When Haru was twelve, his wings abruptly stopped growing. They had been growing a lot and they were big for his age, shining and full of life. People knew, even though they didn't say it out loud, that the reason his wings had grown so beautifully was because of certain boy named Rin. Rin had been insistent and never left Haru alone. After a while, Haru slowly but surely opened up to Rin and they became fast friends. Well, Haru was still stubborn and refused to acknowledge Rin as someone close, but the way his wings started growing gave him away. The same was true for Rin's wings, they seemingly affected each other in a way no one else could. The adults around them were content. This was the way things were supposed to be. Of course, not everyone agreed on the fact that two boys should get as close as they did, but the major part of the adults saw no problem at all with it. They argued that as long as they were happy and gave each other life, as well as helped each other's wings to keep growing, everything was fine.

Rin had only been with Haru for a year, since the age of eleven. At the age of twelve, he left a hurt Haruka behind. No one knew what had happened and Haruka refused to tell anyone. With fear, the adults noticed that the older he got, his wings stayed the same size. In a quiet understanding, they knew it had to with Rin. But once again, Haruka was stubborn and didn't say a single word about anything. He became the person he was before Rin arrived, though only worse this time around. Closing in on himself, he stopped talking and let no one near him. Not even Makoto, who had been his close friend, was capable of breaking his shell. He couldn't before and certainly couldn't do it now, either. No one knew what to do about this and according to their laws Haruka shouldn't be allowed to live up above the clouds. Even though that was the place where the angels resided. They feared he would one day not be able to fly, his wings unable to carry him around the floating platforms. Their fear became true.

At the age of fourteen, Haruka couldn't fly. It was almost as if his wings had shrunk. His future was discussed and with no relatives to take care of him, the higher ups decided to send him down to live with the humans. One of the reasons being that Haruka made no effort himself to try and open up again so that his wings could grow. Nothing worked in the end anyway, and if the person it was concerning itself didn't want to change, they had no choice but to let him live the rest of his life with humans. And so it happened that the angel Haruka, became the human Nanase Haruka.

Nanase Haruka enjoyed his life as a human. He lived in an old traditional Japanese house in a coastal town. He had found his love for the fish mackerel, which he always ate, and it became a part of his daily life. Since becoming "human" he had been forced to learn how to swim. As it was mandatory in the human's school. Never in his life had he thought he would love swimming as much as he did since learning it. The wings that he kept hidden were too small for flying, which he had loved when he was a child, and instead he glided through the water, something he thought was wonderful in its own way. But never quite as wonderful as flying. Nothing could ever beat that. Haruka sighed. There was no point in reminiscing about the past. He was still content with the life he had; it could have been worse. Another hobby he had taken up was drawing, ever since he started to live with the humans and couldn't fly, he had needed something to distract himself at the times he couldn't swim. Obviously, he didn't have any friends in the human world, either. So drawing it was. People who didn't know him would say he was arrogant and cold, which wasn't the truth at all. Haruka was the type who smiled on the inside, and drawing, as much as it distracted him, taught him to see the beauty surrounding him. The flowers in his gardens, the stray cats that he fed, the insects buzzing around, the clouds in the sky. The list could go on. Occasionally, he'd try and draw Rin. Though that happened very rarely, because it was quite some time ago since they had seen each other. At the age of twelve was the last time, to be exact.

Not wanting to think about Rin or the things that happened at that time anymore, he continued the drawing of the sea he was currently working on. The air was mild, a small breeze sometimes making his hair flutter in the wind. Everything was so peaceful. Haruka wouldn't mind if this continued on forever. Though one day, he knew he'd have to leave. Since he was still an angel, and angels couldn't stay in the human world for too long. Even if he couldn't fly with his wings, it took some energy to keep them hidden and sometimes he had to let them out. Just as humans would sometimes say that they "had to stretch their legs", in Haruka's case it would be "stretching his wings". He sighed and let his wings out at that moment. No one was around, the high planks surrounding his garden covering him.

