Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A young looking woman entered a very well known nightclub. She had very long black hair and they were loose and resting against her back. Her skin was pale and smooth with light black makeup. Her blue gaze scanning anyone or anything around her. The woman was wearing a baby blue swing dress with black ankle wrapped heels. Sapphire jewelry adorned her ears, neck and wrists. She truly was a beautiful sight to see. She went to the bar and ordered a red wine before making her way to an empty booth. The club was busy but the lineup to get in didn’t take too long for her. It might have been her first time here but for someone like Ary, waiting half an hour was nothing. The woman liked the club so far. The lights were red but weren’t moving around like she expected them to do. People were sitting around while listening to people perform on the stage, white spotlight on them. Ary observed the group of men who were singing and playing various instruments for a moment. She had noticed that some mortals here had talents in some ways, either be it mortal talents or magical talents. It always fascinated her. She never would have expected her father to allow something like this with how human nature pushed them to be. Either way, Ary was always fascinated and intrigued with how they managed their lives. Then come the other magical creatures: witches, mages, shape shifters and demons, to name a few. Ary smiled a little to herself. Demons. She was able to pick up their aura. She knew at least two were here. Demons didn’t bother her and she didn’t see them as a nuisance or anything. Contrary to popular beliefs, demons and angels aren’t fully the representation of bad and good. Some angels were horrible and Ary had witnessed that first hand. She hasn't met any good demons as of yet but she knew they existed. Now this wasn’t why Ary was in this club. All she truly wanted was a place where she could relax and enjoy her night. And just as a precaution, the angel let her magic work on her, masking her presence and magical aura. For as far as Ary knew, she was just a mortal woman sipping some red wine. 

There was a young woman in a booth next to her, she asked for an angel shot from the waitress that came by. Not a minute later the two demons that Ary had sensed were at the booth and keeping the young woman company. The angel looked over for a few seconds but her gaze went back to the stage. The three passed by her though as the demons guided the woman to the back. Ary looked over to where they went and it was the offices. Ary was curious about the young woman and the two demons that she had sensed. She decided to investigate a little. The word ‘angel’ had intrigued the archangel. She casted a small spell to hide herself from others and once she knew no one could see her, she followed the two demons and the woman.

They were locked in the office. The one with purple streaks down his eyes was comforting the woman while the other talked. He was asking questions about if the man was a date or if he was outside and what he looked like and such. The woman was answering but she was also crying. Ary lightly frowned. She hated when people, men and women, was sad, hurt and upset. She walked closer, still unable to be detected by the demons, and brushed her fingers against the woman’s shoulder. She would feel a warm comforting feeling and put her into a sense of security and able to properly relax. The archangel then left to go find the man behind her troubles. 

What she didn’t know is that Mare had slipped out at the same time by chance. They both saw the man at the same time. Ary approached the guy, she seemed to have come from another way. She leaned against the bar, where he was, and smiled at him. “Are you here alone?”

“No but maybe for the right price I am” The guy looked Ary up and down. Mare had stopped and slipped into the shadows. He was curious about where this was going. 

Ary was still quite a sight and her smile grew bigger. “I can show you what a real and beautiful woman can do. Take care of this handsome body of yours..” She giggled and definitely pulled the right cards to make the man follow her out of the club. He definitely followed her, completely convinced he had another victim and completely forgetting about the woman that Phantom was comforting. Mare stayed in the shadows, wondering who this woman was. He saw through the facade and wondered how she knew. Once she was out of the club, she led the man to an alley before proceeding in pinning him to the wall. She wasn’t scared of using her real strength against the mortal. It didn’t take long for her to pull out her archangel blade, slightly caressing the skin of the man with the tip of it. “Tell me.. Why do you think going after women and making them fall into a false sense of security and praise then turning them into abused victims is a good idea?”

The man was terrified. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about l-lady!” 

“I’m talking about Allison. What did you do to her that made her run for protection? Made her scared of you?”

He tried to lie, not knowing it was easy for her to see through it. “A-Allison? That’s my ex. She abused me!” 

“Nice try. I know you abused her.” Ary put a small pressure on her blade, drawing a small red bead of blood. He closed his eyes and begged her to spare him. 

Mare slowly came out of the shadows but stayed silent. Ary sensed one of the two demons. She stepped back, her blade disappearing. “Don’t go near her ever again. I’ll know if you do and you do not want to know what I truly can do.” Once the archangel let go of the man, she turned to face the demon. She smiled small and it’s like she was shy or something. “I hope I didn’t take over what you wanted to do..”

The man scrambled off. The demon smiled warmly. “You’re quite alright doll face. I would like to talk to you though..” 

“Of course. Do you prefer talking here or.. Somewhere inside the club?”

“In the club. Please.” 

Ary nodded and followed him.

Chapter Text

He took her back to another V.I.P room and sat on a couch. “So.. are you an actual archangel or did you manage to steal that blade?” 

