Work Text:
Ryan beat the air with his white feathered wings, soaring high over the sky as fast as he could. He could sense it happening- all angels and demons nearby could- and with every moment it felt like more and more dire of a situation. He had to get there before the exorcism was complete.
He had to save Shane.
It was the only thought in his head, his heart wrenched at the thought of losing his friend before he could admit what he actually felt for him, and he had to scold himself internally for that being the first reason for him saving Shane. Of course, he didn't want his friend dead at all, demon or not. But god, it looked like that would happen if he couldn't speed up! The wind whistled against the edges of his outmost feathers, his dovelike wings gliding down as soon as he spotted the source of the thrum and the chanting that echoed in his head, though no human could detect it.
Finally, he flapped down to the ground, powerful wings sending drafts of air across the field. The feathers growing from his cheeks and along his forearms still fluttered in the breeze a moment longer after he landed, and he wheezed in exhaustion before adrenaline rocketed through him again. Pushing his raven-black hair back with one hand, he got up from the kneel he'd landed in and anxiously looked around across the grassy field. There- just barely on the other side of the crest of that hill! Ryan beat his wings, shooting into a glide again- he'd never make it if he ran.
There was a hole in the top of the dilapidated little shack- aside from the faint glow of red, from up here it seemed inconspicuous. Clever bastards.
He didn't care how many rules he broke, how short his wings were trimmed after word got out to the other angels about this. He tucked his wings back yet kept them outward, spiraling into a dive and shrieking in rage as he aimed for the hole in the roof. As he got closer, his heart wrenched at the sound of Shane's pained, outraged cries.
In moments, he burst through the roof, his wings taking a few more planks down with him. The angel exploded in a cloud of dust, shrieking in anger and kicking out with a foot along the ground, knocking over some of the candles. He beat his wings and swept a furious gaze quickly throughout the whole room- it was bigger than it looked outside, but he hadn't looked at it well. The dust began to settle just as he charged at the first exorcist, digging his talonlike nails into the flesh of the man.
As they began to retreat, his whiplike tail, ending in a tuft of feathers, struck out at the stragglers. One by one, the remaining few stumbled, grabbing their midsections. Finally one widened his eyes and pointed at him.
"It's that angel! The one the foul thing spoke of!"
"Don't act like it's the first time you've heard of him! You know he's infamous for defending that thing!"
"Whatever, just fucking run!"
They clamored about as Ryan sank his clawed hands into more of them, only to bowl them away. Eventually the shack was devoid of everyone aside from him, and...
Ryan turned, his sides heaving from the exertion of the fly here, and the battle he'd just gone through. Slowly, though, he folded his wings neatly behind him and the feathers on his cheeks and arms flattened from their previous bristling state. In the dust, huddled next to a pool of black, tarlike fluid, was a trembling lump that was clearly still fighting to get up. The short angel made his way over, heart wrenching inside.
"Shane. Shane." He urged his friend out of the small ball he was squirming in out of pain, gently grabbing hold of his friend and checking him over with a worried look. His gaze focused on the tarlike fluid, which he now realized had been vomited by Shane during the exorcism. It was the culmination of all demons- it was basically liquid sin. "That's supposed to be inside." Ryan said, and Shane grunted bemusedly, still unable to talk.
"You okay, buddy?" Ryan leaned his friend against a part of the hovel's walls that looked less rickety than the rest of it, checking him over worriedly. Shane grunted, trying to adjust his position to be more comfortable. It was rare to see his true form- and Ryan shouldn't be checking his friend out right now, dammit- but it was always so interesting to see.
His hands were turned into dark red-scaled clawlike hands, like dragon talons almost. The classic devil tail was currently coiled around him. A set of leathery wings with only a few rips in them were folded tightly against Shane's back. There were the large, scaly ears where his normal human ears usually were- now slowly they swiveled to be perked upward. And most intriguing of all... the dark eyes, the scleras a dark gray while his pupils were a voidlike black. They looked completely black in this dim light, though.
"Why'd you save me? Those other angels'll clip your wings again, like when they first found out you were even friends with me but knew what I was." Shane's voice was stronger now, but there was a wheeze and a strain behind it that not even the demon could hide enough to fool Ryan.
Ryan's heart clenched and the words roiled up in his throat. Because I love you, you moron. "Those angels think I use my wings for everything. As long as I don't have to use them to save you from another exorcism while they grow back, I think I can live with it."
His eyes looked like pools of darkness, but the moonlight filtering through the hole in the roof caught a shimmer off of them.
And then Ryan realized Shane was staring up, from the slight tilt of his jaw upwards. Ryan flushed as he realized why- his wings had instinctively begun to tent over them, a protective thing angels did to loved ones, especially when they were trying to comfort them. The angel didn't know if he wanted to bring them in, honestly. He almost wanted a barrier between them and the rest of the world, if only for a bit.
Ryan locked eyes with Shane- even with the darkness of his eyes he could tell their gazes were evenly meeting- and couldnt pull away from the connection for some reason. His wings closed in more, slightly. It had to be now.
"I... I can live with it... for you." He sighed out at last. It felt so good to finally release the secret. His tail made a motion towards Shane's, but Ryan used as much of his willpower as he could to keep him from twining his tail around Shane's.
"For... me?" Shane said, sounding nearly disbelieving. Ryan was probably imagining the flush growing on Shane's cheeks, right?
"Yeah." The angel dropped his gaze.
"Why?"
Ryan lifted his eyes to Shane's, his heart thrumming wildly. "You know why, dammit." He said, it coming out calm but also slightly frustrated.
"You love me." Shane said, almost too passively.
"Yeah."
"And I love you back."
"Yeah- what?" Ryan blinked multiple times, wings splaying outwards in surprise.
"Am I wrong?" The demon challenged, his ears going backwards. His voice wavered a bit, like he didnt believe Ryan loved him.
The angel shook his head, and slouched his wings against the floor. "N-no, but... this is... I mean..."
"Godammit, let me kiss you already, you worrisome bird."
"Hm-?" Ryan felt the slightly sharp sensation of Shane's clawed hands grip the sides of his head gently. Shane looked more intent than he'd ever seen, like he'd been waiting too long to have it taken away.
"Do you want me to?" Dark eyes met glowing white ones.
Ryan gripped the back of Shane's head and pulled them together into a kiss, wings tented tightly over them, nearly wrapping around them both.
Blocking them out from the rest of the world. It was just them inside here. A small moment in time where a demon and an angel could definitely kiss.
There were only wings between them and the rest of the world, but it was enough.