c h a p t e r. 8

"You are damaged and broken and unhinged. But so are shooting stars and comets."

― Nikita Gill

Oml, guys. Me and my sister @whoscountinganyway were talking about the names we give our character, right??

And we were just laughing bc Cher is over there with normal-ish names like Castor and Micah and I like... give my characters names like Jasper-Alaric and Clementine???

and I named a bunch after fucking ROCKS????

That's not even mentioning the poor deed I did for Bar's full name with four middle names.

chapter 8

Jazz Red has a couple anomalies in his life.

One of them is centered around the celestial.

He isn't completely oblivious-- he knows how he feels, he knows what he wants, he knows how easy it is for him to go all blushy, and he knows that by how Cas acts, he likes him too (how can he not assume that after they kissed?), but he's scared.

Scared because-- well... scared because how long until that like, that interest, runs out?

What about when the celestial realizes that Jazz isn't... isn't this amazing, beautiful person he always compliments as? What about when he becomes too much instead of just enough? What about when he does something that's a little too scary, a little too rude, a little too stupid and Cas knows that this nice guy he has in mind isn't the complete truth?

What happens then?

So, he's oblivious, yes, he doesn't always catch when he's being flirted with or understand dirty comments in time or even catch when he's being checked out but he understands enough.

He understands that he's only a man.

He understands that, often enough, godly beings like the celestial don't fall for men like him.

He understands that, despite all that, despite his fear, he's hoping for a future.

Because he isn't even twenty yet, he isn't experienced in the dance of love or life and he doesn't have a fucking clue what to do most days or the proper way to act but--

But he knows that him and Cas, well, they just make sense together.

They make sense in a world that is constantly shifting around Jazz, throwing him off of his feet and making him try to process everything all at once. They make sense in a life that so far has never made any sense to him.

Which, in a way, is why Jazz is so nervous about Cas meeting his siblings; there's no way he can pretend to be weaker, pretend not to be as intimidating as he is, pretend that he doesn't have everything figured out, around them.

But, well, there's nothing he can do about the nervousness now because he's parked at the bus stop and he can see all three of his sisters with Damien-- Nyx probably needed the emotional support if she's going to be trapped in a moving vehicle for an hour, having really bad trauma with cars and such-- and Dela is getting shoved by and shoving Axel, the oldest D'Silvetta kid that Jazz didn't know was going to be there, making their way towards his 1969 Corvette, it's name is Midnight and he got it from his papa.

"Hey, Jitterbug," Cas says, gray eyes locked onto the musician's siblings. "I don't think you know how to count."

"Uh," Jazz tilts his head, confused as he meets the celestial's eyes. "Why?"

"You said three," He gestures towards the small group, head jerking in a tic and a growl leaving his lips. "That's five."

"Oh! But only three are my siblings," Jazz smiles sheepishly. "I misunderstood the question, sorry."

Cas grumbles something that he can't quite make out and then asks, "Then who are the other two?"

"Viv's older brothers, our families are really close. Damien is the one holding hands with Nyx and Axel was the one getting shoved by Dela--" Jazz gets cut off with a shriek of fear passing his lips as his door is ripped open, his mint eyes widening as a thick arm is suddenly around his hips and dragging him out of his '69, his body off the ground and losing all sense of balance as that drop in his stomach makes him feel like he's going to fall. "Holy fuck, A! Put me down!"

"But I missed you!" The crazy D'Silvetta who picked him up laughed, squeezing Jazz harder and making him yell as he did another 360 spin.

Jazz is so going to get him back for this-- as the musician has no idea what to do when picked up, as very few people can do so to a man of his size.

"I don't care, down!" He gestures to the ground, only to shriek again as his body tetters to the size, hands grasping shoulders to right himself. "Now!"

"No fun," Axel grumbles, making Jazz's siblings laugh but makes him go slightly dizzy as he's suddenly back on his feet, hands quickly latching onto his friend's arms so he doesn't make a fool of himself and fall.

