Archive of Our Own

Angel had not heard of such a Devil ability before, a time loop within a hotel. It intrigued them, their hand ran along a dusty counter, shaking their hand as the uncomfortable texture of dust on skin made them cringe. He started rummaging around abandoned cupboards and suitcases in search of something to snack on. They didn’t seem in too much immediate danger, so Angel felt no guilt snooping around a bit. Their eyes lit up as they found an abandoned ziplock filled with candies. There were a few in their original packaging but others were surrounded by plastic wrap, probably to avoid them touching other loose candies. Angel liked the style of whoever previously owned this suitcase. He held the candies to his chest and moved to catch up with Aki, the one person he felt close to here, well, as close as a devil doomed to never touch anyone could be. They put it as he was the most tolerable.
“I found some snacks,” They spoke and held up the small bag. “Can I help you look for the devil?” They asked genuinely, knowing that was Aki’s current objective.

Aki glanced down towards the Devil, “Did Maikima give you the okay?”. They noted mutely and walked a bit faster to catch up with Aki. He hummed and responded with an okay, pulling out the case files from his bag. “If you’re going to join us, it’s best if you know the details. I’m sure you’re already aware of the gun devil”. Aki handed over the papers, watching the Devil scan through it quickly. “If you have any questions, ask me or one of the others. Don’t bother with Denji and Power though, they’re idiots”.

Angel was special forces, he wasn't a huge fan of being doted on, he snatched the case file out of the ungrateful humans hands, flipping through it nonetheless. It was an odd case, nothing they'd heard of before, but Angel was confident in their team. They had been paired with Aki for about a week now and a lot of time between them was spent bickering or in disgusting silence.
"I'm not stupid, I assumed you'd be aware of that by now." Sure they weren't stupid, but they were lazy. Often time it took multiple attempts for Aki to get Angel to even consider doing what he was told. Angel never liked the work, they wished they could just keel over and die so they wouldn't have to deal with the responsibility, so they wouldn't have to put the effort in. It was consistently in their mind since Makima had given them their ultimatum. Work, or suffer. Even if Angel was murdered, finally let go, he'd just be reborn. Still miserable, still failing to find reason to even try.
They sighed and walked at Aki's side. "Do you think we'll be stuck here long?"

Aki snorted, “Right, of course not”. Despite being paired with the Devil, Aki refused to show him any semblance of partnership. He wouldn’t call it a grudge per say, he was just doing his job. Which happened to be killing Devils, and his partner happened to be one. He didn’t need to treat him as anything other than an employee. If he wasn’t under Makima’s strict orders, Aki doubts he’d even respect the Devil. But nonetheless, he had no choice. Aki was snapped out of his thoughts by the Devil breaking the silence asking him how long it’d take, “Not sure. Considering the Devil’s potential power, this could take a while. Or it could be a quick execution. It also depends on how well behaved Denji, Power, and you are”. Aki said the last sentence pointedly. Denji makes an offended noise behind them and Power yells out a “Hey!” Before she stormed off into another hallway.
"Well behaved?" Angel raised an eyebrow. "Yeah they're like your kids or whatever but technically speaking I'm your senior." Angel spoke with a pout that didn't exactly help their point. He wondered if Aki knew that the sword he used to kill so many devils was made by the man standing next to him. That he carried 100 stolen years on his side at all times. Maybe then he wouldnt treat Angel as much like a child. But he knew that was a reality no one wanted to know about, Angel himself felt guilty whenever he had to make a weapon. He was commissioned often to make them, but he never made one stronger than 150 years worth, weapons with more than that were too dangerous.

They shook their head and kept walking at Aki's side, eyes widening a bit as he noticed something down an adjacent hallway.
"Human, the devil Power had slain..." They pointed at the massive growing mound of flesh thay almost reached the ceiling. They held no expression, just looked at it, pointing and waiting for Aki to notice.

Aki ignored the first remark and looked over at the direction the Devil pointed at, he then exhaled deeply. Power was great at her job, maybe a little too good. He hoped she hadn’t gotten injured. He mentally sent his apologies to the cleaning crew that would have to deal with this in the future. Aki sidestepped the giant Devil making his way towards where he assumed Power was, if her loud voice was enough evidence. The Devil Angel walked close to his side, seemingly not wanting to touch the Devil either. As they rounded the corner, a familiar pink head of hair came into view.

“YO! Aki, Denji, and uh, weird Angel Devil man! I totally screwed this Devil over! Does this mean I get a promotion?”. Aki grumbled out a sharp no as Power deflated a bit. “Is it over then? This seems easier than I thought it would be'' Aki remarked. Power shrugged her shoulders and quickly went to Denji’s side. Aki kept his guard up as the group watched the Devil seemingly grow in size.

Angel watched as it was pretty clear this wasn't even close to over, they should probably hail the rest of the group to see what was going on. He looked up to Aki, crimson eyes peeking through rose eyelashes.
"I'm going to alert the rest of the group." As he received a nod from the ravenette he made his way back in the direction they had come from, bag of snacks still held in one hand.

They lazily lead the group back to the ever growing, pulsating meat pile that awaited them. Only once the entire group was there that many faces began to speak.
"Humans"
"Foolish humans,"
"Let's negotiate a contract."
They spoke over eachother but their message was clear, Angel rolled his eyes at the indication. Angel hated the idea of making a contract, it felt stupid to him, never worth the risk.

"The human there, called Denji.... Let me eat him." That caught the Angel's attention, raising a brow and hearing out the devil, it seemed Denji would be considered more of an asset then they first signed up for. Angel could feel the tension start to build between the humans around them and made a point to step away from it, they could watch this unfold, but they would not get involved unless necessary.

After the Devil finished letting his wants be known, a tense silence followed. Aki was the first to break it, “No, we won’t be sacrificing Denji”. Quickly shouts of disagreement erupted, “Huh!? All we have to do is sacrifice Denji? Why not?” Power yelled, Denji gave her a look of bewilderment and quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. “I-If we don’t sacrifice Denji then we’ll all die!” Kobeni yelled in distress. As Power and Denji fought in the background, Aki raised a hand for silence. As the room slowly calmed down Aki spoke,

“We won’t be sacrificing Denji. Nor will anyone die.”
Himeno quickly agreed with him before anyone could respond, “It’s as Aki said. As Aki and I are your superiors, our word is law. Get over it, or quit.” As the ordeal slowly calmed down, the Devil only looked more angry. Well, as angry as a pile of faces could get. “Give me Denji’s heart”, being repeated. Aki motioned for the group to move away a safe distance, they needed some sort of plan before anything. And considering the Devils form, he doubted it could chase after them.

Angel watched from a detached position, chewing on a small cookie as he listened to them talk. He could see the concern in Aki's eyes, he was pretty caring, wasn't he? To them right now, Denji was just a new kid, no one important, he was disposable, but they still cared enough to spare his life, even if it put theirs in danger. They chose to identify the turning in their stomach as disgust, it couldn't be anything else. He only approached after another ten minutes of back and forth that felt like white noise in his ears.

"Has a decision been made yet?" They asked, rubbing one eye as the passing time without any action was starting to make them sleepy. Their shoes were uncomfortable and they wanted to go home, well. As much as home was to him, he mostly lived at the headquarters, not having showed enough interest in having his own place that they never gave him one. "I'm about ready to go home now."

Himeno whistled, "Yeah right, about that 'Angel, the exits are sealed. Second we dropped in it closed behind us". Aki rubbed his forehead in a stressful manner as more panicking ensued. "W-what? If we can't leave either then, we should really get rid of Denji!" Kobeni exclaimed. Denji shouted his disagreement from the back. Another devil hunter shouted in agreement with Kobeni.

"Alright, alright! Jesus you're all hopeless, your devil hunters for Christ's sake. Pull yourself together!" Himeno yelled out, Aki by her side. A couple hunters looked at the ground in shame. Denji jumped for joy. Aki motioned to talk,"Right. We're trapped, but we could still kill the Devil couldn't we? That would cancel out whatever curse is in this place". Himeno hummed, "That would work, any volunteers?"

Angel sighed as their fate was relayed to him, they crouched down, only making their height more apparent. This sucked, they wanted to go home, get some rest. The lord’s name being spat made Angel cringe, they didn’t actually care about god or his existence, but because of his nature the word always sat wrong in their stomach. As the offer for volunteers was presented, Angel stood up only because the silence was boring to him.

“I’ll give it a shot.” They spoke, not usually one to volunteer, but they really wanted to go home. They could feel yes on them as they summoned their halo in front of them. It glowed red hot as incanting words were uttered, he knew he couldn’t go light with this devil.
“Usage: 50 years.” It was a lot more than they preferred to use around others, but the spear that emerged and fell into their hand felt heavy, hopeful. They twirled it over their hand and threw it at the mound of flesh, seconds passed before it exploded, a huge, gaping hole the size of a small car appeared in the flesh. It was a direct hit, but the flesh just grew back in place.
“My heart isn’t here..” The Devil groaned in pain as it regenerated.

Angel shrugged, turning to the rest of them. “No dice.”

Most of the group was stunned silent, Aki once again broke the silence. "Thanks for trying." Aki responded curtly. Power gaped at the Devil, "Holy crap! You should teach me that sometime!" Aki quickly responded before the Devil Angel could with a swift no. Power looked away dissapointed again, Denji rubbed her back in faux comfort. "I-If that Angel Devil can't kill it, we don't stand a chance!" Kobeni yelled in distress. Before a repeat could happen of more panicking, Himeno raised a hand for silence. "Alright, so we couldn't kill it first hit. So what? Most you can't anyway. It mentioned a heart, let's look around a bit". Denji quickly nodded in agreement, "Let's split up for more ground!".

Not waiting for a response, Denji quickly took Power's hand and made a left towards the other hallway. Aki shared some words with Himeno before going off to catch up with the nuisances. "Alright! Kobeni, other guy! Forgot your name, sorry bud. You guys come with me. And 'Angel, you go, uh, wherever".

Angel mostly just stared at the group as they worked out what they wanted to do, as he was instructed, Angel just nodded, their instinct was to find a place to sit and pick at their snacks, but that would not help him get out of this situation. They looked around for the closest doorway and headed for it, going to inspect things on their own terms. They ended up in a bedroom, two king sized beds, they were tempted to curl up and take a nap, but instead headed for the window. It seemed like it lead to the outside, but as soon as Angel opened it to peer out, his upper half was actually looking into another room, staring at Aki’s “patrol group”. Their backs were turned to him, he tilted his head as they watched the interaction in front of what seemed to be an elevator. Loud voices could be heard, but he didn’t really feel like trying to make out the words.

“This is getting really bad…”
“JUST KILL HIM ALREADY, PLEASE!!”

Angel could only watch, they held no sympathy for humans, at least not that they knew of, so it was almost like cinema to them. Watching a drama tv show.”

Aki slammed his fist on the wall in agitation, "We are NOT killing Denji!". Kobeni flinched but still completely ignored him. At this point, she was completely hysteric. Power looked unbothered as Denji discretely hid behind her. "Bitch is crazy! Aki do something! Why did she even follow us anyway!?". Aki turned to Denjj before a scream brike out. Aki quickly snapped his neck to the nearby staircase. "We don't have time for this. Kobeni, don't try anything. We need to get moving." Denji stayed close with Aki and Power, keeping a safe distance away from Kobeni as they ran towards the staircase.