If there was one thing Haruka never did, it would be looking at his wings. Ever since they had stopped growing, he had felt what they had become like. Lifeless, dull and weak. With no colour whatsoever. While he still lived up above the clouds, it wasn't as if he hadn't heard other people whispering about him, either. He acted as if he didn't notice, but turning in on himself made him more attentive and his hearing sharpened. No matter what he tried to tell himself, it still affected him somehow. Leaving the place he had known as home was some sort of relief; he didn't fear the unknown. If it meant having another life in a place where he would at least be accepted for who he was, then it sounded better than staying in a place where didn't feel welcome anymore. These were the kind of thoughts that still haunted him, no matter how much he tried to tell himself that he didn't care anymore. If his wings ever started growing again, maybe he could go back. But what would he do then? Would he be accepted? Besides, there was also the fact that only other angels' company could make his wings grow. So far, it had never happened that a human had affected an angel in that way; it had something to do with angels' essence. Humans didn't have that, or well, not the same as angels did.

On the day of Haruka's 18th birthday, someone knocked on his door. He promptly ignored it. Soaking in the bath was more important to him at that moment. No one knew when his birthday was, so he figured it probably was just a seller or something. Those annoying ones that went door-to-door. Sighing, he sunk lower into the tub and the cold water. It was relaxing and made his mind hazy. There was only the knocking on the door that annoyed him. It didn't stop. It got louder and louder. Haruka's eyebrows knit together but he still refused to go and open the door.

A few minutes later, it seemed to have stopped and Haruka relaxed completely. Until there was a loud, crashing sound. As if someone had broken through the door. That made him alert; if someone had broken into his house, well, then he really had no choice but to get out of the bath after all. Though he didn't even bother to bring anything to defend himself with or put anything on except the jammers he had been wearing in the bath, he got out. Before he could even get out of the bathroom though, the door slammed open. Haruka's hand was left hanging in the air as he had just been about to open the door.

In the doorway stood…Rin? Haruka was someone who never let his expression falter, no matter what, and yet he couldn't help his mouth hanging wide open and his eyes gone wide. That only lasted for a moment, though, as he quickly regained his composure. No matter how much he tried to deny it, the figure in front of him was definitely Rin. There was no mistaking it. That fiery red hair, the maroon eyes, the pointy teeth as he smiled cockily at him…it was Rin. A grown up Rin, Haruka also noticed. Tall, taller then he was, but just by a few centimetres. Defined muscles if the tight, black t-shirt he was wearing was anything to go by. Black sweatpants with yellow stripes going down the sides. Not to mention Rin's wings. They were the biggest wings Haruka had ever seen. But somehow they felt wrong on the Rin that he remembered. The wings Rin had now were black and the feathers pointy. Not white, fluffy and rounded as they had been when they were younger. Haruka even wondered if Rin had gotten into his house with his wings like that. Or, if he just sprouted them now for me to see, he thought, sighing.

No one said anything. Until Rin opened his mouth and said cockily "Aren't my wings awesome? See how big and beautiful they are! I bet they're much bigger than yours! Why aren't you showing them, anyway?"

Haruka didn't show any emotion whatsoever. This wasn't the Rin he knew. This Rin was too cocky and the grin he had on his face made Haruka sort of…uncomfortable. Without answering, he just shrugged. How much did Rin know about him, anyway? Did he come just to brag and laugh at him? At how pathetic his wings, the most important part of an angel, were? Usually Haruka didn't care about anything, but his wings were a sensitive topic. Haruka tried to move past Rin, but a hand touched his shoulder blades just where the wings then proceeded to sprout. Haruka sighed. Of course. That was something he had forgotten. A very sensitive part of every angel, which would make their wings sprout if they were hidden for the moment. Something every angel was aware of. Though Haruka was glad he still had his back to Rin, he had at least gotten that far. Then he wouldn't have to see the look on Rin's face. The wings that he had, even though he never looked at them, didn't even go further than his back. They were that small. He sighed and continued walking down the corridor, away from Rin, to go upstairs to where his room was. Since he never turned back even once to look over his shoulder at Rin, he never saw the complete and utter look of shock and hurt on Rin's face. That look would have told him that Rin was, in fact, taken aback.