"I hate you," He says but the older boy just giggles in reply because he knew it was a fucking lie.

"Aw, Jazz!" Axel suddenly grips Jazz's jaw and squeezes, making his lips go like a fish's and for the musician to glare at him, arms pushing against his chest as the stupid D'Silvetta wraps his other arm around his neck to keep him in place. "Look at you! Cutie, did you grow?"

"Get off, you mongrel," Jazz's words are slightly muffled, his best friend's older brother always being like this-- but at least his purple song and lavender voice is soothing. "Axel!"

"What?" The older boy squishes his lips all over again but this time with a semi-painful grip and begins to coo into the musician's face, "I haven't seen you in a couple months, I'm allowed to be happy to see you! Besides, I gotta see how college has been treating you. You're a fucking genius but you're also the most densest person I know."

"That's not fair!" Jazz whines, finally pulling his now red face out of Axel's grasp and massaging his aching jaw. Stupid D'silvetta having his grip too fucking tight. "I'm smart, yes, but not a genius. You can't expect me to just not get stuck in my head."

It's then the musician sees Cas' seaweed green of jealousy and the-- for whatever reason-- moss of anger. He's definitely bothered, and since his clenched jaw and furrowed eyebrows are for all to see, Jazz won't be the only one to tell.

"So, lil' J," Nyx sports a cocky grin, making his eyes tear away from observing the celestial. "Viv told me you found your butterfly?"

"Oh, that's right! Who're they?" Dela laughs, her always moving body sliding over to his to shove him in the side.

"None ya' fucking business," He grunts and swoops down to throw her over his shoulder.

And, just like that, the rest of his siblings quickly scatter back, knowing that Jazz can, has, and is willing to throw all of them-- including Axel but excluding Damien-- over his shoulders.

So, just to annoy them, he does just that.

Catching Nyx, since she's the tiniest but also fully willing to kick his ass if he manages to catch her last just to watch Axel fall on his face, he places her over his opposite shoulder-- so used to it, her and Dela just strike up a conversation.

Next is Axel, who is a bit harder to balance but once he's squished against Nyx and Eris is next to Dela, everything's fine.

"Aw," Eris just sighs, jutting away from him and to the side, voice polite but words definitely not. "I forgot that a little bitch boy like you is so strong. Fuck you for getting Papa's height and build."

"Yeah? Well fuck you for getting Goddess mama's eyes," He counters, but smiles wide enough that his dimples fully pop out again. Dang, he's been showing them off more today than he's meant to. "I might have her features but those eyes make glares twice as intimidating."

"I feel very excluded," Axel mutters. "I don't have either of their features."

"Shut up, A," Nyx snaps at her best friend. "You have Tio Auggie's silliness, that's enough inheritance from a parent to last a lifetime."

Jazz rolls his eyes at the conversation and tenses his muscles slightly before doing a 360 spin, causing most of his family to shriek and for Damien to flip Nyx off when she asks for 'backup against the giant'.

It's at that moment the musician realizes the show of brute strength he did in front of Cas and looks over to see the celestial only a couple feet away from the lucifer dude-- Damien-- and looking mildly impressed, but also still obviously frustrated.

"Oh, right." Jazz flips his family back to a standing position without warning, and since Axel decides to be a little bitch and take the musician down with him as he falls, he lands on top of the older man, limbs tangled.

"You fucker." He snaps, trying to push himself away as Axel just hugs him tighter. Then his voice turns into a whine, "Axel, c'mon, I was gonna introduce you to Cas!"

"Cas?" This caught his attention and his hold loosened, letting Jazz quickly escape his hold and stumbled right into the celestial's arms-- not on purpose but definitely not complaining. Axel's hazel eyes follow them until it clicks. "Oh! Cas the butterfly!"

"Aw," Nyx smirked at him, leaning back against Damien's side (Jazz knows he won't talk, he never does unless it's to his oldest sister, in ASL, or to someone he venomously hates, just that petty, but he has a lot of facial cues so it's okay). "You really did get a butterfly. Didn't fucking expect that when we sent you off to college."