As they looked down towards the stairs, they were greeted with a gap in the wall filled with the fleshy face. Himeno and Hirokazu standing nearby, the man seemingly holding a wound near his chest. "S-shit! This building is a loop, and the Devil is pissed after Himeno kept poking at it!". Aki quickly helped the man up the stairs as Himeno followed behind. This was getting more and more complicated as the mission went by, Aki thought it would be a rough fight maybe. This? He'd never predict something like this. "I saw a room back there. We need to patch you up. Himeno, bring him and kobeni over there. I'll see what Denji, Power, and I can do". Himeno said something along the lines of 'aint I your superior? But listened nonetheless.

Angel found something almost resembling amusement watching the humans bicker, small fingers covering his mouth as light giggles escaped them at the sight of the frightened Kobeni. Their eyebrows lifted as they watched the group start to scurry away out of their sight, they hopped through the window, following a safe distance behind so they could watch, but not be asked to help. They peered past a wall and saw the gaping mouth, even that sight was enough to send a shiver down Angel’s spine, his wings fluttering with anxiety.

Seeing Aki seem so worried about that woman, it didn’t sit right in Angel’s stomach, but they couldn’t identify why. All they could do right now was watch, peer into the action, not have to do anything themself. He wondered what they even could do, they didn’t know where the heart of the devil was, and they certainly had no ideas on where to find it. They wanted to see where their problem solving skills took them.

As they got situated into the bedroom, Aki quickly put Power to work on healing the small wound on Hiro. Despite her complaints, she did as told. "Himeno, are you injured?" Himeno waved away Aki's response, "I'm great, Hiro just sucks at dodging. Barely grazed me." Despite Himenos reassurances, Aki still bandaged the small scratch on her waist. "I'll use my sword after this."

"No." Himeno responded immedietly with finality. Aki side glared her but she made herself final. A tense silence followed, before Kobeni moved to speak up again, "W-well, maybe Denji could-" She was quickly shut up not by the others, but by the demon. "Give me Denji's heart!" it groaned, it almost felt as though the walls were closing in. Aki quickly stood up and checked the window, his suspicions were confirmed as the demon was quickly taking over more of the building, only part of the right wing and the hotel room was left now. "Himeno, we need to make a decision now. We don't have a choice" Aki spoke with urgency. Himeno shot him down again, "I'd rather Denji die then you take out that sword Aki." Aki moved to argue more or summon his sword, before a familiar scream broke out.

"J-just DIE!" The former closed bag was now open, and a knife was held in Kobeni's hand as she quickly moved to stab Denji. "GAH! The hell!" Denji yelled. Before she could stab him, Aki quickly pushed her onto the wall. Kobeni fell flat on her butt and Himeno quickly disarmed her. "Aki! Are you alright-" blood seeped into the floor boards.

Angel couldn’t see very well, but the words that found their way into their ears was enough to draw them closer. Hushed, serious tones made Angel need a better visual. If someone cared to look behind them they would see him there, watching, listening without action. Hearing Aki’s worried tone made their palms sweat, what was going on with them today? Why today were they so compelled to follow Aki around like a puppy. The mention of a sword made Angel raise a brow, was it his sword? He didn’t think his own sword could pose a threat… unless it had been bound to something. The thought made Angel uncomfortable, but maybe that wasn't the case.
Listening to the roar of the wall and the increased franticness of the rest of the group, Angel could instantly smell the blood as soon as skin was split. The silence was so thick you couldn't cut through it with a saw. Angel’s feet moved before their mind, wings flared out as they headed for the group. He saw the knife plunged in Aki’s side and Angel had never felt a greater loathing in his entire life. They took the initiative to push everyone away from him with his hands and wings. He kept his face straight even though if they had a heart it would be pounding out of their chest.
“You’re all crazy… Putting each other in danger like this.” Their tone was bitter as they liften Aki up from the armpits, the safest way to avoid contact.
“You’re going to get everyone here killed if you don’t get your shit together. This is gonna need immediate attention so make yourselves fucking useful so we can get some paramedics here. I’ll-” They grit their teeth, “I’ll take care of him. Figure this out on your own.”
His tone was harsh, demanding, finally truly embracing their authority role. They lifted with their wings more than their legs and pulled Aki to a separate room, laying him down on a bed before the panic really started to set in. He kicked the door shut behind himself and started to look around, desperate, Aki didn’t deserve to be around these psychos. He deserved to be safe, to be able to care about his friends without them almost killing him. They groaned with frustration as their search resulted in nothing and tore the sleeve off their jacket. They were entirely in their own world, going through first aid protocols they had learned years and years ago. Where they thought they were holding a face of frustration, pinched eyebrows hovered over eyes that were leaking liquid gold, swirling and pooling and they collected and streaked down their face.

As the door slammed the room had gone mostly quiet, some people stood in shame whilst others looked hopeless. "God! Fine! I'll go fuckin die, just know it's not for you fuckers!" Denji exclaimed. Himeno shrugged and gave him the okay, Power seemed a bit conflicted but stood by nonetheless. Himeno opened the door and yelled out, "HEY! We got your heart ya wanted!". The reaction was instant, the ground in front of the door opening and a terrifying mouth appearing below them. "Alright, so do I just-" Himeno grabbed Denji and threw him in. "JUMMMmp-!".

Aki woke with a gasp as he quickly moved to sit up and analyze his surroundings. A firm hand held him down. Looking up, he was shocked to see an.. Angel looking down on him? He quickly shook his head and refocused, it was just his colleague. "Shit, what's going on?"

Angel was tightly wrapping his now disheveled jacket around Aki’s middle, the bulk of it was pressed in to cover the wound and hold pressure to stop the bleeding and the sleeves were currently being tied tightly around him. The whole situation made Angel sick, they hated themself for caring, they hated Aki for being so reckless, they hated the loudmouths a wall away for making this happen. They heard Aki’s voice and didn’t dare look him in the eyes.
“Shut up please I’m not done-” The shakiness of their own voice caught them off guard, gold drops were dripping off their face and they just wanted to feel that Aki wasn’t about to bleed out for one second.

Aki may hate anything to do with devils, let alone comfort one. But even he had a heart. He started off a bit awkwardly, "Hey, I'll be fine. Just stay calm and keep pressure on the wound. I've been through worse". Aki felt a bit guilty watching the tears stream down the Angel's face, cursing himself for being so weak.

Angel's breathing was heavy, rapid, they finished tying the knots and kept their hands on the fabric. They were more than sure that Aki would be able to feel their hands shaking against his wound.
"This is a really bad wound, Aki... And we have no way out of here... I can't just. Keep calm." Their voice was unsteady but their got their point across. An idea popped into their mind and they kept one hand on the wound and another reached for the bag of snacks. He opened it desperately and held one over Aki's face.
"Eat this, it will help with the lightheadedness."

Aki silently accepted the offering, putting it down before anything. He lightly put his gloved hands over the Angel's, "I'm awake, isnt that enough proof I'll be fine?". Despite his better judgement, Aki rubbed the Angel's hand soothingly in hopes to bring some form of comfort. Aki feels a strange feeling in his stomach the longer his hand lingers, but he chooses to ignore it.

Angel felt what would have been their heart drop to their stomach as their hands were held, so tender, so warm. They stared for a moment before pulling their hands away. They had adored the warmth, but
"Don't touch me so casually. You know the consequences if you don't think about it." His tone returned to the stern, demanding one they held earlier, but their eyes were still lined gold. In truth, he wanted to touch Aki, especially right now, but he couldn't. Ever. No matter how bad they wanted it. They sighed and moved to sit in the space left on the bed next to Aki. They didn't lie with him, but they sat, bringing their knees up to their chest.
"You're much too reckless."

"Isn't that the job of a devil hunter?" Aki sighed out. He cursed himself for slowly relaxing near a Devil of all things. But somehow, it felt different. Aki looked over at the Angel's back facing him, "Why do you care so much anyway? I was under the impression I was just another human to you."

Angel hummed at Aki's statement, they folded in on themselves a tad. "Up until about 15 minutes ago I thought the same. Its the way you care about others... Even those you don't know well. Denji and Power, you really care about them... I'm envious..." They held their hands to their chest. "You deserve to live your life, it infuriates me that you doomed yourself when you could do so much good."

Aki's face morphed into shock at the statement. He'd never expect something like that from anyone, let alone Angel. He felt compelled to explain himself. "I care for them because they're.. like family." Aki said the last part softly. "I don't think I'd be able to do much good, even If i had more time. After all, the only thing I want in the end is revenge" Aki spoke bitterly.

Angel turned and looked at Aki after he made such an idiotic statement. "Why do you believe that all you are is revenge? You know," they shifted, getting up on their knees and fully facing Aki, looking down on him from above.
"Had you not blown your lifespan then maybe you could have had a chance to grow from it. Use that pain to do something good." They had more their wanted to say, but it was just rude, and they had been blunt enough. He picked out another candy from the bag, holding it with plastic so he could push it against Aki's mouth.
"Just eat the damn candy, I'm tired of hearing your voice." It wasn't true, he just didn't like Aki taking so badly about himself. They made it a goal to try and help Aki see his worth.

Aki chewed absently whilst processing Angel's words. Use the past to do something good? The way they phrased it made it sound easier then it actually was. Or maybe it was easy, but he never bothered to try. "Angel, do you truly think, someone like me could do something good?". Aki looked over at the Angel's eyes. Were they always that bright? He'd never bothered to look at them before. Aki feels a tinge of regret noticing how many things he hadn't picked up on before, just because of a stupid grudge. Maybe that was what the Angel was talking about, he always used his pain as some sort of weapon to lash out. He hopes he didn't hurt the Angel too much. Aki was always harsh on Denji and Power, but at least they could take it. The Angel, he wasn't so sure.

Crimson eyes stared into emerald ones as he listened to the question. He let the plastic sit on Aki's face, cause he didn't feel like picking it up, and it wasn't like Aki could really do anything about it.
They tilted their head, "I do, I see most humans as nothing more than ravenous, selfish creatures. But you.. you're different. You're one of those types who stand out. Who can change things. I wish you could see it too... You don't have to sacrifice yourself to get what you want. You can take what was not given to you when you needed it, and give it to others who need it. You already do, with power and Denji... They didnt have families to go home to, you gave them that. I don't think you're as evil as you believe you are, Aki Hayakawa."

Aki couldn't stop the blush from spreading to his face. He broke the eye contact after what felt like hours, swiftly looking to the side. "I think you're different too. I'm sorry for being so, well, terrible. I don't understand why you're being so nice to me after how I've treated you. But thank you, Angel.". Aki stumbled halfway through his his response. He didn't wait for a response, too embarrassed and tired to continue the conversation. As his breathing slowly steadied out with the sight of an Angel in the corner of his eye, Aki welcomed the warm darkness.

"You're the farthest from terrible anyone could be..." Angel whispered, sighing as he noticed Aki had fallen asleep. It was best that he got some rest. Angel himself let out a yawn and stretched their hands over their head. They circled around the bed to the other side, tucking themselves in and making sure to stay as far away from Aki as possible, turning their back to him. A blush dusted their face as they felt the weight of their situation, but that blush kept them warm as they also fell into a, albeit light, sleep.

"..hey.. -- HEY!" Aki was the first to wake up, accidentally banging his head on the headboard in surprise. He groaned and rubbed the top of his head in agony. Himeno mumbled an apology before Power pushed past her towards Aki. "So like, you're not dying now right? Or, I could stick my hand and control your blo--" Aki quickly cut her off claiming he was fine. The last thing he wanted right now was Power sticking a hand in his stomach. He shuddered just thinking about it. Aki glanced over at the still sleeping Angel nervously. "Hey, let's--" Himeno interrupted him with a exclamation. "Woah! Sleeping with your partner, ay? Never thought you'd be kinky enough for violence play!" Aki turned beet red at the statement and quickly denied any accusations. "No, he just needed a place to sleep is all. And he had to patch me up."

