Zafkiel linked his arms behind his head on the pillow, and closed his eyes. He felt hot, sweaty, and relaxed. He felt calm, and complete. He smiled to himself. He had gotten used to being alone, but he'd never been comfortable that way. Being together with Mikael; that was being comfortable.

"Zafkiel."

Zafkiel opened his eyes again. "Yes?"

Mikael was lying on his side, his head propped up by his arm. "Why did you bring them back with you?"

Zafkiel's shoulders tensed, and he sighed. So much for feeling relaxed and comfortable, he thought.

"Do you want the long version, or the short version?" he asked, and Mikael's mouth tightened.

"I'd prefer you to tell me clearly but concisely."

Zafkiel sat up, slowly, gathering his thoughts. He pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on them.

"We never intended it, you know. Honestly." He trailed his thoughts back, remembering the random chain of events that had brought Hanael and Rafariel into their lives. Who could have imagined it, really?

"But..." Mikael trailed off, prompting him.

Zafkiel sighed again.

"I met Hanael by chance. And...he needed a place to stay for awhile. I let him stay with us. And...from the start, I trusted him. I felt comfortable with him. He's like..." Zafkiel searched about for an example. "He's like the brother I wish I had ended up with instead of Tzadkael. He's about the nicest person I've ever met."

Mikael was silent, but Zafkiel couldn't tell what sort of silence it was even though he could usually interpret Mikael's silences. He hurried on.

"Hanael just...kept staying with us. He never left. And I never wanted him to go. Neither did Raziel. We were glad for his company. And then, one day... Raziel ran into Rafariel, in a park. And Rafariel was being chased by someone. A man with a gun." He felt Mikael tensing beside him, heard him swallow a question. "We don't know who he was... Rafariel was too scared to tell us anything, really. But I think he was involved in something pretty bad. Something he's ashamed of, even now."

Mikael was silent still, and Zafkiel wondered if Mikael was imagining what he would've done in Raziel's place. Mikael wasn't always the nicest person in the world, but he had a strong sense of justice. Zafkiel was certain he would've acted on Rafariel's behalf. He sighed, wondering if Mikael would've put himself in danger to save the boy.

"Raziel helped Rafariel run away, and brought him back to our place, to hide from whoever those people were. And...he stayed. He said he had nowhere else to go; no family, no friends. He was so scared at first... but he gradually relaxed, and he seemed to really get on well with Hanael. And...we couldn't just cast him out, you know?"

"I know," Mikael's voice was heavy. "I know what you're like. But that still doesn't explain why they're here."

"I..." Zafkiel ran a hand through his hair, dragging out some of the tangles, trying to find words for it. He'd told Hanael 'let me worry about it', but the truth was, he'd avoided thinking about Mikael's reaction completely. He was very good at burying his head in the sand when it came to facing things he didn't want to face, and Mikael's wrath was pretty high on the list.

"They wanted to come. Hanael.. he wanted to be with friends. He said...the company was more important to him than the place. I think maybe he was...pretty lonely, before he met us. He's so nice, and yet...I think he has trouble reaching out to people. So maybe, it meant a lot to him, to have found friends like us. And Rafariel... I don't think he ever had a friend like Hanael. I think he would've followed Hanael anywhere. And he wanted to be somewhere safe, away from those people who were chasing him. So... they came."

"And you told them it was okay?" Mikael's voice was steely, and Zafkiel winced. He knew Mikael liked his privacy, liked his solitude. And he wanted to respect that. But.. he wanted to be with his friends. And he wanted Mikael to respect that.

"They said it was only till they found somewhere to move to," he said, opting for middle ground.

"I see." Mikael was silent for a long moment, but it was a heavy, expectant silence. "But you want them to stay for good, don't you?"

Zafkiel let go of his legs and turned around, finally, looking at Mikael. He was still propped up on one arm, his hair a long, tangled mess that disappeared under the bedsheets somewhere around his torso. His eyes were narrowed slits, disapproving, and his mouth was set in a thin, grim line. And it made Zafkiel sad, that he had upset Mikael this much, so soon after coming home.

Zafkiel reached out, hesitantly, and touched Mikael's cheek, stroking the soft, pale skin. Mikael blinked at him, some of the thinness leaving his lips.

"I hate fighting with you at the best of times, and even more so when I've barely been home for more than a couple of hours," he said, softly, his voice as apologetic as he could make it.

Mikael stared at him. He tangled his fingers in Mikael's hair and stared back. Abruptly, Mikael's mouth quirked into a sardonic smile.

"Fine," he said. "What would you rather we do, then?"

Zafkiel let his fingers trail through Mikael's hair, down to his bare shoulder, and across his chest.

"I can think of a few things," he offered, smiling sweetly, hopefully.

Mikael's smirk widened, and he reached up and pulled him down towards him. And as their lips met, Zafkiel closed his eyes and hoped that the conversation was over for good. Even if he knew better.