Somewhere To Belong

Goro didn't expect life in the world of mortals to be any good at all. After all, what good could it be when this was where he was being sent as punishment? He didn't believe the world he would be sent to would be any better than the one he was rejected from.

And yet he had met Haru and Ren, who had reached for him despite how much he tried to push them away. He had been scared of giving into their warmth just to be rejected again.

He had tried to convince them by showing them his angel wings. Showing them that he was a fallen angel. He had been shunned from the very place humans dreamed of, the place they called a paradise.

But then Ren had stepped forward, showing his secret. Ren was a demon, who just left hell because he wanted to. Goro had actually suspected it a little. He had always felt something weird about him, which he now realised must have been his demon aura. If he was a demon, he had no reason to care about what Paradise thought.

And then there was Haru who, despite her shock at both of their news, still accepted him. "I don't care where you came from. I don't care who rejected you. You're still the Goro I've always known, and this doesn't change anything."

Goro couldn't understand it. He didn't understand either of them. He was worthless, unlovable. At least, that was what everyone had told him.

And yet, they convinced him to stay with them at Haru's flower shop. If he really was as bad as he believed, that side of him would show itself eventually.

He had never really done any gardening before that. The most he had done was water some flowers. But Haru was patient with him. She taught him everything, from the plants themselves to their soil. He could tell he cared for them, and that she had put in a lot of effort to learn about the flowers.

They had both been surprised by the effects Goro had on the flowers, though. It was pretty common knowledge that angels had positive effects on nature, but it was their first time seeing the effects with their own eyes.

"See? This is one of your good points, Goro." She smiled at him when the red rose he had helped her with had bloomed much more vibrantly than normal.

"I didn't do anything special. It's just because I'm an angel…"

"You should try appreciating your qualities more." Ren had told him as he fertilised a flower pot, wearing gloves to avoid making the flowers wilt.

Demons had some pretty negative effects on plants when touching them directly with their hands. That fact certainly didn't seem to please Ren. They knew how much he liked plants. Heck, he had started helping Haru with the shop way before Goro had shown up.

And, maybe, that made Goro just a little jealous of them. They seemed so happy together. Many customers thought they were dating. Goro didn't want to "meddle" with their relationship, but they seemed to treat him the same way they treated each other.

They had no problem touching each other. It didn't matter if people could see them or not. Ren would often hug Haru from behind while she was messing with some flowers, nuzzling her neck. And she would just giggle and hold his hand. She never pushed him away.

Goro didn't like being touched. It always felt so unnecessary and uncomfortable. He didn't want to just have people touching him for no reason.

However, he started minding it less and less when it came from Ren or Haru. He liked it when Haru caressed his arm whenever she praised and thanked him for his help. He had begun to like it when Ren wrapped an arm around his shoulders. For some reason, their touches felt warmer than getting touched by random people. And he felt almost disappointed whenever they pulled away.

He began craving it, thoughtlessly reaching out for them. Slipping his hand in Haru's, or leaning his head on Ren's shoulder were things that had started to become everyday habits for him. It felt so warm.

All those things made him want to leave less and less. He wanted to stay with them. He wanted to get closer to them, feel more of the warm kindness they always showed him. Despite how he had felt like he didn't deserve it, they had been making him "softer".

And, maybe, he had finally found somewhere to belong. Maybe even a fallen angel like him deserved to love and be loved, after all.