“Why do you want to know?” She sat down on the couch facing Mare’s. She put her hands on her lap as she looked around.

“Curiosity. You seem to know something about my brother and I so I’d like to know what drew you here.” 

“Only that the two of you are demons. I was just enjoying a nice drink in a nice club when I sensed that Allison needed help but you and your brother intervened quicker than me.”

“Well that is part of what we do. Anyone that needs help around here can order an angel shot and we’ll escort them to a room where we can keep them safe. If the one harming them or creeping them out is in the club then we can make sure they leave and we always go the extra mile to make sure the ones asking for help gets somewhere safe for the night.” He smiled warmly and proudly. 

Ary smiled a little. Guess she had found good demons after all. She nodded at his explanation and couldn’t resist her letting her smile grow bigger. The fact that two demons were taking their own time and resources to help and protect women and men in need touched her. She hoped that their kindness went not just to the mortals but any magical and supernatural entities, creatures. 

“My name is Mare by the way. My brother is Phantom.” 

“Ary.” 

“So you are an archangel.” He grinned slowly. 

“You’ve heard about me? Though I’m not really one of them anymore.”

“You aren’t? And yeah I’ve heard a lot about you and your sister because Anti talks about you two a lot. He’s my best friend.” 

Ary chuckled a little at the mention of her nephew but she lost her smile quickly before looking down. “I’m a Fallen.”

He frowned, immediately concerned for her. “What happened? I will fight someone if I have to.” 

She smiled a little. “It happened over a century ago. I didn’t listen to the Angelic Rules and the Council, minus my sister Uri and my brother Luci, voted me out of the Heavens.”

“All but two of your siblings voted you out? That’s ridiculous.. they aren’t very good siblings.”

“Well Michael wants to take over the Heavens and Raphael is his right hand. Gabriel… Michael must have held something against him because normally he isn’t with them. He hates confrontation and just wants peace to come back..”

“That’s still dumb. And they call us the horrible ones.. I guess you haven’t been in contact with Anti in a while then huh? He’d probably go up there and fight them too though.” He chuckled softly. “Well.. do you have a place to stay and such? I assume you do but just want to make sure.” 

“I went to his club a couple times, yes. The Blood Lux is quite similar to his father’s club.” Ary chuckled and smiled. “As a place to stay, I have a small room in the Scarlet Sanctum Hotel.” The Fallen Archangel did not know that this hotel was in fact one of the many establishments owned by Phantom. It had only one room with a small kitchen and living room. It was comfortable enough for Ary and she could afford it on a long term. 

Mare smiled. “Really? What floor are you on if you don’t mind me asking?” 

“The third.. Why?” She tilted her head.

“Curiosity is all. I’ve stayed there before. It's a really nice place. How does the breakfast fare for you? My favorite is the pancakes. They’re sooo fluffy.”

“The food is great. I personally loved the waffles and the real maple syrup that they have.”

“Speaking of that hotel and such, it’s getting pretty late. Would you like me to walk you back to the hotel?” 

Ary looked at him for a moment. She knew she would be fine on her own but she didn’t mind the company. She smiled a little and nodded. “Sure.” She got up and was ready to leave. He looped his arm in hers and grinned as he took her to the hotel. Once they got there he walked her inside the building and kissed her hand.

“It was a pleasure meeting you Ary. I hope that we see each other again soon.” 

Ary blushed when he kissed her hand. She nodded at his comment. “Likewise.. Have a good night, Mare.” She smiled and went to her floor then her room. But as she walked toward the elevator she was stopped by a worker. 

“Miss, you’re Ary right?” 

“I am.” Ary looked at the worker.

“I need your keycard, it won’t work for the room you were in. Take this one instead.” He smiled and held out a new keycard for her. “You’ve been upgraded to the top floor in one of the luxury suites.” 

Ary gave the old keycard to the worker and took the new one. She was surprised but smiled. “Thank you..”

“You’re welcome. And don’t worry about any charges. It’s all on the house.” 

The archangel nodded and then left to go to her upgraded room. She was wondering if Mare had anything to do with this. 

The next morning when she went down for breakfast there were two familiar men in the dining room. Ary noticed them and smiled a little. She went to get a plate of waffles, fruits and sausages with a cup of hot cocoa before making her way to the two demons. As she approached them, her smile grew. She stopped near them. “Good morning. Would it be okay if I join the two of you for breakfast?”

Mare looked up and smiled warmly. “Of course!” He quickly got up and held out a chair for her. Phantom smiled softly. “So Mare tells me you’re Ary. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

Ary sat down after putting her plate and mug on the table. “Thank you..” She looked at Mare and smiled. Her gaze went to Phantom. “I am. The pleasure is all mine. Also I don’t know which one of you two upgraded my room, but thank you. It was very kind.” 

