FicWad

Grey closed the door behind him as quietly as he could. His twin was not asleep - he was lying on his back in his angel form, toying absently with the ragged, greying feathers that dangled over his face. "Yo." 



"I thought you said you were sleeping." Grey reverted to his true form, as well, but this time he allowed his human body to melt away slowly so as to avoid the flash of light generated by quick transformations. 



"I was." Claude sat up with a soft rustle of feathers and stretched. "But you two kept yammering on and on out there and woke me up." 



"Oh." If angels could blush, Grey would have turned scarlet. "Were . . .were we loud?" 



"Not really. But I was in this form, so I could hear you." He leaned back again, propping his head up against the cast-iron headboard and glancing over at his more beautiful counterpart. "You seem to get along real nice." 



"Joan is . . . well, she's a wonderful person," Grey murmured. He stroked his luminous fingers along the dingy bedspread, watching as the trails of light he caused faded slowly away. "She's . . . easy to talk to. She listens attentively." 



"What, and I don't?" Claude snorted. 



"No. Not at all." Grey smiled, and stopped speaking aloud, instead utilizing their telepathic connection. But then again, you don't need to. 



I guess not. But we can't do this in human form. Claude sighed aloud as his twin lay down next to him. Damn inconvenient, if you ask me.

Inconvenience is something you need to get used to when you live as a human, Grey reminded him. 



Yeah, yeah. I've heard it all. Claude turned on his side to look at him, changing the subject. Hey. You've really gotta leave tomorrow night? 



I don't have a visa, Grey thought sadly. It was difficult enough to obtain permission to visit you for even this length of time.

You think you could get an Earth visa? Claude asked pleadingly. Even a temporary one? Just for a week at a time? 



I have an idea of how to get one, but . . . Grey suddenly cut off his thought stream, pressing his lips together (even though they hadn't been moving.) 



"Hey, what gives?" Claude asked aloud, frowning. "What don't you want me to know?" 



"It's nothing," Grey murmured. "Just an idea. I . . . I'm not sure if I'll carry it out or not." 



"As long as you're not giving anything up for me," Claude mumbled darkly. 

Grey had no response to that. He breathed deeply for a moment, clearing his mind, then continued to communicate with his brother. I'm sorry. but you have such a short temper . . . really, it's not a big deal. I think I may be able to obtain an Earth visa if my idea is correct. There are loopholes in the System, you know.

Claude stretched out his wings, and his pitch-black eyes flickered to his brother curiously. Are you actually gonna sleep?



You know, I think I'd rather talk with you. But . . . I haven't actually slept for quite a few centuries. Grey paused for a moment, and Claude listened to - or rather felt - his wordless stream of thought for a while before his twin directed a conscious sentence at him. Do you still dream, Claude? 



Yeah. He chuckled mentally. It was weird at first. I wasn't used to alternate truths. 


But it's not truth, it's a dream . . . Grey countered. 



Claude shrugged. You'd be surprised. 



Grey returned to his human form at that point. It was getting easier and easier to do. "Claude . . . does the strength of emotions still . . . surprise you?" he asked quietly. 


"In human form? Well, yeah. you never really get used to that," Claude replied out loud. "Just hits you like a wall, doesn't it? Suddenly everything hurts, everything's so loud and . . . and you can feel everything, 'cos you've got skin again . . ." 



"Mmm," Grey agreed wordlessly. He reached out and touched his brother's hair lightly, but his fingers went right through his ethereal form. "Will you change back, Claude?" 



"Sure." Claude sank easily into his solid body, much more smoothly than Grey's rather clumsy transition. They lay side by side silently for what seemed like a long time, with Grey simply laying his head on Claude's shoulder. 



"It's been hard," Claude mumbled. It sounded like his voice was going to break. 



"Yes." Grey sounded equally upset. "They wouldn't let me visit you," he whispered. "They told me to forget . . ." 



"It would have been better for you," Claude muttered.

The statement lingered in the darkness. Grey moved closer, touching his brother’s forehead lightly. No words were exchanged. Eventually the only sound was their alternating breaths, inhale and exhale, traded back and forth.