Haruka had gone downstairs and out to the garden instead. He wasn't entirely sure why he would go there of all places, not like he could get anywhere with his wings. The only thing he knew was that he was confused, to say the least. What was Rin doing here? In the place where humans lived? Why on his birthday? Did he even know it was Haruka's birthday? Did he know anything at all about Haruka or what had happened to him the time they had been apart? There were too many thoughts going around in Haruka's mind. Instead of thinking about them further, he shut them out, tuned them out. Thinking too much didn't help either way. It only lead to jumping to conclusions. Which he'd rather not do. It was obvious Rin had changed; in what way, he didn't know. Looking up at the sky, he realized he missed flying after having seen Rin's wings. They were certainly big enough to let him fly through the sky at a fast pace, never betraying him. Those were dangerous thoughts. The thing that Haru had loved the most was the feel of the wind, his wings carrying him through the sky and his hair fluttering in the wind. With wings as big as Rin's, he'd be able to go to places never seen before. It wasn't as if he was jealous, that didn't make anything better, only made him feel bitter, which he wasn't. It was just pure envy. Ever since Haruka was a child, his only true joy in life had been flying. Okay, maybe he was jealous. Just a little. His thoughts were interrupted by a sound behind him. It sounded as if someone was saying his name, but Haruka thought it was his imagination. It wasn't, though.

"Haru!" said a voice, who he knew belonged to Rin. Apparently he had followed him instead of leaving.

Haruka could feel Rin approaching him from behind, feeling his presence, and yet – he didn't turn around. He couldn't. Didn't even answer Rin when he said his name. It became quiet and no one said anything. That was, until Haruka heard a faint "I'm sorry…" That wasn't his imagination, either. And yet, he still couldn't turn around to see the look on Rin's face, which he once again missed. This time, he would have seen that Rin was close to crying and his cocky grin had been completely removed from his face.

"You hurt me." Haruka said sternly, instead of saying "I forgive you". No matter what, Rin still had to know how much it had affected him and that it wasn't that easy to fix. Though he knew deep down in his heart that he had already forgiven Rin. He just couldn't say it out loud just yet.

Now Haruka heard a sob behind him. That was what made him spin around. The sight he saw shocked him. Rin was outright crying. Eyes closed and tears streaming down his face. His whole body quivered, as well as his wings. His wings were also slumped and seem to have lost their shine. Out between choked sobs, Rin managed to ask "You won't…forgive… me? I was… young and… and… stupid!" On that last word, he almost shouted and he opened his eyes. Haruka couldn't do more than stare at him. It hurt him to see Rin like this. He didn't like it. At all. Maybe what had happened had hurt Rin as well. Something Haruka, for some reason, hadn't even thought of.

"Rin… I'm sorry as well… I do forgive you. I just wanted you to know just how much it had hurt me. You've seen my wings, right? You know what that means…" He tried to smile, but couldn't. Then something unexpected happened. Rin moved forward so quickly that before Haruka knew it, he was wrapped in a tight embrace. It happened so fast that Haruka couldn't even react. Going by Rin's trembling body, it was a given that he was still crying. Finally regaining some of his senses, Haruka returned the embrace and wrapped his arms around Rin tightly. That seemed to increase Rin's crying, but a sigh of relief escaped him at the same time.

Not noticing the arm that was stretched and the hand that reached out, he was startled when a hand brushed one of his wings. "Rin… what are you…" that was a very intimate gesture. No one even touched each others wings even if they were best friends. It was something that… lovers did.