Power made her way to comfortably sit at the end of the bed and Himeno leaned against the wall, much to Aki's dismay. "Alright, what happended." Himeno and Power share a look before going into an explanation on what was happening.

"Wait, so Denji is still out there? Alone? With no supervision? Are you insane." Aki stated deadpanning. Himeno shrugged explaining there wasn't much they could do other than hope for the best. The devil was too strong for humans to interfere. "Denji will be fine. And if he dies, we still get out. I see this as a win-win personally!" Himeno exclaimed. Aki clenched his fist in anger at the bold statement, "Alright, well I don't. If Denji doesn't make it out of this alive, Himeno. I won't work another case with you." Himeno's mouth gaped a bit in surprise, not expecting such an aggressive response. "But, Aki. He's a devil isn't he?". Aki felt a burn of shame yet he held his ground. "I don't care." Himeno looked hurt and confused, opting to sigh and turn to leave. "I need a cigarette. Come out whenever your feeling yourself again.". Power awkwardly stood between the two, carrying a bit of candy she stole. Before Aki could mention anything, she swiftly left with Himeno.

Angel's eyes had fluttered open from the loud sounds, but they often pretended to stay asleep to avoid responsibility, so now was no different. They listened in on the human bickering, the mention of sleeping with Angel made his face heat up, but he kept to himself. There were other beds, but Angel liked it there, they wanted to be close in case Aki needed something, yeah, that was it. They listened in on the explanation and found in their mind that they agreed with Aki, Denji should not be left unsupervised right now, he was in quite a bit of danger.

Angel heard the argument between Aki and Himeno, it seemed genuine, Himeno seemed angry. Angel, for even just a second wondered, was this his fault? They seemed close, but he buried that feeling deep within himself. They let a few seconds pass before faking a waking yawn, stretching out their arms and wings, sitting up before looking at Aki, rubbing one eye.
"Did I miss anything?"

Aki looked over at the Angel as they slowly woke up with a question on their lips. "Ah, they told me what was going on. Other than that, nothing important. Denji is taking care of it, although there is no guarentee as to when the fight will end or if he wins at all. I hope Power will keep help him if the time comes. Although I wish I could be there myself." He glances down towards his injury, the blood had stained through but it hadn't leaked during the night thankfully. While he was more worried for Denji, he couldn't help the tinge of fear of something happening to Himeno. He still considered her a friend, someone be didn't want to lose. Aki despised being powerless, but he didn't have a choice here.

Angel listened to the summary with sleepy eyes but open ears. He hummed in response and shuffled just a little closer to Aki.
"You're doing something by being alive. He's gonna be really tired after this, but he'll be able to go home after it all and know his family is still alive. He won't have to go home and look at your empty seat and miss you. You're doing so much for him by just not dying." Maybe Angel was more talking about himself, he didn't want Aki to die, so so badly. These feelings came out of nowhere, maybe the angel part of him was starting to rot away at his mind.
"Why don't we get some more rest, you need it, I want it. You can always wake me up if you need something."

Aki took his time to reevaluate the Angel’s words. “Thanks for the offer, I’ll try and get some rest. But, if it isn’t too much to ask for, could you check on them for me? It’s not that I don’t trust them, I just need to make sure they’re okay.” Aki asked softly. He chose not to comment on what the Angel had said before, but he felt warm inside at the kind words. Aki decided that he had misjudged the Angel Devil. He mentally promised to himself that he would find some way to apologize in the future. Maybe he could make him a nice meal as thanks.

Angel nodded at Aki’s request, shuffling off of the bed at stretching once again as they stood up, wings mimicking their arms as they raised above their head.
“I’ll report back to you when I get a good eye on the situation.” Their voice was sleepy and they headed for the door. They looked back to Aki as their hand was on the door knob, “Rest well.”

After passing through the door it wasn’t too difficult to find the others as their loud voices carried right over to him. They followed the sound and found the group of them, minus Denji for obvious reasons, the smell of burning tobacco filling every corner of their space. They seemed to be talking, laughing, in their own world, that was the difference between them. Devil and humans, their social worlds were completely different. Power could fit in, she was charismatic, boisterous and entertaining to the humans. Angel was anything but. They sighed and approached the group anyways. Standing a couple feet away they could tell that they would be intruding, their stomach tied up in knots and they changed their mind. They seemed fine, so they turned around and returned to Aki.
“They’re good, they seem to be getting along a little better now.”

Aki let out a sigh of relief, “That’s great.” His nose wrinkled at the familiar smell of tobacco, “Are they smoking?”. Maybe Aki was a bit of a hypocrite, but he always despised how much Himeno smoked. He hoped she hadn’t convinced Power to join her, Aki didn’t need another smoker in the family. Aki fumbled with his hand at the realization that they would be stuck here together for an indefinite amount of time. With Denji dealing with the Devil, and everyone working fine together outside, it left Aki and Angel to their own devices. He hoped he’d be able to fill the silence somehow, he isn’t sure if he’d be able to sleep through the entire day. Aki had always had sleeping problems, bleeding out or not.

"Himeno and the other guy are, they're having fun somehow." Angel sat down on the other side of the bed again and the thoughts came back to them about how happy they seemed, how closely knit they were. Aki was probably a part of that too, Angel wasn't used to it. A part of them, green and malicious was displeased with how eager Aki was to know how Himeno was. Maybe it was because she was human, even if Angel was kind to some, natural instincts made it quite hard to tolerate most of them.
"How are you feeling? Is your wound giving you much issue?" They asked, pulling their knees to their chest and resting their chin, a perfectly comfortable position for them.

“I’m glad they found some way to find light in the situation, Power and Himeno have always been good at staying positive” Aki speaks fondly. “As for my wound, I should be fine. I might need a new wrapping considering its starting to bleed through a bit. But there isn’t much we can do considering we don’t have medical supplies”. Aki finished speaking and looked over at the hunched over Angel, there were other beds weren’t there? Aki couldn’t bring himself to ask why the Angel stayed next to his side, but he was happy to have them there anyway. Even if they were sitting a foot away, he could still feel the warmth radiating from them. Aki felt a longing to hold the Angel and reassure them that he would be fine, and everyone would leave safely. Not in a loving way, in a way he would hold Denji or Power. Not that he's ever held them, but if he did then he would hold him the same way he wants to hold Angel. He tells himself that as he stares longingly at the Angel.

The fond tone made Angel feel off, insecure.
"I could never understand human social connections..." They muttered to themself before hearing that Aki probably needs his wound redressed. It put them on alert in case he was in pain. He turned to see fond eyes looking back at him, Aki was probably thinking about that woman...
"Here, sit up and I'll get some stuff together to redress your wound." They hopped off the bed once again and moved around to scrounge up some materials. They picked out fresh sheets from one of the closets and filled up a basin from the washroom, heading back and forth bringing stuff to Aki and placing on the floor by the bed, completely in their own mind.

Aki watched silently as the Angel got to work. When the Angel left to seemingly grab something he sat up slowly attempting not to irritate his wound. Despite his attempts, he still grazed it and flinched slightly at the pain. After laying down for so long in the same position, he wasn’t quite aware how much it hurt when someone touched it. Now, he almost dreaded anyone redressing it. Still, he believes if anyone, Angel would be the best candidate. As the Angel walked back into the room carrying what he assumed were bandages, he sat up straight and forced himself to relax. It would only hurt more if his muscles were tense. “Do whatever you have too, if I flinch just keep going. It doesn’t matter.”

Angel crouched down at the side of the bed and started to rip the sheet into strands, at Aki's comment he was served a pointed look that said 'im not going to kill you'. They dipped a larger piece of fabric into the water to let soak as they reached over to start undoing Aki's previous dressings. Careful as they pulled it back to assess the damage, it seemed to be bleeding less, but still bleeding wasn't the greatest. Pale hands started to work Aki's jacket off of his shoulders, "I can help you with this much but you're gonna have to take off your shirt on your own."
The crimson that seeped into the white shirt made Angel's stomach turn, they swallowed down the awful taste that started to build in their mouth. They didn't like this, the way seeing Aki hurt made him feel but the smell of blood making him salivate. They hated that their body was accustomed to that. It made alarm bells and sirens scream in their mind.

Aki cautiously took off his shirt, groaning a bit as it scraped against his side. Once it was off, he wasted no time balling it and throwing it into the corner of the room. It wouldn't be needed anyway. "Not that I don't trust you, but maybe it would be best you wore gloves?" Aki took his own off and handed them to the Angel without waiting for an answer. He's sure they will understand.

Angel had to avert his eyes the second he could see the skin start to be revealed, his face instantly heated up at the image of Aki unbuttoning his shirt. It was just a little personal, not something someone one doesn't know well should see. They only turned when they heard Aki's voice, their eyebrows pinching together a tad.
"I suppose that would work better than my idea..." They sighed and took the gloves, slipping them onto their hands and noticing that the gloves were quite large on him, but form fitting on Aki. They dealt with it and grabbed the wet fabric from the basin. They rang it out then gently approached Aki's side, pressing the cold cloth into the bloody mess.
"Sorry. I hope it isn't too cold." Angel had never apologized to anyone before, but it felt natural. They worked carefully to clean up the affected area and be cautious of the split skin.

Aki watched as the Angel carefully cleaned his wound, the gloves barely holding his finger tips. Even through the gloves, he could feel the warmth from their hands. A odd part of him wanted to hold one of them. The silence was comfortable, but he still felt as if he should say something. "Have you ever lost anyone before?" Aki asked quietly, yet it echoed throughout the room. He immedietly regretted asking, but he couldn't exactly take what he said back.

Angel looked up for a second as he listened to Aki's question. They hummed as they thought about it, hands still cleaning, occasionally dunking back into the water.
"Not that I remember... But I know the feeling." Angel could see the memories of the people who had died at his hands in his dreams, so he had seen a lot. From happy family memories, to losing loved ones, to the greatest agony ever felt. If Angel was capable of empathy, they could probably empathize with most of the population with what they've psuedo-experienced in their dreams.

They grabbed more, dry cloth and started to go into the final stages of dressing the wound. As much as they wished they could stay this close and keep feeling the warmth of Aki's skin, it wasn't an option for Angel.

Aki hummed at Angel's response. He sat quietly as Angel finished the wrap around his wound. Aki looked down at the now fresh bandages, "Thank you, Angel." A quick 'your welcome' before the silence followed. Aki fumbled with his hands a bit in anxiousness, but before he could open his mouth to strike conversation, loud knocking erupted from the door.

Aki jumped a bit out of surprise before the door was swiftly open, a pink head of hair peaking through. "Yo! Aki, uh, superior guy! Denji's almost wrapped up over here. Himeno said that the Devil was getting weaker--" Power made her way inside whilst explaining and sat next to Aki. "--so Denji's totally got this covered! Himeno's helping him though with her contract so, her and Denji are pretty tired. I hope this ends soon, I'm hungry." Power pouted the last bit. Aki hummed before promising to give Power and Denji a meal once they returned. "Can we go out!? It's been soooo long since we last ate out together!" Power dragged. Aki nodded and promised he would bring them somewhere nice.

"Angel, would you like to join us? Maybe it's a bit too early to make plans, but your welcome to join us."

Angel was standing as the door opened with a thud loud enough to make the Angel flinch. They looked over to the blood demon and found a sigh of relief escaping them as it seemed they would be done soon. As much as Angel liked the quality time with Aki, their mind was stirring rapidly and they wanted to be able to think about it on their own. They wanted to identify these new and unusual feelings. They inwardly smiled at Aki's insistence to get them food, he really was too kind for his own good.