"Right?" Dela asks. "I thought it'd be at least a year but, y'know, we're also Reds so not surprising at all."

"Especially since Papa raised us," Eris adds, making all her siblings and even Damien nod in agreement.

"Introductions?" Damien signs, pointing to Cas and crosses his arms over his chest. The grump was almost as tall as Jazz but two inches taller than Axel. Lucifer's Incarnate had chestnut eyes and wavy dark hair while the stupid cuddler had the classic D'Silvetta hazel eyes and messy curls.

Nyx and Eris were on the shorter side, a whole foot shorter than their brother but Dela was a good 5'8. Nyx shared his mama's while Eris was the opposite but looked like both parents and Dela just looked like their papa while Jazz looked like a guy version of their Goddess mama.

And since they were mostly Latino, Italian, Hispanic, or mixed, they all had deeper skin tones than Cas who was obviously just white.

"Cas, this is Nyx," Jazz points to his covered in tattoos and piercings sister, then turning to the one who fools people by looking innocent, "That's Eris." Then his chaotic twin who has grass stains and ruffled up short hair. "That's Dela, the dude who pulled me out of my car isn't worth mentioning but I will anyway, Axel D'Silvetta, he's Damien's--" He points to the aforementioned boy. "-- and Viv's older brother. He's almost exactly like Viv but more cuddly. And the one attached to Nyx is Damien. And everyone else, this is Cas. We share a dorm."

"They already moved in together," Dela snickers, making Jazz flush.

Nyx chuckles as well but it's Eris who rolls her eyes and asks the musician, "How do you guys like living together?"

"It's awesome!" Jazz grins widely. "He's super easy to live with and he's really nice. Oh! I was stupid today--" He shows them his bandaged hand. "--and he helped me so that's good too. And he also doesn't mind my music or, um, what's the word in english? My excitability. Right, that. Or, I don't think he does. He has good taste in movies too! We watch them together. Oh, tonight, right. What are we doing? I forgot, well, not completely forgot but forgot enough to not remember what the plan was."

Axel snickers, "He sounds a lot nicer than he looks."

Jazz's heart drops at that, feeling extremely uncomfortable at his friend's words.

Cas instantly glares and snaps, "Maybe I'd be nicer if--"

Cutting himself off, he just glowers at the ground with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Are you okay?" Jazz asks, not exactly knowing what to do or how to make it better because his celestial is obviously upset but the musician is also not a fighter and doesn't want to cause a problem with Axel.

Cas just nods, continuing to have a glaring match with Axel.

Did he miss something? Why do they already not like each other? Was it something he said during introductions?

What's going on?

"Um, normally okay people don't, um, do t-that..." Jazz's hold on the celestial tightens, bringing him closer as the divine being himself looks at the musician with a growing frown. "Is it my fault?"

"Nah," Axel butts into the conversation. "It's mine."

Instantly, Jazz straightens, stance shifting as he turns his expression neutral, minty eyes going dark as they give the stupid D'Silvetta a 'what the fuck did you do' glare-- which admittedly makes his sister's stop laughing to themselves and Axel to raise his hands in an innocent gesture.

"Sorry, cutie," He apologizes but the musician stays unblinking and staring at him. His purple is now a little worried, sheepish, but still amused. "I was just testing the little butterfly."

"Fuck you," Jazz growls, the slight accent he got from his papa becoming obvious, hand subconsciously coming up to hold the celestial even closer to him, part of his body now blocking his crush from view. "If you're just going to upset him then you can take your own dumbass back to the fucking bus and go bother people besides my--"

"Jazz," Nyx interrupts, amused. "Gotta remember that we'd pull this shit anyway. Better Axel being more mellow than us, right?"

"I don't even know what he did." Jazz grumbles. "What'd you do, pendejo? Devi smetterla di disturbare la mia farfalla, stronzo."

