravi's eyes narrowed as he saw something shiny in the man's hand.

Ravi focused his gaze more and more to make sure that the thing the man was holding was not what he thought.

The man's hand moved still staring, Ravi's eyes widened as he could see clearly. Ravi stiffened, it was a shiny sword covered in a red liquid that was unmistakably blood.

It didn't stop there, Ravi froze even more unconsciously holding Raymond's wrist tightly. He saw huge white wings spread out behind the man's back, almost like Raymond's. His wings flapped and he flew off somewhere.

"Adrien?" Ravi heard Raymond whispering in a choked voice beside him but wasn't sure that was what he heard.

Thank you for reading