Angel was about to detach from the conversation so they could talk before their name was mentioned. Their eyebrows raised as they were invited, they hadn't expected that at all.
"Ah- mm. Yes, that would be fun. I'll be there." It was odd, they couldn't remember the last time they were invited to anything casual.

Aki smiled softly as Angel accepted the invitation. He had hoped they would as Aki wanted to spend more time with them. "I'm glad. I know you haven't talked much with Power or Denji but, I hope you will all get along." Power gave Angel a thumbs up for encouragement before moving to talk again.

"Anyway, Aki you're fine now right? I was thinkin' we all group up again. I mean, It's kinda boring without Denji to talk too." Aki chose to ignore the implication that he was a replacement for Denji. He looked over at Angel for an okay to get up with Power, if he was being honest Aki was getting a bit restless himself.

Angel shrugged, "it's free food." They brushed it off, "plus, I'm not that stuck up." They played, taking on a lighter tone, it felt good to be invited to things. Angel listened to Power's request and saw that Aki was looking at them for approval. What, why? Why would he have to ask?
"Go ahead. I'm probably going to get some sleep before we go, it's a long walk home." They spoke and gave Aki a small smile. They watched as the two figures left the room and they let their smile fade.

They got into the bed and pulled the blankets over their head. Soft, dark warmth surrounding them made them become so aware of everything within themself, all this confusion, all these new emotions were suffocating. They felt pitied, maybe it was just how they understood humans, but in this moment Angel hated themself so much. How could they, how could they make people pity them like that. It wasn't fair, it was selfish. Angel very often felt selfish, but right now it was like a pit in their heart. They wanted to die so they didn't have to feel like this, now or ever again. They wanted to die, they wished they could die.

Aki felt a tinge of regret leaving Angel to his own devices, but his worried overweighted it. As Aki and Angel approached the other room, they quietly shuffled past the screaming hole of merged faces; along with a chainsaw noise echoing through. "Are you certain Denji's alright in there?" Power nodded absently as she opened the door to the hotel room. Himeno, Kobeni, and Hiro all standing in different corners. "Ah! Aki, how's your wound? I gotta check for myself if your patched up correctly." Himeno urged Aki to sit down next to her on the bed as Power sat on the floor in front if them. Aki lifted his shirt only enough for the bandage to slip into sight.

"What, you shy or something?" Himeno laughed outloud. Aki hummed and began brushing out Power's hair in front of him. "My wound is fine, no need to check everywhere. Angel cleaned and wrapped it." Himeno raised an eyebrow in suspicion but went back to checking the wrapping for any mistakes. Upon finding none, she sighs. "You've softened too much. You'll get yourself killed someday if you just throw your trust around like this." Aki breifly stopped brushing Power's hair to throw a glare over his shoulder. "I don't trust everyone. They're my partner, of course I trust them".

"Ohh, so you trust him now? Here I thought you guys had some sort of rivalry going, and now your all buddy buddy. What changed? You guys fuck in the room while we were gone?" Himeno lit a cigarette as she laughed over her own joke. Aki groaned at the vulgar words, "If course we didn't." Himeno giggled before responding, "Right, forgot, that would have killed you.". Aki's ears burned red before he went quiet, seemingly ending the conversation. Himeno shrugged and smoked her cigarette.

"PLEASE! You win, just make it stop! Take my heart! I don't care anymore!" the Devil's words echoed throughout the building, "Hah?? I was just getting started too!" Chainsaw noises followed. Aki deeply inhaled and exhaled, "Let's go get Denji, then."

Angel had arrived to the restaurant right at the scheduled time, they had swapped their uniform for a pink loose fitting long sleeve and some black jeans. They had showered and put themself together a little more than normal for this, they even gave their hair a light brush. The restaurant was small but busy, sound surrounded them the second they stepped inside, fairy lights lined the ceiling and the hardwood floor creaked under their feet. Waiters and waitresses weaved around like snakes and the clinking of glasses mimicked that of what one might think stars sounded like. They stepped up to the host and asked about a group that may have come in already, they were then pointed in the direction of their table.

Angel approached the table that was already almost full, give or take one or two people, the two ravenettes stood out to him, sitting next to eachother, chatting away with the present group. Angel waved and said hello, sitting in the opposite booth to Aki, eyes peering at the drink menu on the table and making considerations.

Aki quickly looked over at Angel as they sat into the booth across from them. “Angel, I’m really happy you came-” Himeno accidentally pushed Aki into the corner as she laughed with her whole body, “Hah- oh, shit, sorry Aki.” Himeno giggled slurring slightly in her words. Denji made some sort of remark of ‘you promised you’d kiss me’ before she moved back towards him. Aki nervously moved back from the corner and looked over at Angel. “Right, as I was saying-” Power’s loud laugh interrupted him yet again and Aki inwardly sighed. As he looked over towards the commotion, he cringed at the mess of Denji’s lap full of..barf. Right, there goes his appetite. “What the FUCK!? I’m never going to be able to kiss anyone.. Ever!!” Denji exclaimed loudly. Power continued laughing uncontrollably as Denji cried over his lost innocence.

Great, this wasn’t going according to plan at all. Aki was hoping for Denji and Power to leave early, leaving him and Angel alone. Instead, Himeno and a couple others decided to tag along and now this had happened. As Aki pinched his forehead together in stress, Himeno stood up. “Alright! Let’s clean this up!! Power, Denji, let’s go!!” She yelled drunkenly. Denji yelled back that it was her fault as the group went towards the bathroom together. “Hey! Use the family one, not the female one!” Aki yelled over at them. Himeno quickly changed the original path and went towards the correct one.

Aki quietly laughed, despite the chaos he couldn't deny it was a bit funny. Now that the main three were gone, it was simply Angel and a couple others he couldn’t bother to remember the names of. “Sorry about that, if you're ready to order I can call the waitress quickly. Or, well, if your appetite is ruined..I understand.”

Angel was glad to make eye contact with Aki finally, it felt like they'd been so nervous for the past few days that they were completely unable to really look at him. A light smile pulled at their lips and they went to respond but the clanking of glass and loud voices grabbed their train of thought with a vice grip. The few times they had tried to talk to eachother something got in the way. The vomiting sounds and following smell were quite unpleasant. They watched all of it happen, and it hardly felt like they were involved, everyone here had relationships, dynamics that they fit into, Angel was the odd one out. Seeing Power and Denji able to fit in so well, they thought... Maybe it wasn't the humans... Maybe it was him? The thought clouded his mind uncomfortably and it was only broken when Aki spoke directly to them again.

"Ah, no it's alright, I'll just have a drink when the waitress checks up on us again." They spoke lightly, holding hands up in defence. "I'm not really the kind of devil that needs to eat much anyways." It was true, they only ate when they chose to, and that was often just for sweets. Their eyes focused on Aki but they could feel the malice stare of the woman next to him against his skin.

Aki nodded in understanding, calling over a waitress anyway and ordering a sweet drink for Angel. Looking over back towards Angel, he deflated a bit seeing Himeno sitting next to them, seemingly staring drunkeldy at them. Aki coughed, “Denji and Power are fine, then?”. It seemed to snap her out of her daze and she nodded. “Yep! Good as new. But, why did you even invite this Angel guy? I get your like, ‘partners or whatever, but he’s kinda boring honestly. You didn’t need to invite him.” Himeno slurred through a couple words and shrugged. Aki’s blood boiled at her words, “What are you even saying? Of course I invited them. Can you please stop with this Devil hatred thing? Angel’s a good person and I don’t need your ‘approval’”. Himeno switched her gaze to glare at Aki, “The hell? I’m just looking out for you. We both know relationships with Devil’s don't end well!”. Aki slammed his fist on the table, “God why don’t you ever shut up!?”.

Silence immediately followed after, a couple employees observing worriedly. Himeno stared at him with glassy eyes. “Whatever, I hope you’re happy.” She hurriedly gets up and leaves. A couple of the other hunters whisper to each other as Aki nervously looks around the scene. This wasn’t going well.

Angel was about to thank Aki when Himeno's voice could be heard before they even fully opened their mouth. Her words were like hot coals on their skin, everything they thought about themself being relayed with a voice that dripped with spiteful ichor. They have never felt more hated, they knew Aki was talking, but all they could focus on were the hurtful words. All they could do was stare at the table, they could see the menu, crumbs from quickly eaten food, rings of liquid from condensation of frosted glasses, empty and dwindling glass mugs. By the time he felt the warmth of the woman leave his side all he could hear was ringing. They really were pitied by everyone in their life, they really were just that empty, that useless, that disgusting.

They looked up at Aki after the woman left and fought back the stinging behind their eyes. "I'm gonna... I'll be back in a minute." Their body was almost on autopilot as they got up, heading for the front of the restaurant. They bumped into a couple people on their way, finally pushing into the fresh air and feeling downpour clinging to their skin and hair. Heavy feet lead them to a bus stop, it would be too embarassing to sit and cry in front of a restaurant. Leaning against the dirty fibreglass wall and sinking to the ground the tears started to fall. Hiccups and sobs escaped their small frame, shoulders shaking as water still fell onto them from a gap in the ceiling. They had been ready to die for a long time now, for their devil to be passed on to another and they could recycle their body, but now more than ever they wished to be killed. Slaughtered on a cross, shot in the head, poisoned, thrown off a building, anything, anything would be better than this.

“Ah, wait--” Angel left swiftly before he could get any words in. An awful feeling dropped into his gut as the door opened and closed behind them. Guilt churning in his stomach from snapping at Himeno, for putting Angel in the situation to begin with. He remembered the miserable look on Angel’s face once they looked up to him, and Himeno as she left. Aki almost couldn’t bring himself to move, hearing the whispers around him and his mind quickly spiralling. He almost wanted to forget everything, go back to ignoring Angel. Himeno wouldn’t remember due to her Alcohol consumption, and no hunter would dare question him. Aki clutched onto his thighs in anger, was he seriously going to be a coward again and just forget? He’d already wasted his life for some form of revenge, and now he was willing to lose his Angel over drunken slurs.

Aki made up his mind and stood up to leave the booth. He didn’t need to push through anyone as they moved for him, likely out of respect for a superior. Aki opened the door and was immediately greeted with a splash of water to his head. Angel had really gone out whilst it was pouring? Nausea built in his stomach knowing his Angel could be cold and sick somewhere. Not seeing Angel anywhere near the restaurant, he opted for the Bus stop. It was the only other way he could go. Unless he chose to walk home. Aki prayed he didn’t, he already felt terrible enough. He could never live with himself if he knew his Angel walked home in the pouring rain. Walking towards the dull light of the bus stop, he sighed in relief upon seeing a blur or red and white. He jogged towards Angel so as to not startle them. Quietly, he sat on the bench next to him. Now that he was here, the previous adrenaline flew away as fast as it came. Aki forced himself to breathe steadily,

"There you are Angel, I've been looking for you everywhere."

Angel surrounded themself with their wings as they heard steps approaching, they didn’t want to be seen like this. As the footsteps got closer and closer, they covered their mouth to muffle the soft sobbing sounds that escaped them. They felt doomed as the steps slowed right in front of them, they didn’t care to see who it was, the shame of their situation was crippling enough. The familiar voice made it hurt just that much more, why must the one person in their life that they truly felt a connection to see them like this? Have this image of them imprinted in his mind? Despite this thought in their mind, they peeked up to look at the ravenette. Pale cheeks were lined with golden steaks, eyes puffy and red and shoulders shaking as they tried to keep themself a bit together.