"This is my fault… isn't it?" Haruka barely heard it but knew Rin had said that. It made him relax slightly.

"Yeah…" he whispered.

"I'm so sorry… could we… try… again?" No reply. "I won't mess up this time" Rin quickly added.

"Yes… I don't want to let you go again…" The last part was barely audible but he knew Rin had heard it. He was hugged tighter. Haruka finally answered. This time, we will make it work, he thought.

And so it happened that the human, Matsuoka Rin, started attending the same school as Haruka. The same class, even. He didn't know how, but he suspected it had to do with, well, some of Rin's abilities. Everyone in class was mesmerized by Rin, though it seemed he only had eyes for Haruka. He even managed to somehow get the seat beside him. That made Haruka feel slightly… awkward. He had been alone for so long that it felt very different to have Rin with him again. And at a very close proximity, as well. They had decided that Rin would start attending Haruka's school, they both understood that they had become a bit different. So why not take it slowly and discover the new things about each other? That had seemed like a good idea to Haruka.

One thing that Haruka did discover during classes was that Rin was smart. He got through every class easily. Especially English. Which was the one class Haruka thought was pointless and boring. Obviously Rin noticed this and casually asked him what he grades he had. Haruka didn't care much about his grades, if he was going to leave one day anyway, what did it matter? Though he still answered and Rin didn't actually seem that surprised. Only when he heard that Haruka was saying he actually was, in fact, failing English class, Rin then decided, on his own accord, that they were going to study English every day at Haruka's house until he got better. And yes, Rin didn't live with Haruka. That would have been too much. One day, he knew Rin would move in with but not… yet. His feelings ran deep for Rin, deeper than he wanted to admit, as he felt like he always wanted Rin around him. It was just that… this time, they were older. Not young and stupid. Neither wanted to mess up this time. Or rush things.

Days became weeks, weeks became months. Haruka had in that time introduced Rin to swimming and now Rin loved it as much as he did. Rin had always been more of a competitive person and that, Haruka found out, hadn't changed. Rin got good a swimming, very good. He always challenged Haruka, and he, of course, always accepted. They had gotten a lot closer and therefore had started to affect each other. Even though they were comfortable in each other's company, Haruka never knew what to do with his sudden urges that happened more often lately. For example, when Rin slung an arm over his shoulders and said his name teasingly, he really wanted to press a kiss to his cheek. But of course, he resisted that and turned his head to the side instead, embarrassed by his own action. Rin seemed to greatly enjoy that. Well, he had always favoured skinship. Always slinging an arm around and putting a hand on his shoulder, leaning close against him. But now, Haruka wondered if he was supposed to think that it meant something else? He himself knew where he stood with his feelings, but was still afraid to act on them.

One day, Haruka and Rin were walking side by side on their way from school. They didn't necessarily have to, since classes were over and they were on summer break. But somehow, over the course of the months, that had become a habit. None of them said anything about it. School had been intense, to say the least, and they hadn't even gotten to plan anything to do for the summer. Maybe they'd just go swimming in the ocean. It was a coastal town they lived in, after all. Though summers could be horrible… so hot that Haruka was sometimes unable to do anything at all. Just sit in his bathtub and soak in cold water. That didn't seem like an option though, since Rin probably wanted to hang out. Today was rather mild and Haruka sneaked a glance at Rin walking beside him. His hair was pushed back into a ponytail and the shirt of his uniform was slightly unbuttoned at the top. Rin… did look good. Haruka was even sure he wasn't the only one who thought so. He couldn't help but stare at the exposed neck. Until Rin suddenly caught his eyes with his. A grin broke out on his face. "Checking me out, Nanase~?" Rin said teasingly. Haruka quickly turned his head away and felt his face become just a bit warm. He didn't know if Rin meant it as a joke or not, but still didn't answer and couldn't help getting embarrassed. Haruka continued walking but sped up his pace a little.

