Overly Familiar Ch. 02

"Well...fuck me sideways." Mara grumbled, crossing her arms. "You neglected to mention that your best friend was an angel."

"Yeah...well, she neglected to mention that to me too." Matt narrowed his eyes into a suspicious glare. "Your wings are really pretty, by the way."

"Thank you..." Laila murmured, her cheeks coloring with a subtle blush as she began to stand, Matt offering her his hand.

"Shouldn't you be at work right now?" Matt asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"I felt a demonic presence in the forest near your place." Laila casually moved her hair from her face, but this only seemed to make her blushing all the more obvious.

"Awwww, you came here to protect me?" Matt teased with a wide grin, taking in Laila's armor now that things were calming down. It mostly consisted of a white metal with various gold accents over what looked like a white bodysuit. Considering how rare it was for Laila to wear anything form fitting, it was an interesting change of pace.

"Hey!" Laila protested, crossing her arms. "My eyes are up here!"

"Sorry." Matt chuckled, drawing his eyes from her legs, more specifically her thighs, where the bodysuit was most obvious. "Your wings are distracting."

"You were not looking at my wings." Laila scowled. "Stop being pervy."

Mara's snort of a giggle reminded the two that she was there. She gave Laila a clearly appraising once-over with her eyes before grinning cockily back as if she'd won something.

"Behave." Matt warned with a smirk, clearly understanding the 'victory' that Mara had claimed. Laila was a very pretty girl and her body was clearly feminine, with Matt joking with her many times that she never seemed to have an ounce of fat on her. However, due to that fact, Laila was lacking certain...assets...that Mara had in abundance. Laila wasn't exactly flat chested, but she looked it next to Mara. "And let go of the sword, please. We both get that you're a badass."

Mara giggled again, flipping the blade of the huge sword downwards so that she could drive it into the ground and let it go, opening and closing her hand as the burns on her palms began to heal.

Laila looked at the healing display in surprise and then the same irritation that had colored her face when she'd understood Mara's appraising look returned. But then it was like a lightbulb clicked in her mind and she turned to Matt in shock. "Why are you being so calm about this situation? Why is a demon listening to you? Why don't you seem to care that she's clearly a demon?" On the last question in particular, Laila pointed to Mara's wings and tail.

Matt chuckled in reply. "Well. I've kind of just...accepted that the world is just more open than I realized. At least I can rest easy that you being my guardian angel makes all the sense in the world." He grinned wider as Laila's cheeks began to color again.

Mara drew everyone's attention again as she spoke, "She's not a guardian angel. She's a warrior. And-"

"No one was talking to you, filth!" Laila spat out venomously as she interrupted the demon.

"Oh, you have no idea how filthy I am." Mara shot back with a lustful grin.

"Hey!" Matt snapped his fingers, causing a flame to burst into the air before immediately dispersing it. "I get it. Angel, demon, fight fight fight. I don't care. Neutral corners, both of you. That means no name calling."

"Yes, Matt." Mara nodded with a sigh, pouting slightly. "She started it... She literally tried to kill me but whatever..."

Laila seemed more surprised by Matt's display than anything else. "Matt...when did you learn elemental magic...?"

"Not bad, right?" Matt grinned proudly. "Mara taught me this morning. And the name calling goes for you too. Same with the whole not killing each other thing."

Laila rolled her eyes, putting her hands up to signal a truce, her angelic appearance immediately fading into the Laila that Matt was more familiar with, wearing a colorful sweater with rainbows and blue jeans that fit her well without showing off too much of her figure. Her fashion was always more substance over form. This also showed that she wasn't kidding about being on her break since she was still wearing an apron with the logo of the store that she worked at over her clothes. "It wasn't an insult. It's a fact. She is filth. She was literally born into existence by sin. She shouldn't even have a human form, much less be able to heal a burn from a holy-."

Laila froze mid-sentence, slowly turning to Mara, who just grinned knowingly back at her, making a point of showing off the collar on her neck. "Oh God..." Laila gasped in horror. "She's your familiar?!"

"Laila, calm down..." Matt tried his best not to chuckle at Laila's reaction, but it had been so over the top, he couldn't help himself.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!" Laila muttered as she began to pace back and forth. "This is bad. This is bad. This is really, really bad."