"Mi stavo solo divertendo." Axel shrugs back innocently, the switch to Italian practically going unnoticed since all five of them grew up speaking multiple languages thanks to their parents. "Non e niente di che, cutie."

"English, guys." Eris sighed out. "You're confusing the butterfly."

"Sorry," Jazz rests his head on Cas' as a cuddle apology but his eyes went back to glaring at Axel. "Don't do it again, okay? I don't like when he's upset."

"Fine, fine." The D'Silvetta sighs out then smirks, opening his arms wide, "Forgiveness hug?"

"Forgiveness hug a cactus." Is all Jazz says.

"Ah," His siblings all say at the same time. "A cactus."

Due to their papa insulting people all the time growing up by saying, "Go fuck a cactus." they grew up using it too, much to their Goddess Mama's chagrin. Now, whenever a cactus is mentioned, they just do that for whatever fucking reason.

Feeling bad because he can still see the slight jealous and protective green spikes along Cas' song, Jazz locks eyes with Nyx and wrinkles his nose. Instantly getting the signal, she changes the topic.

"So, butterfly," She says, making everyone turn to her and for the celestial to mumble something in frustration. "How strong are you?"

Jazz can't see his face but the shift in how intense his song had been is a welcome one as he replies, "Is it measurable?"

"Well, some people can pick up puppies but some strong motherfuckers can pick up Jasper." As soon as Eris took over the conversation, Jazz spaced out and turned back to Axel, who waved a hand at him to get attention.

"Sorry I did that," He says but his grin was anything but sorry-- making both Damien and Jazz roll their eyes, earning a whine from the crazy D'Silvetta. "Seriously, I am!"

"Uh huh," The musician sighs, mint eyes not exactly glaring but definitely not happy. Though, the easy way Eris and Cas are picking up a conversation, the greens and soft orange of their voices dancing a little weird tune. "Sure you are."

"I am!"

"Your shit-eating grin says otherwise."

"Don't listen to that bitch," Axel waves a submissive hand. "They're a liar."

A warm hand is lightly tugging on the collar of his shirt, the celestial's head tilting up and wild hair brushing the bottom of Jazz's chin as he tries to get the musician's attention

And, of course, he gives it to the deity completely.

"Jasper? Stand straight." Cas orders.

He does that too without pause or question-- he's only a man at the opposite end of worship that a green-encased celestial, after all, so who is he not to listen?

Jazz, straightened to all his height, is easily a couple inches taller than before, the top of Cas' head not even reaching his chin as he looks down, waiting for the next instruction.

But then, fucking then, Cas is bending down slightly, his arms wrapping around the back of Jazz's thighs and then he's standing up rim-rod straight, literally able to pick up his 6'5 giant self off the ground like its nothing.

Which he does not fucking expect.

"Eek! What the hell?" Jazz can't help but to ask, face flushing a bright red as his hands scramble to find purchase on the celestial. One hand in his hair, fingers not tight enough to pull out his hair or hurt but threaded through Cas' curls to cup the top of his head and the other wrapping around the back of his neck. "Oh m-my god, what? Why? You're-- you're picking me up!"

"They asked me how strong I was." Cas chuckles, his shoulders shrugging slightly.

Then, thankfully-- is it thankfully? Jazz isn't sure, since getting picked up makes his body and mind so confused because just how but also he likes the celestial doing it so fuck his emotions for being a mess-- Cas is bending at the knees and letting him down to stand again.

Only Jazz doesn't stand, but stumbles and is left awkwardly gaping at his roommate who looks all too smug about being able to pick him up.

Just, again, how?

The musician knew he was on the football team but he didn't know he was strong enough to pick up a man easily three times his size with a half foot of height on him.

Dudes that big just aren't meant to be picked up, Jazz knows, but it doesn't make him wonder any less in what other kinds of situations the celestial would be manhandling him like that.