Summer was horribly hot this year, which made it almost impossible to do anything and it went by like a flash. The only activities they did were swimming in the ocean and breaking into the occasional outdoor pool. Luckily, not even once did they get caught – Rin was always reluctant but always agreed with Haruka in the end. That's basically how their summer went… but of course Rin also managed to take Haruka to other places, as well. For example the aquarium; needless to say Haruka had loved that. Water everywhere, colourful fish and reefs. There had also been a dolphin show they had watched. Rin had, obviously, wanted to see the sharks. At that time, Haruka couldn't resist making the remark that the sharks indeed looked like Rin, and the latter had proudly said that they were just like him, deadly, cool and had pointy, sharp teeth. Haruka had just chuckled. Rin – cool? Says the guy who cries every time they watch a romance movie…

School started again and they were back to their normal routine. Rin going to Haruka's house every other day to help him with homework and study together. Walking to school together – Haruka still hadn't figured out the mystery as to where Rin lived, though he never asked, it was never an issue. They never brought it up in conversation and Haruka let it stay like that, it wasn't a problem for him.

The air was getting chilly, the leaves on the trees falling down, making them bare, and the world became shades of brown, orange, yellow and red. So they switched to winter uniforms.

One day, Rin asked Haruka something that he wished he didn't.

"Haru… do you miss flying?" he had asked tentatively, seemingly not sure if that was a question he should ask– or not.

"Yes…" Haruka had replied, with sadness in his voice.

They were standing on a hill, overlooking the sea. It was obvious that Rin was about to fly. This particular spot was hidden from prying eyes. Not to mention the fact that Rin's wings were out and he was stretching, as if to see if they worked as they should. Today wasn't too windy nor was the wind too still. A perfect day for flying. Haruka didn't even know what he was doing there – maybe because he couldn't remember the last time he saw one of his own race fly. Rin looked at Haruka, with an indecipherable look in his eyes. As swift as he could, he wrapped Haruka in a hug and touched his shoulder blades. Haruka inhaled sharply and felt his wings sprout with a shiver.

Rin took a step back and studied Haruka's wings. "They have grown…" A spark lit up in Haruka's eyes. I can finally fly again… ? He thought and quickly tried to make his wings wrap around himself.

"But they're not big enough to fly with…" Rin said. Yeah. Haruka noticed that. He sighed. At least for a minute he had thought that he could. The wings had grown, but not enough.

"I'll go now. See you tomorrow." Rin said before getting down into a crouching position and jumping off the cliff, his powerful wings flapping in the wind.

A tear made his way out of Haruka's eyes. Before he could get sadder than that, he spun around and made his way home.

Haruka was getting worried. By the day, his feelings just grew stronger and stronger. It was harder to hide then, and sooner or later he would act on them on instinct. Especially with the way they teased each other. He had to tell Rin, and could only hope that Rin felt the same way. Though he was almost sure he did. Almost. This was the first time Haruka had such feelings for someone. Rin had changed, even though he had become a bit more like he was when he was younger – but they were older now. It was also the fact that Rin's wings wouldn't really be able to grow anymore than they already had, which made him wonder if Rin really felt the same way about him. But in the end, it would be better to be clear and hope that Rin would know what he meant.

Haruka and Rin were sitting by the table in the living room as usual, doing homework. It was winter already, and with that came Christmas. Not that he had ever had anyone to celebrate it with – in the back of his mind Rin had been his only option. He figured that if he asked Rin to spend Christmas with him, he'd get the hint. It was an occasion for couples, after all.

Haruka put down his pencil and looked straight at Rin. "Rin. Do you want to spend Christmas with me?"

Rin looked up from the work he had been doing, with a face that was as red as a tomato. "W-w-what? Y-y-you… want to spend Christmas with me? Do you know what that…" before he could continue, Haruka cut him off.

"Yes, I do know what that means. Do you want to or not?" he mumbled. Apparently this would become embarrassing in the end – it was all Rin's fault.