"Should an angel be using such language?" Matt looked up thoughtfully.

"Oh, fuck you, Matt! You know I fucking swear, especially-... Okay...okay, this is okay. We can fix this. Nobody even knows she's here."

"Actually, another angel tried to kill me a few weeks ago." Mara pointed out casually. "It was way more powerful than you."

"What...?" Laila practically whimpered, the color draining from her face before it almost comically returned as she shouted into the sky. "FUCK!"

"Laila, breathe. It's okay. In with the good air, out with the bad." Matt reassured, placing a hand on Laila's trembling shoulder.

"Matt, you don't understand!" Laila wailed, tears forming slightly in her eyes. "I'm not being overdramatic this time. I'm used to human emotions. This is really bad. For an angel to be in my territory while I'm gone and then... You probably thought she was an injured animal because you're...you! And then you not only healed her but...I...I didn't even know you were ready for a familiar yet and...FUCK!"

"So, we're going to have some angelic company, is what you're saying." Mara mentioned, completely unfazed. In fact, she seemed to be getting more excited, her bloodlust switch clearly flipped on as she bared her teeth again. "I get that this angel is your friend, but I can kill others, right?"

"No one is killing any angels!" Laila roared before taking a deep breath to regain herself. "Matt, I really need to talk to you. In private."

"Psh!" Mara rolled her eyes. "Oh, fuck off! Unless he orders me to, I'm not going anywhere."

"No one was talking to you!" Laila growled, stomping on the floor. "You shut your fucking filth mouth! This is all your fault!"

"Matt, she called me filth again." Mara complained.

"Laila, apologize." Matt said calmly.

Laila's eyes began to tear up again. "Why are you taking her side over mine?"

"Because she didn't call you names after I told you both to get along." Matt replied logically with a shrug.

"Of course, she didn't! She's your familiar! She-... Oh...fine! Fuck it! I'm sorry, okay?"

"Apology accepted." Mara said, grinning triumphantly.

"Now can we please talk in private?" Laila pleaded, taking Matt's hands into her own.

"She only wants to talk to you in private so that she can convince you to release me." Mara muttered.

"Only bad people have demons as familiars!" Laila shouted.

"Only a Sith deals in absolutes." Matt replied with a smirk.

Laila scowled, clearly unamused. "Firstly, that's an absolute. Secondly, I fucking hate that movie. And third, there is a time and a place for Star Wars references and now is not the time!"

"There's always time for Star Wars references." Matt retorted.

"I didn't think it was that bad of a movie." Mara stated. "It was just rushed, but the basic idea of the plot-"

"We don't have time for this..." Laila groaned.

"Fair enough. But we will continue this conversation later." Matt replied with a grin.

"Looking forward to it." Mara winked back.

"Matt...how long have we known each other?" Laila sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Since I was five." Matt replied, laughing softly.

"Since you were five?!" Mara sputtered in shock. "That is fucked up! You are one twisted angel!"

"Shut up!" Laila shouted back, the blood rushing to her face once again. "I didn't have a choice!"

"Mara..." Matt began.

"Calling her twisted isn't an insult to me." Mara grinned at the loophole.

"It is to me..." Laila growled.

"Then I apologize." Mara said happily. "You should tell him, though."

"Tell me what?" Matt asked, genuinely curious now.

"We really don't have time for this..." Laila complained.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Mara said with a grin. "I can make this real quick. See there are three things you should know before she starts trying to talk you into releasing me. One, remember how you thought it was weird that I was around two hundred years old?"

"Yeah..." Matt said cautiously.

"So, Leila...how old are you?" Mara asked cockily. "Tell me when I get close. Two hundred? Four hundred? Fifteen thousand? How about a million? A billion? Is there a number value to it?"

The more Mara pushed, the more Laila seemed to shrink back. "...no...there isn't a number value to it..."

"And why is that?" Mara asked.

"...because angels were born before the concept of time..."

"Holy shit..." Matt replied, clearly in awe. "So, you've been an adult...well...technically way beyond an adult the entire time I've known you? Because you were a very convincing kid."

Laila sighed, her shoulders slumped. "Some of that was acting and some of it was being in human form. Angels don't deal with emotions the same way humans do. They were new to me."

