Cain and Angel

[x-firestar.livejournal.com]

Saturday morning Angel's giving Cain a hand washing the windows. Actually, it's the other way around.



Angel was, in two words, a mess. A cheerful, singing mess but, still, a mess. Due to the window washing, she'd tossed on her oldest clothes, topping it off with a ratty old red handkerchief that made sure her hair didn't get in her face. She had been attacking a set of windows with a long mop and it had been sort of working. The only problem was that she was getting more suds on her than on the windows.

Cain wandered over, lifting one of the thick-framed storm windows over Angel's head to place it in one of the higher frames. Using a long-handled ratchet, he tightened the retaining bolts, then wiped down the wooden frame with a rag.

Stepping backwards, he paused with one foot in the air, catching his balance in time to keep from trampling over Angel. "Whoa there, didn't see you."

She squeaked, having wondered if there had been an eclipse right before he spoke, and scampered to the side. Wiping soap and water out of her face before she spoke, since getting that mess in her mouth would be so disgusting. "Hiya, Mr. Marko."

Cain looked up and down the row of windows, noticing each of them shining and spotless. "Good work, kiddo," he said with a nod. "Feel like getting the ones up higher?"

Angel beamed at the praise but tilted her head. "Higher? Sure, I'm not scared of heights or anything. Did you bring a ladder?"

She paused as Cain looked down on her. "...oh! Duh."

Cain reached down and let Angel stand on his hand, bracing herself on his shoulder for leverage. In one smooth motion, Cain lifted her over his head, holding the bucket of soapy water in his other hand. "Don't drip on me," he said flatly, "This is faster than lugging around a ladder."

"Oh my God, I think I can see my dad's house from here!" Grinning, Angel started up on the windows she could now reach and, like he had said, was careful to get any water that could fall on her. She was already soaked. He, on the other hand, could throw her into the lake. "Just curious, sir, how far could you throw me?" she asked, sticking her tongue out a bit as she attacked a stubborn spot.

Cain flexed, testing Angel's weight. "Sent a little Russian gal just a bit heavier than you a couple of miles, pretty sure with a running start, we could put you into town from here."

When she glanced down at him, Cain winked. "Just kidding. Was probably just a quarter-mile or so."

She giggled, eyes not quite so wide after the clarification. "You'd totally rule the football field," Angel said firmly. "And basketball. Baseball's boring. You've got an awesome power, though, because I'd like to throw that far. You know, when Julio's being a butt, I could pitch him into the lake without even breaking a sweat."

"Lake pitching's not in this season," Cain scolded as he moved Angel over to the next window. "Doc Voght already gave me and Nate the pre-emptive lecture about growing children and pneumonia. So, Julio... earthquake kid, yeah? He your sweetie or something?"

"Eeewwww, Mr. Marko!" she whined, bleching quietly as she leaned over to scrub at the window. She had no idea how something so high off the ground could get so icky. "Boys are gross. And Julio is, unfortunately, a boy. No sweethearts for me, unless it's those little valentine candies with writing on them. Those are tasty."

"Yep, sweeties," Cain murmured under his breath. He glanced up, then cocked his head. "What are you dryin' the windows with?"

"Well, I was using that rag down there..." Angel pointed to where they had started. But that would mean going back and someone having to bed down and get it. She chewed on her lip and then eyed the window. "You're, like, microwave and fire proof, right?" she asked suddenly.

"Been set on fire enough times to figure that one out, but just in case..." Cain set the bucket down, then tossed Angel in the air and concentrated. She only had time for a small yelp before Cain's hand caught her, encased in bands of black metal armor. He looked up through the eyeholes of the domed helmet and smiled. "Now, knock yourself out. Remember, you break it, you fix it."

"Gah!" Angel gasped, quickly amending her opinion of his powers. They were really, really incredibly cool. Instead of, you know, really incredibly cool. Turning her head back to the window, she put both hands in front of it. A soft blue light shimmered around her arms as she concentrated, drawing from that pool of fire in her. In a few seconds, there was a hint of steam from the window and when she touched it, she beamed when she found it was dry. "Huzzah! I win at life!"

"Only twenty-seven more to go," Cain said with a smile, passing the bucket back up to Angel. "Think of it as really, really earning that pizza."

"Aw, man. It's a good thing I really, really like pizza."