They found that looking into Aki’s eyes made their heart calm a bit, their breathing was shaky but they could breathe nonetheless. They opened their mouth to speak but found it fell flat, everything Himeno said, that they said about themself, was true. They were a rip in the world, not like a devil, not like a human, unnatural, not worthy. Small hands gripped at their hair, the momentary peace they had was ripped away by the pulling hands of self loathing.
“What am I supposed to do?” They spoke, closing their eyes and tugging at wine strands, “Why must I have such a miserable existence?” Sobs fell between their words, “Why- why do I have to live..? Ho-How come I don’t have a place? Why… WHY?!” They curled even further in on themself, wings slamming the fibreglass walls with frustration. They could hardly speak as the sobs took over their voice, mouth forced open by the unstoppable tension of their muscles, they pulled and tugged and scratched at their scalp.

Aki gently placed his gloved hands around Angel's face, carefully thumbing away the tears. His eyes brimming slightly with his own tears.The water from their face soaked into Aki’s gloves “Angel, you will always have a place with me. I know I’ve been terrible to you. God everyone was, weren't they? And I’m so sorry, I really am, Angel. But even then, I selfishly want you to stay here. With me, with Power, with Denji.” Aki’s voice shook with every word, he moved his hands to gently pry Angel’s hand out of their hair.

“I can’t, just, please don’t leave me.” Aki spoke quietly, his voice nearly drowned out by the pouring rain. “You mean more to me than you know. Even when I was some stuck-up bastard around you, I still cared. I always have, Angel. I just hope you believe me when I say that.”. At this point, Aki’s clothes were completely soaked through. He barely acknowledged it, solely keeping his eyes on Angel.

Their eyes opened suddenly as they felt the hands on their face, drowned crimson met watering emerald and Angel felt something change, within their mind, their soul. The words that Aki spoke, it felt like the caring words of a divine being. To be told that their mistreatment was recognized, Angel nodded, though feeling Aki was the only one who hadn’t. They couldn’t blame him, they knew his past, who wouldn't hate a being that was in the same category as something as horrendous as the gun devil.

Above all else they could just stare, feeling the cold rain still beating down onto them. They hesitated for a moment, then moved forward and wrapped their arms around Aki’s middle, there was a shirt in between them so no contact was made, and Angel cried into his chest. They held him tight around the middle, even wrapping their wings around him.
“I’ll stay here. For you…” they spoke carefully, giving him a squeeze of reassurance. What was this selfish feeling? This swelling in their chest? Was this what humans called love? The feeling was overpowering, but held an undertone of familiarity.

Aki’s heart swelled as cold arms surrounded his middle, and soaked wings held him close. Despite his better judgement, he risked a chaste kiss on the top of Angel’s head. It ended as swiftly as it started, he almost hoped they wouldn’t notice. Soothingly, he rubbed circles into their back. A loud honk startled Aki out of his trance, he turned his head to the source and was greeted by a bus and an annoyed looking driver. “‘You love birds coming or not?” the man gruffly spoke. Aki gently coaxed Angel to stand with him, hurriedly walking into the bus completely drenched. He urged Angel to sit with him, and they clung to Aki easily. Aki allowed a soft smile to seep through, holding them with one of his arms. Keeping Angel close to his chest. Luckily, Aki had used this bus before considering this was a regular restaurant he visited. All he had to do now was wait for his stop.

He observed the tired Angel quietly, simply admiring their features. How had he not noticed how stunning they were before? Aki would likely never forgive himself for ignoring such beauty for so long. But, he would allow himself to bask in it for now. Going back to rubbing Angel’s back gently, he froze a bit. Shit, was he going to just bring them home with him? Maybe he should ask, but he selfishly didn’t know if he would take a no for an answer. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Angel alone right now. Did he even have a home to go to? He knows Denji and Power stay with him, but maybe it’s different for every rank. Aki sighed heavily, opting to rest his head on the window as the rain soothingly fell. Much less heavy now, and more gentle.

Angel let themselves be pulled onto the bus, silent compliance for wherever they were going, they trusted Aki more now, and felt no grief leaning into him for the ride. They closed their eyes and listened to Aki's heartbeat as the rumbling of the motor and rain on the windows filled their ears.

Angel came back to reality as they were notified that they had reached their stop. They left the bus with Aki and gently held onto his arm the entire short walk to his apartment. After all those emotions, Angel had gotten pretty tired, leaning into Aki's side quite a bit. Angel knee they had reached the door when he could hear Denji and power through it, seemingly having a riveting conversation that required full volume. They listened to the jangling of keys and pins of a lock popping, they rubbed their eye with a yawn as they walked through the threshold.

Aki walked into the doorway and took off his shoes quietly, trying not to alert Power and Denji of their presence. It's not that he was ashamed, just a bit embarrassed to bring someone home. It could easily look like something else. This was his first time bringing someone over after all. After Angel took of theirs as well, he took their gloved hand and walked silently towards the bathroom. It seemed his luck ended here.

"Aki! Welcome back-- you brought someone with!?" Power exclaimed loudly, at 1am. Quickly bringing herself forward, she greeted Angel with a wave before motioned to Aki. "Didn't you promise us a meal? We had to leave early because of your shanadagans y'know!". Aki sighed before promising her, again, he'd cook later. Power looked less convinced, but let him go nonetheless. As he guided Angel towards the bathroom, Denji sent them a wave before going back to some sort of card game. It looked like a heated battle of wits, Aki wisely chose to walk by. Entering the bathroom, he turned beet red realizing how his intentions might look. "Oh, Angel, um--" he coughed mid sentence, "--you need a bath. Devil or not, I don't want you to sleep drenched cold." Aki turned more and more red at the second. He mumbled 'I could help if you're tired' and fumbled with his coat before motioning to open the door. He didn't want to make them uncomfortable.

Angel sleepily waved back to Power as greetings and followed along as they were pulled through the apartment, hand in hand, the safe contact making them feel warm despite their soaked state. They arrived in the bathroom and Angel felt confusion above all else, raising a brow at Aki before he explained himself. They hummed, thinking that a bath would be nice, and Aki’s mumble was caught on delicate ears. “Hmm, sure. Just wear your gloves.”

Angel had no concept of the human understanding of conservatism, all they knew was it was polite to close and lock bathroom doors. A small, pale hand pushed the door closed and locked it before turning towards the bathtub and pulling their shirt up over their head, then over their wings in a clearly practiced motion. On their back were twin scars that lined the connection point between their skin and wings, they appeared like tears, extending down about 10 inches from the feathery appendages. Next their socks came off and they went to start the water while they still had at least something on, but didn’t want to go through the hassle of completely undressing once the water was full and ready.

Aki averted his eyes as Angel pulled off their shirt, only glancing back they finished. He leaned against the counter and tried his best not to stare, he really did. Yet still, he found himself glancing towards the Angel a couple times. There were two long scars across his back, a couple others seemingly from battle over his body. It was to be expected, but he still found himself drawn to them. Would it be rude to ask where they were from? It seemed too intimate for their current relationship, he noted to himself to ask Angel at a later date. Once the water finally filled up, Aki averted his gaze again and waited for approval. Once he was certain the Angel was situated, he looked back towards the tub. Even covered with bubbles, he still felt intruding seeing them in such a vulnerable state. He mentally thanked Power’s purchase in bubbles, because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle seeing a naked Angel. Pushing away his thoughts, Aki sat on his knees near the tub.

Motioning for the Angel to rest their head on the side of the tub, he gently began applying soap to their scalp. Soothingly running his hands through the Angel’s hair, he inhaled deeply before relaxing further in the warmth. Mindlessly he scrubbed until he was sure their hair was thoroughly cleaned. Covering their eyes, he rinsed the soap out with water. A subtle blush erupted his face realising they would smell like him for the night. He mentally slapped himself for thinking such thoughts. Speaking of that, where would he sleep exactly? He didn’t even have enough beds for the three of them as it was, let alone a guest bedroom. As he got lost in his thoughts again, he rubbed Angel’s shoulders unconsciously. Maybe they could share a bed with him? It would take some convincing considering their predicament, but maybe he could convince them. “Would you be alright sharing a bed with me? If not, I can take the couch”.

Angel felt a heat in their cheeks as Aki cleaned them, it was probably more than Angel had been touched their entire life. They leaned into the scrubbing hands, light hums leaving them, they'd never been treated so nicely like this, most were too afraid to even consider something like this. They were a bit caught off guard by the hands on their shoulders, but it felt nice and they leaned into the motion easily. Their eyes started to flutter closed in the relaxing atmosphere, only to blink open again at the sound of Aki's voice.

"That's fine, we should probably have seperate blankets is all." Their voice was a lot lighter due to their tired state. They lifted their head up to look at Aki, half lidded and tired they found themself slightly admiring Aki's features, his face was defined, but not too angular, his eyes were symmetrical and a beautiful emerald colour. They moved their eyes away after a few seconds, realizing they were staring.

Aki hummed and nodded at Angel's response, hiding a smile behind a stoic face. Slowly moving his hands off their shoulders, he stood up and moved towards their tiny closet filled with towels. Grabbing his towel, (he's not going to give them Power's or Denji's, god knows what's on them) he moved back to Angel. Averting his eyes, Aki opened towel so they could stand and wrap themselves in it easily. His ears burned at the sound of water dripping, likely from their hair, before a warmth bundled into the towel he held. Once they were situated into the towel he looked back down on them cautiously. Angel was absolutely consumed in the towel, it was his after all. Aki made a choked noise before coughing and grabbing another small towel to dry their hair with. Moving back, he softly dried the Angel's hair. Once he was certain he got every drop he hung it back where it was.

"Here, I'll bring you to our room." Aki's brain shut down at the slip up, but quickly recovered and grabbed Angel's hand. Swiftly leaving the room with them, he walked towards his room. Once inside, he stumbled a bit at the mess, apologizing profusely. "I'll be back in a bit, just gonna take a quick shower." He didn't really know what came over him, but he moved forward and gave them a silent hug. Whilst avoiding skin contact. Before leaving, he grabbed some clothes out of his dresser and handed it to Angel.

Angel shook out their wings as they stepped out of the bath before stepping into the warm towel. Seeing Aki so flustered confused Angel a bit, but also entertained them. Angel was lead out by a gloved hand, they lightly squeezed the hand, the other being used to hold up their towel as they shuffled through the home. Angel dismissed Aki's unnecessary apologies and stepped closer to him. They realized that Aki could barely tell that Angel was right in front of him, it was sweet. "Okay," was all Angel said to Aki informing them of his shower plan, though they tensed up as they were hugged, their arms lifting to avoid contact. Because of their lack of brace, Aki's pulling away caused the towel to start slipping down their frame, which they collected quickly. They looked astonished as Aki seemed to have completely turned his brain off, just handing them clothes and leaving.

A breathy laugh escaped them as the door closed behind the ravenette, what had just happened. It took Angel a couple seconds to understand, before shaking their head and checking out the clothes. They slipped on underwear and the shirt Aki had given them, it was so long it almost reached their knees. They looked at the pajama pants and knew that wasn't happening, so they didn't bother. Assessing the situation, Angel's devilish nature manifested an idea in their mind, a smirk crossing their lips. They plucked a book off of the single bookshelf in the room and tossed themself into the bed, purposefully riding the shirt up a bit and leaning back to start reading, put together like a cheesy scene from a shitty romance movie.