"You've never been in human form before? You did it just to watch over me?" Matt asked.

"And that would lead us to point two!" Mara said, grinning wickedly. The color seemed to drain from Laila's face again as Mara continued, "You see, guardian angels and warrior angels are very different. For a warrior angel to watch over you for so long, it wasn't so that she could protect you."

Matt looked over to Laila, who looked like personified guilt, and his eyes narrowed a bit. "Laila?"

Laila looked quickly between Matt and Mara not unlike a cornered animal, a defeated panic painting her features. "I...was supposed to kill you. Your...your lineage is...very powerful. As soon as you used your powers for the first time, it lit up Heaven like a bolt of lightning. Matt...you have to understand... Angels aren't like demons. We aren't birthed by good deeds. There's a set number of us and that's it, while demons continue to grow.

"There are demons like Mara, there are old ones, there are fallen angels, Lilithborns, combinations of those, but all our side has are the angels we have left and humans who become hunters. Yes, angels are more powerful than demons on the whole, but if a demon dies, there are more, but when we die..."

"That's it." Matt sighed. "I get it. Losing battle. I was five when I used my powers for the first time. How could I be that big of a threat?"

"Matt...you've barely begun to explore your powers and your familiar, who was the lowest level of demon, is on par with a warrior angel." Laila pointed out.

"Par." Mara snorted. "Yeah, right."

Laila scowled but decided to continue with her point. "Anyway, can you see how we'd be worried about letting you grow to maturity? You're only going to get more powerful. But..." She paused, a smile slowly forming on her lips. "...I saw you. This little kid who had no clue that he had powers and you put everything you had into helping that squirrel. I convinced them that you would side with us."

"And if he didn't?" Mara asked with a knowing grin.

Laila flashed Mara a dirty look but still answered the question. "If he appeared...corruptible...then...I'd be tasked to kill him instantly."

"Well..." Matt nervously scratched the back of his head as he tried to think of what to say. "You haven't killed me yet, so...I guess that should be a good sign of my incorruptibility, right?"

Laila suddenly looked guilty again, to which Mara immediately pounced, "And that leaves us to the last thing. Personally, I think it's ridiculously obvious, but since you haven't caught onto it yet, I think there's a reason Laila hasn't killed you and it has nothing to do with how supposedly incorruptible you are."

"Mara, please!" Laila interrupted, the panic clear on her face.

"Mara. You can use my name now. Pretty sure I was filth before. Funny how that works out." The more Mara talked, the more of a growl her voice took on as she glared at Laila. "Prissy little angel. You don't know me! You don't know what I've been through! You have no idea what it's like in Hell! And you think you can judge me just for existing! I didn't ask to be made this way! It must be nice! Angels can fall, but demons can never rise, so even at best, my options are limited. And then when I find a Master, a Master who chose me, a Master who cares about me, you want to take him away from me! So please, forgive me for making sure that if he does listen to you and throws me away that he knows your bias in that decision!"

"It's not even like that!" Laila roared. "I'm an angel, it's not like I can-...Look, it's nothing personal! He has a familiar already! I've been preparing her for years!"

"Oh God..." Mara groaned in disgust. "She's a fairy, isn't she?"

"Good people have fairies as familiars!" Laila shouted.

"I don't care! He already chose me!" Mara growled back.

"Question?" Matt literally stepped in between the two women, trying to get as much information as he could from their bickering while also keeping them from killing each other. "I'm half demon. If I have the option of being good, then what's the problem with me having a demon as a familiar?"

"Because you're also half angel!" Laila groaned in frustration.

There was a moment of silence as that sunk in before Mara chimed in, "No, he's not... I would have sensed that..."

"No. You wouldn't have." Laila rolled her eyes. "You're assuming I mean fallen angel. I don't."

Mara's eyes shot wide in shock as she looked over to Matt and then back to Laila. "Are you shitting me? He has grace?"

"Are you getting it now?" Laila sighed. "If I don't get him to release you, Heaven is going to smite the fuck out of the both of you."

"What's grace?" Matt asked, still trying to play catch up with all this supernatural knowledge.