"I won't pick you up again." Cas informs, smirking as Jazz flushes up to his ears as he realizes he had just been staring. "Don't look so scared."

Scared? Did he look scared? He didn't mean to!

His face just really didn't know what expression to make when he's that confused and excited at the same time.

"Do that again," The fake angel claps her hands together all too giddily as she rocks back on her heels. "I have got to get the look on his face on camera!"

Um, no thank you, Jazz thinks. But also please.

At least it wasn't Axel picking him up. That mongrel always gets way too handsy and he isn't always fully aware that his hold is too tight-- or simply doesn't care. His moral compass is a bit touch-and-go sometimes.

"No." Cas says, no reasons just simply.

Given how cocky he looked earlier, that reaction was a bit unexpected.

Oh no, Jazz looks him up and down, looking for any signs of injuries or pain in the celestial's song, worried that he might've gotten hurt picking up the giant.

Axel must've followed the same line of thought because he just pats Cas on the shoulder and says, "Did you just break yourself?"

Jazz missed the movement, but one second the D'Silvetta was standing right next to him, a loud lilac shriek was spreading through the air and the next thing he was sprawled on the ground, Cas' position straightening again.

Did... did he just do that?

"No touching." The celestial growls out, glaring.

"Okay, damn!" Axel says a little bit too loudly, making Jazz wince but the sound is drowned out by the next words, "No touching."

Then he's popping back up and hiding behind Dela, who just gives him their papas infamous scowl.

Wow. That was like watching Tio Auggie piss off Tio Law and using their Papa as a shield. Efficient and probably where they all-- excluding Cas-- learned it from, but wacky.

"Does that go for all of us?" Dela asks, raising her hand.

At Cas' nod, Damien rolls his eyes, knowing that won't be a problem as he absolutely hates physical contact from everyone but Nyx, and the others just took in the words and respected them; his family is always good about respecting boundaries.

And of course Jazz will respect them too.

But he will definitely miss touching the celestial. The hugs-- and the kisses! Cas said before that he could get another kiss. He's allowed to change his mind about things like that, though, so even if it makes him pout the musician wouldn't dare argue.

"Not you, Jitterbug." Cas says and, as if he could read minds, pulls the giant closer to him by a gentle grip on his shirt and presses his thumb onto Jazz's bottom lip, putting enough pressure down just to get the musician a little ditzy and flush a bright red.

Then the celestial just drops his hands and steps away from him.

Just like that. No kiss or anything.

Maybe he was uncomfortable doing that in front of Jazz's siblings?

Maybe he didn't know that would be okay with them-- if the shit Jazz has seen his family do in public (from cackling as they ran away from police, running shamelessly out of the locker room in only their underwear to tackle someone, boo loudly in the theater, and make out in a mall's cafeteria) then they simply wouldn't care.

Put together, the Reds, D'Silvettas, and Riddles were a chaotic but lovely bunch.

At least when they weren't bickering.

"Question," Dela says, kicking the soccer ball she always carries with her in her backpack around her feet. "Is jitterbug a nickname or are you, like, insulting him in a playful way?"

Jitterbug is just a nervous person? Which he very much is. How could that be an insult?

Pretty cute nickname, though, in Jazz's opinion.

"Do you know what 'jitterbug' means?" Cas asks a bit sassily.

"Uh," Dela makes her classic 'the fuck' face and a dusting of pink goes through her cheeks. "No."

"Nickname," Jazz jumps after Cas stays a bit silent, not wanting things to get awkward. "It's a nickname."

Jazz pout deepens because, well, Cas made his sister blush instead of him.

The celestial must just have some powers over Reds to make them go red.

Not fair.

Pretty soon, they're all piling into Jazz's '69-- besides Eris and Dela who came on his twin's motorcycle while the others went on the bus to avoid too much panic too early from either Nyx or Damien, and seating arrangements get... creative.

Damien drives, mostly because that's who Nyx trusts the most and Jazz would rather not see his sister start to go into a blind panic attack because of her PTSD flashbacks and Axel doesn't complain about letting her have the passenger seat.