Aki swiftly left the room and made his way towards the bathroom, bright red the entire way there. He got two whistles from Power and Denji. So he sent them a deathly glare before continuing his way, that seemed to shut them up. Aki stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. His heart was beating erratically in his chest, feeling warm and fuzzy. He wasted no time in starting the water again, opting for a shower for speed. This was probably the fastest shower he’d taken in his life. Not that he was excited to sleep next to Angel or anything. He was just tired and wanted to sleep soon. Once his quick shower was over, he quickly dried himself over and grabbed his clothes off the toilet seat. He considered blow drying his hair, but decided not too. Now that he was finished, the previous anxiety came back tenfold. Each step he felt heavy, like he was walking to an oncoming doom. A doom that happened to be the most gorgeous person he’d ever met, that was waiting for him in his bed.

His face flushed as he walked by the living room again, Power and Denji making inappropriate hand gestures. Aki gestured to them to “zip it or I’ll kill you”. Now that he was in front of his bedroom door, he hesitated a bit once his hand was on the doorknob. He breathed deeply before opening the door. His brain stopped, rebooted, and crashed all at the same time. Nothing could have prepared him for this. No amount of training. Angel was laying on his bed, absolutely drowned in his shirt. It seemed the Angel had opted not to wear the pants he offered, because he wasn’t wearing them. Aki averted his eyes from them, and shamefully walked towards the bed. Sitting on the other side, he opened his dresser and took out a random book. He needed something to tame his mind. “If you don’t mind, I’m gonna stay up a bit longer. You can sleep now if you’d like.” Aki spoke quietly.

Angel looked to the side but didn’t move their head much as Aki opened the door, his clear surprise made the potential embarrassment worth it. They held in a smile as they turned attention back to the book in their hands, not fully looking up until the bed shifted with weight. They watched his movements, seeing him pull out a book and move to lie down. Angel just looked up at him for a couple seconds, watching his lips form words. Angel hummed, leaning into him just a little.
“I’ll stay up til I finish this chapter.”

Their eyes traced along the lines and words in the book, but it only took a few minutes for the book to fall from their hand, eyes closed and small breaths escaping them. They naturally slumped over, fully leaning into Aki’s shoulder, fully peaceful, fully content. This day, despite the hiccup, could probably be considered one of Angel’s favourite days, feeling the warmth of another as much as they had today was a luxury for them. They worried that they wouldn’t be able to let go of it, that they would become dependent on it, but tonight they guessed it’d be okay to indulge.

Faint shuffling was present on the other side of the door, hushed voices having a frantic back and forth.
“Do you think they’re having sex?”
“No way! There's no sound. We would hear if they were.”
“Kissing then?”
“Hmmmm... How would that work for them though?”

Aki tensed at the warmth next to him, it seemed like they had fallen asleep on him. He slowly moved the book out of Angel’s hands, and moved it back into his dresser. He put his own away as well. Aki slowly urged them to lay down with him and his face heated, realizing how tangled they were now. While the blanket separated their bodies from touching, he could still feel the heat and Angel’s head resting on his chest. He was tempted to pull an arm around them, but that would likely mean certain death. He reluctantly kept his arms inside the blanket due to that fact. Turning off the lamp, he moved to get more comfortable and slowly relaxed into the bed. Before he could fall asleep however, some whispers caught his attention.

“..Do you think they’re a thing now..?
“What? No way, I thought they hated each other!
“Dude shut up! You’re gonna wake them!”
“You shut up!”
The bickering continued until Aki moved to throw a book at the door, he flinched at the loud noise and prayed the Angel wouldn’t wake up. However, it worked and the whispering quickly shut up. He made another note to himself, poisoning their breakfast.

Angel's eyes fluttered open at the lingering smell of breakfast, they raised from their position, noticing no figure beside them. They raised their hands up over their head and stretched out their wings with a yawn. They pulled themself out of the warm bed and bare feet could be heard padding towards the closed door. Relaxed wings slightly dragged behind them as they exited the room and made a bee-line for the kitchen. They approached the ever growing smell and were met with two sets of wide eyes staring at them.

Denji pointed at the sleepy angel, mouth wide and looking back and forth from the guest to power, stuttering, only for Power to turn and stare at the ravenette making breakfast. "I WAS RIGHT!" The cheery voice boomed, hands up in the air with triumph. Angel just tilted their head in dazed confusion.

Aki raised an eyebrow at Power and Denji yelling before turning around and doing a double take. Angel stood in nothing but his shirt. Maybe it was a devil think, having close to no modesty. Either way, this looked pretty bad. Aki sent Power and Denji another death glare. Power was practically bouncing in her chair but thankfully moved onto a different topic. He prayed that Power and Denji would keep their mouths shut for the rest of the day. He forced his rapid heart to calm down before speaking, “I made breakfast, I wasn’t sure if you liked scrambled or sunny-side so I just..made both. Take whatever you’d like, It’s on the island.” Aki scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Angel hummed and nodded in response, stepping up to the island and looking over what was available. They grabbed a plate and spooned some scrambled eggs as well as toast onto it. They asked Power a hushed question and headed for a small cupboard over the sink. Standing on their toes they reached up and pulled out a jar of honey, mostly untouched. They drizzled the stuff all over their food then found a seat as far from the two teenagers as possible. The leaned on one arm and watched Aki do whatever it was he was doing, he looked good, toned muscles were noticable through his shirt and Angel couldn't help but smile at the sight. They picked at their food with a fork, making sure it was all sweet before starting to eat, honey made everything better in their opinion, strawberries too, this was quite the treat for a creature that didn't even need food.

"What does your schedule look like for today?" They asked, having not exactly remembered if they had work or not, not that they usually cared to check beforehand anyways.

“Well, since we got rid of the Devil with relative ease, we’re on break for the weekend. Of course, we’ll be back to work in a couple days.” Aki spoke thoughtfully, it’s a good thing they did have a break. Because to be honest, they had forgotten all about work the night prior. Taking his own plate, he sat in between Angel and Denji. Whilst eating, he glanced at Denji staring holes into him. They really weren’t going to let this go were they?

“So, you and Angel a thing now then? Kinda weird since you're both dudes, how could you give up boobs, Aki?” Aki spit out his orange juice at the wording. Power smacked Denji’s head real hard, “You dumbass!! It’s rude to say shit like that to fags!!” Aki proceeded to smack Power’s head for that remark. The three of them broke into a whispered argument, Aki being the first to shut it down. “Both of you, zip it! Or you lot are cooking for the rest of the week!” Aki whispered-yelled to them. Power’s face lost color and she quickly shut up. Denji begrudgingly followed.

Angel was relieved at the fact they didn’t have to work for a couple days, maybe they could stay here for the weekend. But at the same time they didn’t want to intrude too much on Aki’s life… they would ask. Angel lifted their head as Denji spoke, listening to his comment, the argument between them all was so domestic, it brought a smile to Angel’s face. They continued to munch at their breakfast and only spoke as their volume seemed to lower,

“I don’t understand what they’re talking about. Are we doing something abnormal?” They tilted their head, leaning a bit close to him in case he needed to be quiet. Every second around those teenagers Angel found something new to be confused about, their dialect, their clothing, it was all an entire world Angel hadn’t touched.

Aki quickly denied what Angel had said, “No, they’re just idiots. Ignore them” Aki sighed. He fidgeted a bit before deciding to jump the gun, “Do you want to stay over the break? I don’t want to force you too, if you have other things to do you don’t have to. I’m just offering if you don’t have plans”. Power gave him a knowing smirk but wisely chose to stay silent.

Angel fondly sighed as Aki spoke about his housemates, it was sweet, cute even. Their attention cued in again as he asked them a question they were relieved they didn’t have to ask themself. They didn’t have plans, Angel never really had anything to do, maybe that was why they were so lazy. “I would like that, yes.” They were straight to the point, they wanted to spend more time with Aki. They wanted to get a peek into human life, as well as just to be around others, know what that’s like outside of work.

Aki looked over at Angel quickly, “Wait, really? Oh, well, I’m glad. We can find some things to do then.” Aki nervously stuttered halfway through, something about Angel made him nervous to make any missteps. He wanted to treat them with care, he didn’t want to overstep any potential boundaries.

“We could go to the movies!! I wanna see that new gory movie I saw on TV!” Power exclaimed excitedly. Denji happily agreed.

“No, let’s try something more tame. How about that mystery one?” Aki questioned. Power made a fake gagging noise. “Hell no! I bet it’s one of those ‘chick flicks!” Denji complained. Aki took it into consideration, but looking back at the Angel, something tells him they wouldn’t appreciate a gore movie. “Sorry, no Rated R films.” Power and Denji both groaned.

“Fine, how about this-- I buy you guys tickets for that movie you mentioned, and me and Angel watch something else. We meet afterwards, deal?” Power stroked her chin in thought before giving him a thumbs up. Denji looked more unconvinced, “Aren’t you just trying to get time alone with-” Power slapped his head, “Hey, what if they’re closeted!? You can’t say that!” Denji’s mouth gaped and quickly nodded his head, “You’re right, I’m so sorry Aki.” Aki could do nothing but blend into the background.

Angel liked the idea of doing stuff, anything really, even lazing around on the couch or something of that nature. Their eyebrows raised at the mention of a movie, Angel had no memory of ever going to a movie theatre before, but the concept was pretty exciting. “That would be fun, you’ll have to show me what’s playing.” Angel didn’t really watch TV, so they didn’t have a great idea on the up and coming movie rosters. Angel felt heat rise to their face at Aki’s suggestion of watching a movie alone, but they were at least glad they didn’t have to watch something too gorey, they had enough memories of that they didn’t really want to see it as entertainment.

At the blatant bickering from the teenagers, they had actually said something that made a little bit of sense, that made Angel’s face heat up. It wasn’t… like that. He liked Aki, but he was sure that their relationship was professional, even if his mind lingered on more. It’s not like they could do the things people in relationships do, so it was silly to think about.

Aki stood up hiding a burning face, and proceeded to pick up everyone's plates. He put them in the dishwasher before ragging down the counter of the crumbs (mainly from Power and Denji).
“Well, we could see one today. I’ll have to check what times however--” He pulled out his phone, scrolling his movie times app, “--looks like the times are 4pm and 7pm, so whenever you guys want to go.”

Denji and Power both agreed on 7pm, Aki didn’t mind personally. Whatever his Angel was okay with. Aki asked Power to take out some sort of game in the meanwhile, it was too early for anything currently. He considered chess, but he’s not sure if Denji or Power had the brains for that. It would be good for training, however..

Denji and Power went into the living room (about 3 feet away, the apartment was ridiculously small in all honesty). And took out a couple board games.

Angel watched the two teens head into the adjacent living space and joined Aki at the counter, stepping up to his side. “Can I see what’s playing?” They asked, innocent enough, partly wanting an excuse to stay in his space. They found themselves hoping that within their time here, they could stay by Aki’s side the whole time. It brought them peace, the idea of it, though in their mind they knew they’d be acting like a lost puppy.

Aki decided he would have his revenge this moment, “Chess.” Power and Denji both groaned, overhearing him. Aki moved to go into the cabinet, swiftly pulling out a chess board and some scarce pieces. Some were missing, likely Meowy's doing. Speaking of that cat, where was it? Aki blankly disregarded the thought, opting to instead set up the chessboard on the living room carpet. Putting what little pieces he could, he pulled Angel to sit next to him. A 2v2 game of chess, with half the pieces missing. He would make it work, he decided.

“..That’s not fair! You have more knights than I do!” Power exclaimed
“No, you just threw the other one you had.” Aki remarked
“Got your Queen!” Denji proudly remarked.
“That’s a knight, Denji.” Aki resorted.
“Eh? Same thing! We win! Can we be done now?” Denji whined out.

The bickering continued for a couple minutes, before a loud crash was heard. Looking down, everyone gaped at the cat that had just ruined the entire chess setup. Meowy stood proudly.