The brothers shared a look in silence but both smiled. Phantom turned to her again and smiled. “Consider it from both of us.” Mare took his seat again and grinned. “I did the upgrade but Phantom approved it as he’s the big man around here.” 

The archangel smiled and started to eat. The boys ate as well, making small talk with Ary. The breakfast went by quite fast thanks to the small talk. After Ary was done eating, she grabbed her dishes and went to put it with the other dirty ones on the side of the room, in the dedicated area. She came back to the table afterwards. Mare smiled again. “You didn’t have to do that.” 

“I don’t mind doing it.” She giggled.

A few hours later, Ary had received an invitation for an event happening at the ballroom of the hotel. A masquerade was taking place. She smiled to herself. Maybe she could show off her talent? The archangel always loved singing and dancing. She didn’t have a lot of those back at home, up there. The event was for this evening and Ary needed to find something to wear quickly. She had a strange feeling and looked inside the closet and saw a bag made for dresses and a smaller one. She tilted her head and went to the smaller bag first. Opening it, she took notice of a few boxes. She opened one, a gorgeous tiara. The other, a necklace. Ary smiled. She saw black gloves, silver heels and a black and white mask. She moved to the last bag containing the dress. A very beautiful black and white dress. She gently put her hands on her mouth. At first, she wondered who would give her all of these but quickly thought of who upgraded her suite and who owned the hotel. She’ll remember to thank them next time she sees the brothers. Probably at the masquerade. Ary went to get prepared

The day went by rather quickly and soon enough, Ary was walking inside the ballroom, wearing the gifts the demon brothers gave her. There were so many people dancing and chatting and it made Ary nervous a little. She walked to the side and looked at the variety of people and listened to the music. 

The two were there but blended into the crowd at first. They saw Ary come in and smiled to themselves. The two were dressed in the exact same outfits, a simple but elegant black tux with white undershirt, and their masks were the same as well. A purple mask with red accents.

Ary hadn’t spotted them yet and she slowly made her way to where a lady was singing. She wanted to sing. The boys lost her in the crowd as they had been trying to go to her. The lady singing came to the end of her song soon and smiled at Ary. “Would you like to sing miss?” 

“If it’s okay with you, yes.” Ary smiled. “What kind of song can I sing?”

“Of course, and pretty much anything you want.” She smiled again and handed Ary the microphone. 

Ary took the microphone with a small thank you before getting on the stage. She looked around and took a deep breath. She went with the first song that popped in her mind, Field of Innocence by Evanescence. It was followed by the songs Whisper, Before The Dawn and Listen To The Rain from the same group. Phantom noticed her on stage first. He quietly settled in a seat and listened intently. Mare noticed her by voice and for most of the songs was frozen to the ground, entranced with her voice, which was odd as normally he was the one doing the entrancing but he loved her voice. He really listened to her and frowned half way through her set, really wondering if she chose those songs for a reason. Once her last song was finished, Ary gave the microphone to the lady again and moved to the side. She thought of having seen Phantom and Natemare but she couldn’t remember where. She decided to make sure of walking slowly so they could easily follow her to a more quiet area of the ballroom with less people present. They did follow her. Both approached at the same time. Mare looked more concerned while Phantom was keeping his worry to himself. Ary looked at them and smiled. “Hey..”

“Hey..” 

“Hello again.” 

“Lovely masquerade, don’t you think?” She kept smiling.

“It is! The hotel actually throws them semi often.” Mare smiled, despite not talking about what he really wanted to talk about. 

Ary shifted her weight from one foot to the other for a few seconds. “Are you feeling alright?” She looked at Mare.

He looked away a little. “I feel fine.. just feel like we should talk later, not here.” 

Phantom held out a keycard. “If we lose you by the time any of us retire for the night come to our suite if you need to talk about anything?” 

Ary took the keycard. “Of course, though I don't know what we would talk about.” Her smile went a bit smaller.

“Are you sure?” Mare looked at her again, a concerned frown settled on his face. “You can talk to us about anything..” 

“I’m sure. Thank you for the invitation though.”

He looked down and nodded a little. Phantom put a hand on his brother’s shoulder for comfort as he smiled at Ary. “Of course. You’re more than welcome anytime.” 

The rest of the evening wasn’t that eventful. Ary did return to the stage a few times but she went with more happy songs. By eight in the evening, she retired to her suite. Mare had tapped out a couple hours before her. He was stressed that he was seemingly wrong about everything and made himself look completely stupid. Phantom on the other hand was still at the ball, he would be there till it dispersed probably at 10 or 11.  Ary got out of her dress and removed her accessories. She then went to take a long warm shower before crashing in her bed. She almost slipped. She should have chosen different songs at the beginning of her singing. Now Mare knew something was up and it was stressing the angel. Mare was trying to make himself fall asleep at this point in time but nothing he did worked. He was too worried and upset that she wouldn’t talk to him. Granted they hadn’t known each other for long, yes but she knew they would do anything to help others..