"Of course I want to!" Rin replied. "I just thought you didn't like me… that way…" he muttered.

It was Haruka's turn to become flustered. It was the same thing he had thought about Rin. That his feelings didn't run deeper than friendship. So wrong he had been. What had Rin been thinking all this time? Had they both been too afraid to act on their feelings? This would be their first official date. Date. It would be Haruka's first. Would it be Rin's first as well? Given his reaction, he thought so. Now he had something to look forward to and smiled.

"Haru, does this mean we're dating?" Rin asked.

Why did he still ask that? Haruka thought it was obvious. "Yeah. Is it so hard to grasp that I want to date you? I like you more than as a friend, Rin." Hopefully with this Rin would finally get it. Or else, he'd have to do something bold – he had been waiting for too long already.

Haruka looked at Rin. His mouth was hanging open and his face was red – even his ears. Rin caught his eyes and they just sat like that – staring at each other. For once it seemed as if Rin, who was always talking, had no words. It was Rin who moved first, he got up from his seat across the table and walked over to Haruka, the latter turning in Rin's direction when he came over. Once again he was wrapped in a hug and Haruka idly noted that it had happened a lot lately. But now this hug meant something else entirely. Haruka put one hand at Rin's lower back and with the other he lightly touched one of Rin's shoulders blades. He couldn't help it. Immediately the other's wings sprouted and he didn't miss the shiver that run through the body he was currently holding.

It didn't take long for Rin to do the same and Haruka felt overwhelmed. It was too much at once, even though this was the moment he had been waiting for, yearning for, all his life. For Rin to return his feelings. Yes they hadn't had their first date yet, but their relationship ran deep. Haruka had always known it would be Rin – or no one. He almost wanted to laugh but refrained from doing so. Instead, he gently took hold of Rin's shoulders to push him away a bit. Confusion became written all over the other's face, but he wanted, no, needed, to see his face. There were tears, pointy teeth showing from a smile, and red was the colour of the face he was looking at.

To show just how much Rin meant to him, he slowly stroked one of the wings that were sticking up from behind. Something he had always wanted to do. "H-H-Haru…" Rin stuttered. Haruka just looked at him, and Rin, after one minute of contemplation, nodded. Haruka smiled softly and continued to stroke Rin's wings. Soon the other did the same to his.

Haruka had figured that since he was the one who asked Rin if they could spend Christmas together, then he'd have to plan their date. In his old home with the angel, Christmas was celebrated on 24th of December, Christmas eve. Therefore it was decided that was the day their date would take place.

Haruka wasn't much for going out, but he knew Rin loved that sort of thing so he did plan for them to at least eat out at a restaurant, which he knew served both mackerel and meat. Other than that, he thought they could just do things together. Like walking around the neighbourhood checking out all the Christmas decorations, bake a cake, and put up decorations together in Haruka's house.

And so, the 24th of December arrived. Haruka had wanted to be the one to pick Rin up, though Rin had for some reason insisted that he would come over to Haruka's house instead. Haruka had been puzzled by that but had just accepted it. He tried to dress up, for once; it was still a bit early, but Haruka wanted to be ready on time. It was decided that they'd meet at half past eleven and then make their way to the restaurant where Haruka had reserved a table for them.

After half an hour of trying to decide on what to wear, Haruka had finally settled on a marine blue shirt and a black loose cardigan along with black jeans. This will do, he thought. Although Rin was the fashionable one, it had rubbed off on Haruka, and nowadays he did pay more attention to what he was wearing. Not sure about what to do in the meantime while he was waiting for Rin, he got out his sketchbook and started drawing.

Exactly at 11.30, the doorbell rang. Haruka had been so immersed in his drawing that he flinched when the loud sound of a doorbell was heard. He quickly got up from his desk and made his way back downstairs to open the door. As he opened the door and saw Rin, he knew right away that something was wrong. Rin's face was red. Really, really, red. It was cold outside and currently snowing, but it wasn't that cold. Not to mention that Rin was breathing heavily and his eyes looked blank. There was no doubt about it. He had caught a cold and still thought he could go through with this date.