Angel felt a blush rise to their cheeks as they were tucked right up to Aki’s side, the board was clearly not set up right, but the interaction was entertaining. Angel knew how to play chess loosely, with being alive so many years, tabletop games were a good time spender. They watched the prideful feline start to paw at the board, they were about to reach out before it all toppled over. “Dang,” They muttered, mid reach. They turned to face Aki, shrugging with defeat. “Maybe they didn’t like the discourse that came with it.” They moved forwards to start picking up and putting away the discarded pieces.

Aki let out an uncharacteristic laugh at the absurd situation. “Yeah, yeah. You’re just lucky, we totally would have won if Meowy didn’t interrupt!” Denji smugly spoke. Aki smiled and nodded sarcastically, “Yes, of course. We were lucky.”

Glancing over at the clock, it was around 3pm now. Aki hummed and turned to Angel, “Want to go now? We can stop somewhere for food on the way. Or could wait until 7, up to you.” Aki shrugged nonchalantly.

The unfamiliar but recognizable sound made heat bloom into Angel’s face, turning a bit to see it, if they had a heart it would be slamming against their chest. They turned quickly to finish picking up the pieces, hiding their blush as much as possible.

Once they had collected the pieces, they felt calmed down enough to right themself. They turned to Aki as he spoke, humming in thought,

“I don’t have a preference,” they glanced to the teenagers, “but let’s go for the 7pm, I just wanna hang out for a bit if that’s alright”

"Alright, there isn't much to do here. But we can find some activities." Aki spoke thoughtfully. Meanwhile, Denji plopped on the couch, turning on the television. Well, TV was always an easy activity. Maybe he could even squeeze in next to Angel. Would he be okay with cuddling? Or maybe--. He forced himself to stop that train of thought.

Taking Angel's gloved hand, he lifted them up and signaled them to sit with him. Power squeezed in next to Denji, practically half on top of him. Which forced Aki to be completely squashed next to Angel, his shoulder slightly poking him. "Ah-- sorry. Let me-" Aki moved to adjust their predicament, which caused Angel's thigh to overlap his. Thankfully Aki was wearing pants. Aki gulped at the close proximity, not at the fear of death, but, perhaps nervousness? Something about Angel does that to him. As much as football was "entertaining" he couldn't really care for it. Instead he, shamefully, focused more on the physical contact he was in.

The unexpected contact sent Angel's mind spinning, they situated themselves to be at least a little more comfortable with the awkward spacing. They knew a way they could be more comfortable, but they found themself worried about pushing boundaries, as well as their attire probably not being something that would help their situation.

Eyes searched for something without being outwardly searching, when they found it they worked on their plan. They feigned a shiver and pulled a blanket off of the arm rest of the couch, pulling over themself and Aki. They understood that what they were doing was bold, but part of them dared to take the risk. They carefully pulled both of their legs into Aki’s lap, leaning into the couch and, all hidden under the blanket, they placed a hand on Aki’s chest, the thrum of a heartbeat so foreign but impactful on their fingertips.

Aki felt like he couldn't breathe. Staying still for most of the Angel’s movements, he was already a bright red. But once the hand reached towards his chest, his eyes practically popped out of his sockets.

His mind was racing, unable to comprehend all the bold moves Angel was making. The warmth over his legs, the small hand gently rubbing his chest. It was all too much for his heart.
In a spur of courage, he slowly moved his hand to take Angel’s. Gently, he pried their fingers so they were linked completely. The entire time he couldn’t bring himself to look them in the eyes, too embarrassed. But, this was enough.

Angel could feel Aki's racing heart, it brought a light smile to their face. They liked being like this, close, warm, they weren't allowed this. They were sure they were breaking so many rules, but they didn't care, for the first time since they could remember, they liked being alive. The sensation of living and taking up space was positive, it was so new, and they were giddy.

At the feeling of fingers reaching for them they held the hand with a confident grip. Pale hands met black leather gloves with a power that washed over Angel with warmth. They ran their thumb over Aki's knuckle and leaned into him, tilting their head up to just barely whisper,
"Thank you, for all of this."

Aki warmed at the fond tone, giving their hand a reassuring squeeze. He smiled at Angel, this time he looked at them. “You’re always welcome here.” Aki spoke softly. Feeling more at ease, he cuddled a little closer to Aki. He mentally thanked the height difference, considering it was much easier to not accidentally make contact.

His heart warmed at the closeness, this was probably the most safe he had felt in his life. In his own home, with an Angel cuddling with him. Could he really ask for anything more? He made a dumb smile, he tried half hassardly to cover it, not really trying.

Angel loved that smile more than anything on the planet. They kept the image of it in their mind and leaned their head against Aki's chest. The thrum of a human heartbeat was enough to lull Angel to sleep in minutes.

Angel awoke to a very slight jostling and a familiar voice. Their eyes peeled open and found out where they were again, very much in Aki's arms. They blushed and moved to sit up in their own space, they loved it, but it was quite a bashful thing to do.

After gently shaking the sleeping Angel awake, they quickly scurried out of his arms. Aki felt cold without the Angel in his arms, but he decided not to comment on it.
“It’s nearly seven now, we should get going if we don't want to miss it. We can buy some snacks there as well.”

Standing up, he stretched out his back slightly after staying in a single position for so long. After popping everything back together, he again pulled Angel up with him. It was becoming a habit, helping him stand, finding any excuse to hold his hand. Either way, he held onto it for a second before lightly letting it go. He had already pushed many boundaries today, he decided he would let Angel decide any advancements.

He told Angel he would be right back, going into the laundry room and swiftly taking out their coats from last night. He mentally thanked Denji for being considerate enough to do the laundry for once. Aki walked back and handed them the coat, then putting his own on.
“Denji and Power left already, so don’t worry about them. I’m sure they made it there safely. If anything, I’m more worried about the people around them..” Aki spoke, humming towards the end.

Opening the door and locking it behind them, he and Angel left the apartment with idle chatter. It was weird almost, how comfortable he found themself around them. Even if they said nothing, he would still be completely fine with Angel next to him. It wasn’t the case with most people, he felt awkward. But after a bit of time, he already felt safe and warm around them. He blushed a bit at the thought, but continued walking anyway.

Angel followed with Aki every step he took getting ready. They changed into some pants while Aki was getting the laundry and found themself doing the smallest of happy dances in the bedroom, completely hidden from any eyes. They stood in Aki's space and pulled on the jacket like it was nothing. As they stepped through the door to get going, Angel took hold of Aki's hand after double checking it was gloved. Angel considered getting their own.

Walking down the sidewalk they passed a leather shop and Angel stopped in his tracks.
"Hold on. Stay here." Angel instructed before going into the store without any more words. Five minutes later they stepped back out with their own pair of pure white gloves, the same style as Aki's. They smiled and held their hands out,
"Now we match." They spoke before gently taking the taller's hand once more.

Aki smiled softly at the action, taking their hands into his own to compare the gloves. In the process, he realized how tiny their hands were. He felt an urge to get on one knee and kiss their hand-- woah. A little too wild, he should step back a notch. Lightly bringing their hands back down, he pointed out a nearby ice cream stand.

“Why don’t we stop there?” Aki swished their hands together uncharacteristically. He’d never been this open with someone, it was a bit nerve racking. But he believed it was worth it, if it was with them. Walking up to the stand, hand in hand.
“What flavour would you like, Angel?”

Angel looked at the compared silhouettes of their hands, noticing that Aki's were quite large, they'd like to feel those hands hugging them, holding them. The thought made their ears warm and made their reaction to voice delayed.

They became a tad overjoyed by the proposal of ice cream, happily trotting up at Aki's side. They squeezed the hand on their own as they looked up at the flavours, they all looked good.
"Hmmmmm, I'll have strawberry vanilla swirl please." They then looked to Aki, "you want to get anything?" They wondered if Aki even liked ice cream, he'd got it for them many times on missions, but never for himself.

“Not much of a sweets guy, but I’ll get the same.” Taking hold of the cones and handing one to Angel, he checked his surroundings. Thankfully, a bench was a couple feet away. Checking his watch, it seemed they had enough time to stop and sit down for a bit. Once their hands were intertwined again, he walked towards the bench and sat down with them.

Staring dumbly at the cone, he asked himself why he bought it. He really didn’t like sweets that much. Still, he was serious about trying it. He hadn’t had one, well, since he was with his siblings years ago. Maybe that’s why he has hated sweets for so long, it reminded him too much of them. But taking the first bite, the only thing he could picture was Angel. His face warmed with happiness. The sweet flavour overwhelmed his senses, the Angel filling his thoughts.

Angel plopped down next to Aki and was quick to start working at the cone, their two favourite flavours mixing together exactly how they hoped they would. He looked to Aki seeing he was smiling like a giddy child, maybe he did like ice cream he just hadn't known it yet. As time went on in comfortable silence and ice cream was happily consumed, Angel once again was met with a new appreciation of humans. Though they did believe Aki was a very special case, the weight on their shoulders felt lighter.

As the last few bites of waffle cone were chewed and swallowed, Angel turned to Aki and pointed towards himself. "Have I got anything on my face?" He in fact had a few splotches of ice cream around the corners of his mouth.

"Ah, here, let me--" Aki uses his hand to swipe the crumbs off, his finger lightly going over their lips. He blushed a bit at the softness, he wondered what they would feel like against his skin. Realizing his hand was still lingering on their face, he quickly retracted it.

"Got it." Aki forced the words out, still bright red. He quickly finished what icecream he had left before lightly wiping his gloves off with a napkin. Aki wiped down Angel's too. Standing up with them, he took their hand again. This was feeling a bit too close to a date, not that he was complaining.
"Let's get going now then, the theatre is just down the street." Aki smiled.

At the contact against their face, Angel was stunned, eyebrows raising for a second, not daring to say a word. They broke eye contact with a huge blush on their face, humming at Aki’s statement. They were busied by a flurry of thoughts as Aki finished his ice cream, what exactly was this? Affection? Or just a caring action? Were they looking too much into it? They inwardly sighed, they were a tad hopeless.

Angel followed as Aki stood, letting their hands once again intertwine, slotting together like they were molded to fit.
“Alright.” They walked in comfortable silence, chilly winds blowing past them, the crunch of stray leaves under their feet. It didn’t feel all that real, but Angel just leaned into the feeling. As they passed the threshold into the theatre, Angel looked around at the lights and the wall lined with movie posters.

Aki fondly watched Angel as they wistfully looked at the flashy posters and lights, seeing how their face lit up at an interesting one. Walking into the doorway, a cliche movie theatre rug greeted them. Even if they ate beforehand, it couldn’t hurt to buy some popcorn. Leading Angel towards the counter, he looked around the theatre a bit. A ton of posters, and some likely fake movie props. Overall, a normal movie theatre. Once in front of the cashier, he quickly ordered a large for the two of them to share. He let Angel decide if they wanted any flavour, considering he personally didn’t have a preference.

Making idle chatter with Angel, they made their way towards the ticket stand. Once there, Aki mindlessly bought them both tickets. “I believe the movie we picked is over there” Aki supplied. Holding Angel’s hand, he brought them both into the theatre. It was a bit small, which was to be expected considering the outlier. It seems the lobby had more space than the seating area itself. Throwing his thoughts aside, he let Angel choose a seat. It was mainly empty, it seemed most people were more attracted to the more popular films playing. He hoped Angel would enjoy this, or at least not get bored. Aki had been told before that his movie taste was, unique.