Then, something happens while Jazz is talking to his oldest sister to make sure she's truly okay with the hour long car ride between Axel and Cas because the second Jazz slips into the back seat, body pressed into the left corner and head resting against the back, the celestial is climbing onto his lap with a grumpy look on his face and just-- and just sitting there.

"Move your legs towards the middle," He orders and Jazz is a bit too dazed and a bit too happy about having Cas in his lap to even question it and just complies.

Then he takes initiative and wraps his arms around his waist, acting like a seatbelt and keeping them pressed together. This was a 1969 corvette, there weren't seatbelts besides in the front so it's not like they were being any less safe than they otherwise would be, either.

And it's not like Jazz didn't like the celestial all snuggled on top of him.

His side was completely pressed into Jazz's chest, one arm wrapped around the musician's neck and he couldn't help but to notice how warm his thighs were-- but also how adorably smaller than him the celestial was-- as they went over his.

Jazz was so focused on the way the deity felt against him that he didn't notice that Axel got into his car before Damian started it and they started to pull out of the parking space; Eris and Dela already long gone on her motorcycle.

Cas, being weirdly more gentle than usual, grasps Jazz's jaw by his thumb and forefinger, tilting it to an odd angle as if looking for something and sighing softly as he starts to flush a pretty pink.

His thumb rubs gently across the musician's cheeks as the celestial kisses him softly, lips just a ghost as they press together but it's enough-- at the moment, as he knows he could never get enough-- for Jazz to be satisfied.

"Next time someone gets that close to you," Cas says, ticing in a wink and a growl in the shade of a soft pear. "Just punch them or something."

Close enough to kiss him or?

"What do you mean?"

And because even if he thought he was satisfied just a mere second ago, he wasn't and leans in to get another quick kiss but a finger blocks him and he moves back with a tiny pout.

"I mean that you--" This is when the celestial kisses him and it feels like a purpose instead of purely a kiss. The musician would be lying if he said the control that Cas was presenting, didn't excite him. "--aren't anyone else's to get that close to. Just me."

"Just you?"

Just Cas? Of course, he's just Cas'.

That's a 'duh', but the fact that the celestial is admitting it, well... that makes him happy.

"How dense are you?" This is said with the roll of gray eyes and then his hand is sliding down Jazz's chest to grip onto his sweatpant's hem. "You're mine. I don't...people aren't stupid. They can tell. And when people ignore that..."

As nice as it is to hear these things, Jazz isn't too sure why he is hearing them-- as no one has said or, from his knowledge, done anything to argue against that. Least of all him.

"How do they ignore that?" He tilts his head in question. "How can they tell that?"

"He flirts with you." Cas gestures towards Axel. "Playfully or not, meaning it or not. Doesn't matter."

What? Jazz can't help but to fucking laugh because, well, it's Axel-- and Axel certainly does not flirt with him. That's like saying Viv flirts with him. Simply not true. They're just D'Silvettas. It's how they act.

Tio Auggie-- their father-- literally calls his papa daddy so it's not a fucking question where they got that behavior from.

"What? No he doesn't." He gets his chuckles under control, or at least tries to. "Axel's just... Axel? Anything he says is just completely full of shit."

"Full of-" Cas growls, his shoulders ticing and fingers clenching around the back of his neck. "-shit or not. He's still doing it."

Jazz blinks at him, not quite knowing what to make of the situation.

Because, again, it's just Axel but the celestial fully believes what he is saying is the truth. He doesn't question it, because knowing that stupid D'Silvetta he probably was just to get a reaction out of Cas and will most likely do it again.

"He's not interested in me." Jazz tells him this to, hopefully, get him to relax and it works because Cas mumbles a small good and crosses his arms oh-so cutely over his chest.

The musician smiles, happy with how he's getting cuddles and getting the celestial to be protective and getting kisses.

Which is a definite better way than how nervous he was on the way here.