"Rin. You're sick. I can see that." Haruka said with worry staining his voice.

"I'm… " Rin wheezed, "… not sick!" he replied defiantly.

"You are. Come in, I'll make you something to eat."

Rin went inside and almost fell on the way; Haruka caught him and realized how little clothing he was wearing and how hot he was on top of that. "Rin, you're burning up!" Rin just made an unintelligible sound. Haruka had to admit he was a tiny bit disappointed but at the same time he didn't mind nursing Rin back to health. That was definitely more important than their date. And it was bonding and spending time together, too, in a way. Rin may be sick, but so much that he was unable to talk. Now it was really a good thing that Haruka lived in a big house, he'd let Rin sleep in his own bed – because he probably wouldn't become healthy again until in a few days time. Not wanting to leave him alone either in case something happened, he'd just lay out a spare futon beside it.

Rin's cold was pretty bad, and he ended up staying for days but that was no problem for Haruka. It was nice to have someone else to take care of. He was also able to push his feelings aside in order to just concentrate on nursing Rin back to health.

Presents were exchanged later and Haruka was a bit surprised by the one he got from Rin – matching bracelets. He had looked at Rin and the other had been thoroughly embarrassed, but he made Haruka promise they'd both wear them. The present he had prepared for Rin was actually a drawing; he felt that would somehow be more special. It was also due to the fact that he didn't really, ever, buy presents for someone else, and so had a really hard time finding one as he first did. But, judging by Rin's reaction, he really liked it and even said he'd cherish it.

Time moved quickly again, and during that time they went on many dates. It was Rin that planned most of them and, even though he didn't admit it, Haruka suspected he loved doing that and would always, casually, ask Rin if he had ideas as to what they could do and where they could go. Rin's eyes would then immediately start shining and he would go on about all the things he could think of – until Haruka chuckled and Rin understood that maybe, he had gotten a bit too excited and would start cursing. Though that was a bad idea because then Haruka would laugh even more. He didn't laugh often, but that sort of thing would always amuse him. It was just too cute.

It was still chilly outside, but gradually getting warmer. It would soon be Rin's birthday and even though Haruka himself had not received anything on his – granted, since that was the day Rin had entered his life again, he still wanted to give Rin something special. Hopefully Rin wouldn't be sick or anything.

Haruka thought long and hard about what to give Rin, until he finally realized what the perfect present would be. Of course. It was so obvious, why hadn't he thought of that before?

That same morning, as he was waiting for Rin to arrive at his house on the 2nd of February, Haruka had finally taken the guts to look at his wings in the mirror. The mirror, which was in his room, was always covered with a heavy fabric. Rin had of course noticed that but hadn't said anything, for which Haruka was grateful. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, let his wings sprout and with his eyes still closed, removed the fabric in one long swipe. As he heard it fall to the floor, he opened his eyes. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing, stunned by his own reflection. His wings had grown remarkably. A lot more than he thought; now they were so big that he could even wrap them around himself, and with that came the realization that, maybe, he could even fly with them again. They were no longer dull and lifeless, but it looked as if his wings were impatient, as if they couldn't wait to stretch out and fly up to the sky. This must be all Rin's doing and I'm definitely ready, I hope he is too, Haruka thought to himself. At that moment, the doorbell rang. Rin had made it his habit not to even wait for Haruka to come and open the door for him, he just let himself in and said with a loud voice "Haru! I'm here!" Haruka let his wings into hiding again; he hadn't shown them to Rin since that intimate gesture back from when they first had talked about their feelings. That had been their first Christmas together, although Rin was sick – it had still been a great time spent together. And it was the fact that Christmas was bigger in the human's world than the world of angels.

The present will be another surprise.