Angel let Aki lead them through the theatre, the smell of popcorn lingering through the air. They held tight to his hand the whole time, staying close as they did earn a few odd looks for his wings and halo, they were lucky their features weren't obviously devilish, they could pull it off as a costume. They decided on popcorn with extra butter, they had a sweet tooth but they were never against occasionally indulging salty tastes.

Angel chose a seat right at the middle of the back, excitement pulled at the hairs on the back of their neck and they held tight onto Aki's hand. Even as the screen lit up just to start playing adrolls Angel's face lit up. They didn't know screens could even be that big. They were very thoroughly amazed and entertained by something this simple.

Aki gazed at the Angel, seemingly excited by every motion. He didn't think the theatre was that good, but he was glad that they were happy with it. Smiling softly at the excited Angel, he drifted his eyes towards the screen.

In all honesty, it kinda sucked. Even for Aki's standards. He inwardly thanked, and cursed himself for this decision. Aki titled his head back a bit, relaxing fully into the chair. He blushed a bit realizing their hands were still intertwined. Maybe this was some sort of sign? At this point, he was certain he felt at least something for Angel. Maybe they were sending signals? They never denied his touches, and tended to initiate them first. Like some cliche teenager, he leaned a bit closer to Angel. Not enough to make any sort of contact, but enough to make his presence known. His heart was practically beating out of his chest.

Angel didn't really understand the movie, though the experience was still riveting. After a while though, the novelty faded, they felt a bit of extra presence next to them and turned, met with a very close Aki. Their eyebrows raised but they did not move. They looked into his eyes in the dim light, searching for what he might be thinking. They dared lean a little closer, their face felt warm and was glad the low light could cover their face as it reddened. It was dangerous, so dangerous to be this close, and it made Angel anxious to no end, but they still found themself staring and gently running their tongue over their lips. They could feel something building, the air was becoming heavy and they were stuck in place.

Aki could feel Angel’s breath mingling with his, his heart was nearly leaping out of his chest. They leaned into him, was that a hint? Would it be alright to lean a bit closer? He hoped Angel wouldn’t be too mad if he just gave them a peck. That wouldn’t take much time, right? Those thoughts swarmed his head, as he let his eyes slip closed.

Aki immediately decided it was worth it. Their soft plush lips against his, he wanted badly to prolong it. Just a little longer, but he didn’t want to upset Angel. He pulled away after a couple seconds, beet red and mind swarming. His mouth felt dry, should he say something? He probably should. Maybe he should have asked first. But he sort of did by signaling it, but what if Angel just didn’t understand and went along with it? Aki would feel terrible if he took advantage of Angel’s lack of experience.

As their lips pressed together, Angel’s eyebrows raised and eyes blew wide, they were astonished by the contact but even more the fact that they felt no siphon, no dwindling numbers. As they disconnected, Angel lightly gasped, bringing a gloved hand to their lips. They seemed confused above all else, unsure how to assess what just happened. Their fingertips moved to press against Aki’s lips as their eyebrows knitted together in thought, it didn’t make any sense.

“You didn’t… feel any pain?” They asked, voice light, as they received a head shake their confusion deeped. They moved to pull their glove off, raising their hand.
“May I…?”

Aki nodded silently, he trusted that they knew what they were doing. They brought their hand onto Aki’s face, he expected the same softness as before. This time, a sharp pain erupted on his cheek. He groaned in pain and the previously there hand quickly pulled away with a sharp gasp.

“It hurt that time. Maybe it’s just your hands?” Aki questioned.

The sharp day that Angel felt themself extrude made them pull their hands back at lightning speed, clutching to their chest. They shook their head at Aki’s statement.
“That doesn’t make any sense though…” Devils with vague abilities like Angel were made to go through tests to determine their abilities, Angel knew most of them were completely capable of taking life. They hummed, looking over Aki’s face, closely and carefully.

Pale hands braced themselves on Aki’s shoulders,
“Just… one more test… okay? If you aren’t comfortable, tell me.” Their voice was hushed, a whisper almost lost to the speakers playing shitty dialogue.

Aki nodded wistfully, once Angel put their hands on his shoulder his heart started beating again. Letting them lead, he didn’t move an inch. Feeling the soft warmness over his mouth again, he almost melted into it. Until another sharp pain erupted, he made a muffled hiss and they whipped their head back.

“Sorry, just stung a bit.” Aki mumbled out. “I don’t know why it hurts now, it was fine before.” Aki looked down at his hands, slightly embarrassed from the entire situation.

Angel pulled back with a gasp as they felt the pull, it clicked in their mind, they understood even though it didn’t really make sense.
“I think it’s the intention… When you first kissed me I wasn’t doing much of the kissing, so I think it’s a matter of you touching me rather than me touching you…” They used their fingers to mime what they were trying to say to help explain the garble that was coming out of their mouth.

All weapons made by Angel were a part of them, a physical bond to them and when bonded to something like a devil or a spell, parts of it were reflected in Angel.

Aki thought carefully over Angel’s words, the cogs turning in his head. He nodded hesitantly before ungloving his hand. Once his glove was off, he reached his hand towards Angel’s face. Gently placing his hand there, he prepared himself for any shocks or pain. But surprisingly, there was none. Only the smooth softness of their face. He smiled and gently caressed their cheek in joy.

“Guess your right, then. Not sure how it works, but I’m not complaining.” Aki spoke with a dumb smile, thankfully covered by the darkness--
The lights abruptly turned on, he pulled his hand away in shock and looked towards the screen. End credits were already rolling, he hoped Angel hadn’t been invested. Because he wouldn’t be able to name a single thing that happened during it.

Angel closed their eyes as they felt the warm hand on their face, not leaning into the touch as much as they wanted to, it was too risky. A smile pulled on their lips as they revelled in the fond touch, words from the voice Angel came to love made their smile pull even more wide. They had just started to open their eyes when the theatre was now filling with light, they followed Aki’s glance to the rolling credits. They chuckled, they would have to come back another time to see an actual movie.

“I’m sure Power and Denji are waiting for us, we can continue this later.” Angel spoke, their tone unintentionally teasing. They slipped their gloves back on and raised from their seat, holding a hand out to Aki so they could make their way out together.

Aki flushed at the teasing tone, but nodded anyway. “They should be waiting outside.” Aki took the offered hand with a smile. Walking out of the movie area and past the lobby, the crisp fall air welcomed them both again. It was much later now, at least 9pm. Time had gone by too fast for Aki’s liking, he wanted to spend more time with Angel preferably. He had come to terms with the fact that he wanted to at this point.

He glanced around a bit before his eyes landed on the familiar pair. Denji and Power were sitting on a bench together, both looking bored out of their minds. Like some sort of sibling pair waiting for their parents to finish an errand. He laughed softly at the sight, calling them both over. Both shot up and quickly came to greet them, or well, yell at him.
“The hell took so long? We were out there for like, hours!” Power drawled. Denji furiously nodded his head with her.
“Didn’t your movie end 10 minutes ago?” Aki spoke with an eyebrow raised.
“Longest 10 minutes of my life!” Denji whined out.

Aki sighed at their antics, opting to start the walk home.

Angel enjoyed being in Aki's space, appreciating just being at his side even if he was talking to the other teenagers. For the first time in a long time, despite the dark sky and littered stars, Angel felt fully awake. Angel clearly held more energy in their stride and walked looking forwards rather than down, small details, inwardly noticed.

The walk was filled with banter and relaying of movies, Angel was mostly just observant of the conversation, glad to just listen. They found a rising excitement grow within their chest as they approached the apartment, they kept it in their chest, but the feeling was there. They only let go of Aki's hand to let him unlock the door, shifting from their toes to their heels in anticipation.

"Was the movie that good? You seem way too giddy, it's out of character for you." Power finally asked, looking over the Devil.

"I just had a lot of fun is all,"

Aki fumbled a bit with the keys, before he finally unlocked the door. Denji and Power rushed past him, immediately going for the fridge. Figures, those two were insatiable. Aki shook his head fondly at their antics.

He took Angel’s hand in his own again, realizing they had disconnected whilst he unlocked the door.
“It’s getting late, let's lay down.” Aki spoke, with a bit of teasing for revenge from earlier. Turning to go towards his bedroom, he abruptly stopped and looked behind him. Aki mouthed a couple words at Denji and Power before he continued his way there.

Once inside, a whole new wave of excitement, and anxiety filled him to the brim. On one hand, holy crap, he kissed Angel. But on the other hand, they couldn’t kiss back. He’s also pretty sure he lost a couple days, which is fine. He wondered how that logic would work in, other scenarios. He mentally slapped himself before that thought could get any deeper.

Angel inwardly chuckled as the rowdy teenagers knew exactly where they were headed. They playfully raised a brow as Aki returned their teasing tone, they joined Aki in the stride towards the room, not catching his comment towards the teens.

As they stepped in, a timidness filled them, thinking about it was easy, but as it came up on them, it made them bashful. It wouldn't be a conventional relationship, they knew that, but they could accept that. They tip toed toward the bed and turned to sit down, facing Aki. They were clearly a bit nervous, blush spanning across their face, and eyes glancing around.

What did humans do in this situation? They didn't understand much more than what they'd seen in media, and now, what they'd tried and knew they enjoyed, but that didn't expand much further than a quick kiss.

Aki nervously made his way next to Angel, sitting closely next to them. Arms brushing in a timid silence, he turned to look at them before asking bluntly,
"Do you want us to be something more?" He was certain they were interested, he just needed to hear confirmation.

Angel swallowed nervously at the question, they knew they did, but they had concerns. Was it worth it to shackle Aki to a relationship that might not be completely fulfilling? Was it fair?
“You know I do, I just…” They sighed, “I wonder how much of this is okay, could you really live the rest of your life with a devil? One that can’t even touch you?” They hugged themself lightly, feeling guilty for putting Aki in this situation.

Aki was shocked by the honest and vulnerable answer, his chest contracting. "You've always been enough. I could care less if I can't hold you without cloth, I'd be okay if we couldn't touch at all." Aki gently pulled them into his chest, similar to how he held them a couple nights ago. "I want to make this work, if you'll let me." He left a small kiss on the crown of their head.

They were almost taken aback by the answer, surprised by Aki’s lack of hesitance. They hugged him back, squeezing tight as this caring feeling made their heart feel warm. Angel looked up to him and weakly smiled, gloved hands moving to the sides of his face.
“Yeah, we can work something out.”

Aki hid his smile in their hand, holding them back tightly. He placed a chaste kiss on the corner of their mouth. "Awesome." Aki placed his head on their shoulder, hiding a giddy laugh.

Angel happily laughed at Aki’s reaction, hands moving to gently rest on the top of his head. They let their head lean back, looking up at the ceiling, they could get used to this. They pulled away enough to be able to look at Aki, they pursued their lips a bit, the asking expression making them blush as it felt a bit embarrassing.

Aki chuckled and placed a kiss on their lips without thinking twice. Cuddling more into the embrace, he kissed their collarbone lightly. "Sleep next to me?" Aki hid his face on their shoulder again. He felt like some highschool teen romantic, but he couldn't help it. He felt so giddy next to them.

Angel smiled in the kiss and leaned to accomodate more of Aki's head on their shoulder.
"Sure thing, silly goose." They maneuvered the both of them into a better sleeping position. They wrapped their arms around Aki's waist, cuddling up close and pressing their ear to Aki's chest. Listening to the thudding of a lovestruck heart was soothing.

Aki huffed at the nickname, wrapping his arms around them and gently brushing their hair with his fingers. As they slowly relaxed into him, Aki wrapped a blanket over them and turned off the lamp. Giving them one last kiss on their cheek, “Goodnight, Angel” He whispered out.