"Think of grace as...a heavenly power source within all angels. It's why angels are so powerful." Laila answered. "When an angel falls, they immediately lose their grace, which is why most of them are barely as powerful as most demons. I've watched it happen. It's like...having a limb torn from your body..."

Matt winced slightly at the description. "So, I'm half angel, half old one or whatever. Okay. Am I the first time this has happened?"

Both Laila and Mara passed a look at each other before Laila looked back. "There is one... And that's why this is such a...unique situation. It was planned very specifically that time. None of us know where you came from."

"Alright." Matt nodded. "Who was the last angel/demon then? Lucifer?"

To Matt's surprise both Laila and Mara burst into a sudden fit of laughter. "Ha! He wishes!" Mara was able to get out between laughs.

"No. Not Lucifer." Laila replied. "Death."

"Death?" Matt exclaimed. "Like...Grim Reaper, Death?"

"I'm just a warrior. I'm not privy to all the details, but at some point, the forces of Heaven and Hell made a deal with each other and Death was the result. The concept of time wasn't a thing until Death was born. What would time be if nothing can die? But that's the thing. Death is impartial and comes after both sides equally. Death comes for everybody and everything. That is why Death is allowed so much power. There is no issue of allegiance. Death is Death."

"So...what does that mean for me? I'm going to grow to be a second Death?" Matt asked.

"No one knows!" Laila grumbled. "That's the problem. If you're even remotely as powerful as Death and you choose a side, it could either make things much more even for Heaven or it would...crush us. I know it seems...unangelic to want to kill a five-year-old but we...they...They just don't want to be wiped out."

"Okay...then..." Matt sighed, rubbing his temples as he tried to figure out his next course of action.

"Actually...that explains everything..." Mara said thoughtfully to herself. "But that said, I never actually got to the third thing."

Laila's eyes bulged as her head snapped to Mara, panic in them again. "Mara. I'm telling the truth. I swear this isn't a bias thing. You said it yourself. Hell is horrible. Surely you can see how-"

"I don't care." Mara said darkly. "I don't care which side Matt chooses. I don't care if he even chooses a side. All I care is that I remain at his side. And I actually think you can understand that much more than you want to admit to yourself considering-"

One second. That was all it took. Laila wrapped her arms around Matt and released her wings and then Matt's surroundings were completely different. All in a single second. It was disorienting for a moment, but Matt was able to quickly regain his bearings. "Where are we?" Matt felt his ears pop. Wherever they were, it was either really high or really low.

"Old church." Laila answered, clearly trying to catch her breath, her wings being the only source of light beyond the filtered sunlight that came through the stained-glass windows. "It's pretty much demon proof. They don't really bless them like this anymore."

Matt glared back but his eyes softened as he looked in the corner for a moment and then focused on Laila again. "But I'm part demon."

"You have grace." Laila replied, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, her wings spreading wide, and a much-needed warmth began to radiate through the room. "Sorry for the sudden teleportation. I really needed to talk to you alone."

"You know. Mara is really cool if you just get to know her." Matt stated, leaning against one of the pews.

"No, she isn't. If anything, your soul is so powerful that it's just affecting her and making her seem that way. And even if she's somehow a good demon, it doesn't matter. Choosing a familiar is a very important decision and choosing a demon as your familiar means you side with Hell. That's how Heaven will see it. Line in the sand. They're already questioning my judgement or there wouldn't have been another angel in my territory. I promise you, Lynette is a very sweet fairy."

"What's the third thing?" Matt asked suddenly.

Laila froze and her face flushed bright red. "Matt...it's really not important. We don't have time for-"

"You've known me most of my life, Laila." Matt said with a sigh, walking up to her and lifting her chin so that she was forced to look at him. "So, tell me in your 'I've been here since before time existed, apparently' wisdom. Am I going to let this go before making a decision?"

"It's because of that wisdom that you have to trust me." Laila pleaded.

"That's not how trust works. You have to trust me first and give me all the relevant information. What aren't you telling me?"

"You're so fucking stubborn." Laila growled, sighing in defeat. "Fine. You are far from incorruptible. You think like a human and humans are practically defined by how easily corrupted they can be. It's why they have such short lives. If they could live centuries long, they would all become dicks."

"I don't believe that..." Matt muttered.