When Haruka had gotten down to the living room, it was obvious that Rin had put a lot of care into his clothing. He was wearing tight fitting jeans, and a grey tank top along with an unbuttoned red chequered shirt. Not to mention all the accessories, such as a few bracelets and a necklace.

Rin sat down and Haruka did as well, across from him. Rin was studying him intently and he fidgeted in his seat. Haruka took a deep breath. Now was definitely the time, he was ready. Could feel it in his heart, in his mind, in his body and most important of all… in his wings.

Haruka thought it might be a bit selfish to give this to Rin on his birthday, but there was nothing he could do about it. He could wait no more. Sliding one hand into his pocket, he got out a small, black box and quietly handed it over to Rin. "Happy birthday" Haruka said. The other took it with a smile and replied with a small "thanks".

The black box was opened and Haruka saw Rin's eyes go round and just stare at the item inside. Rin then carefully plucked it out and held it up into the light. The sunshine was reflected in the perfectly round, sky blue stone.

"Haru, is this your… birthstone?"

"Yes, you do know what that means, right?" Haruka replied.

At that, Rin's face broke out into the biggest smile Haruka had ever seen, and there were even tears in Rin's eyes.

Every time an angel is born, a birthstone will always come with them. No one really knows where they come from, but the newborn is always clutching one tightly in one of his or her tiny hands. The stone itself is small, perfectly rounded without a single scratch – the thing that makes them differ from each other is that they're all a different colour. Representing the one that was born with it. Some might of course end up looking the same, but the angels are told all throughout their growth that they definitely can't lose them. There's a specific reason why. When an angel has found the right one, the person they want to spend the rest of their life with – their partner, it is custom to exchange stones. Like humans when they marry and give each other a ring. The exchange will last for as long as the both of them are alive. Once you have a partner, you can't change them. Even if the stones can't be worn, they'll always be with the carrier. The exchange itself can be made on any day of the year – though most always give it to the other on the day of their birth, since that is the day when the stone first appears and the colour is distinguished. No one knows what powers are bestowed on each birthstone.

"I want you to be my one and only partner!" Rin said as he reached for his own which was crimson coloured and handed it over to Haruka.

Something in him stirred and the part where his wings usually sprouted felt…weird. It couldn't be… Haruka thought and quickly grabbed a hold of Rin's hand to drag him outside to the garden. Rin yelped in surprise but didn't resist. Out in the garden, Haruka let go of Rin's hand and got down on his knees, clutching his body with his hands. With his back to Rin, he started shivering and his whole body felt like it was on fire. Bending down to the ground, he heard a loud "HARU!" before his vision was clouded with shades of red, pink and blue. Then, in a flurry of feathers, Haru's wings sprouted and grew. The sensation was so much for Haru that he momentarily lost consciousness, but fortunately he just stumbled a little. When he finally came to his senses, his eyes fluttered open slowly. What he saw then stunned him. His wings. They were so big that they had wrapped around him. The most surprising of it all though, was their colour. They were the same colour as the sky, as his birthstone. Flexing his wings, he felt like this would be the first time he was really going to fly. He realized he finally, after all this time, could fly. With Rin. Their love had brought them this. They were meant to be.

Haruka turned his head over his shoulder and said "Rin, come on!" and wasn't even surprised to see that Rin's wings had changed colour and were now crimson, as his birthstone. After that, Haruka took one quick leap right up into the sky, his wings finally carrying in the wind again – after all those years. Rin was quick to follow, and when he caught up with Haruka, he wrapped himself around him and kissed Haruka all over his face. Haruka responded by kissing him back, but on the lips, until Rin said "Haru, let's race!" and untangled himself from Haruka. Haruka didn't even reply, but started flying faster instead, and couldn't help but feel a bubbly feeling in his chest – and started laughing. This, he thought, was where he truly belonged. Flying in the sky with his lover, his partner. If he was a real human, he'd say that he was with his husband. Which didn't sound too bad in his ears.