Chapter Text
“Boss?”
Kanekuro tilts his head ever so slightly, eyebrows pinched into a frown and lips pressed into a thin line as he glances at the henchman who has uttered his name in a quivering voice. The lustre of golden eyes which shimmers with a life of their own seems to grow in intensity as a muffled whimper leaves the lips of the henchman, mind suddenly turning blank.
A soft exhale leaves the lips of the mafia boss and owner of the nightclub Lion’s Caprice, known for its ridiculously long waiting list and the grandiose interior that could rival even the palace of the royalties. Kanekuro’s golden eyes narrow into slits, resembling a black panther growing restless. “You better have a very good reason for interrupting our game or I’ll chuck your head into the gutter. All in.”
To his side, Eki shakes his head, letting out a loud sigh out of exasperation though the cunning glint in his eyes says otherwise about his sentiment. Eki crosses his legs and offers the shaking henchman a charming yet poisonous smile. “Oh, Kanekuro, you’re the sole reason why you’re always complaining about the lack of men within your mafia. Treat your men a little better, will you? Fold.”
“Your acting skills get better and better every day, Eki.” Hikarino chuckles airily, cocking his head slightly. His hair that reaches down to his waist curls around him like a protective veil, golden hairpin sparkling underneath the chandelier’s lights. “This faux concern of yours will get you nowhere. I fold as well.”
The henchman swallows again as a bead of sweat trickles down his cheek, heart threatening to burst out of his chest. Having only started a few days ago here at Lion’s Caprice, he would have never expected to see himself standing in the lion’s den, tasked to deliver a simple message that seems to be permanently lodged in his throat. The way Kanekuro’s close associates are sizing him up does nothing to help his anxiety. “T-There’s a guest looking for you-”
“Fuck.” There’s a lengthy exhale from the last man sitting opposite of Kanekuro, legs drawn close to his chest and head dangling over the side of the chair. He lifts his head so slowly as if his neck has a fracture or two and the henchman stiffens visibly as he sees the smudge of blood near the man's lips that glistens.
Fresh blood, from god knows where.
“Fight me, Kanekuro.” The man mumbles quietly under his breath though the mania in his voice seeps through as he tosses his cards carelessly onto the table.
Four of a kind. An amazing hand.
Kanekuro smiles before he tosses his own cards onto the table. The tension amplifies tenfold as Eki’s gaze skims over the cards before he sucks in a deep breath. “Good game, Rias.” Kanekuro utters with a proud, almost cocky smile as he stands up from his seat, tucking his hands into his pockets.
“You cheated.” Rias groans loudly as he raises a hand to his face, scrubbing at his skin and smudging the blood everywhere as he eyes Kanekuro’s royal flush with great distaste.
“Sure I did.” Kanekuro snickers, wagging a finger as he is walking past the henchman at once with proud strides. “This is just a friendly game with my friends, is it not? On another note, you owe me one for dirtying the cards with the blood, Rias.”
Hikarino makes a sound of disgust, pretending to gag, though his expression returns back to one of boredom afterwards as he stands up, following in Kanekuro’s wake with soundless footsteps. Eki snorts as he throws a napkin embroidered with lilies and daisies at Rias’s face before standing up from his seat. “You also owe me one now, Rias.”
“I never asked for your fucking help.” Rias mumbles, but wipes his face with Eki’s napkin regardless before trailing after the other three as a huge yawn leaves his lips.
Right by the door of the lion’s den, Kanekuro stops in his tracks. He swivels around and beckons to the henchman with a single finger as if he is calling out to a dog.
“Ah, y-yes!” The henchman stutters as he runs to Kanekuro’s side, just stopping before the door as three pairs of predatory eyes drill holes into the back of his head.
“Who was it that sent you?” Kanekuro whispers in a low voice, staring down at the henchman with the flattest look possible. “He must be very important seeing how you were forced to step into my den.”
“Ah- He never gave his name sir.” The henchman squeaks, squirming uncomfortably in Kanekuro’s scrutinising glare. “All I know is that he has a pair of white wings growing out of his back and he ordered an angel’s whiskey. The other customers dare not go close to him.”
“A pair of white wings.” Eki echoes incredulously. “Did I hear that right?”
“Sounds like an angel to me.” Hikarino hums, providing no further explanation as Rias plants his face into Hikarino’s back, seemingly dozing off from raw exhaustion as the heavy eye bags serve as a testament to his constant fatigue.
Kanekuro straightens his back, raising an eyebrow out of amusement and disbelief. “I’m not going to believe it until I see it for myself." A low growl bubbles in Kanekuro’s throat as he kicks the door open with his dress shoes. “If you’re messing with me, you can say goodbye to your family.”
The henchman wasn’t lying.
Sitting right in the middle of the VIP lounge with a look of pure bliss on his face is an angel, his white wings unfurling to their fullest. The angel takes up the entirety of a single circular booth alone, meant for VIP parties of around 10 people, and it is too blatantly obvious on how the customers of Lion’s Caprice are staying a distance away, casting the angel wary gazes.
Kanekuro chokes on his saliva as Hikarino pats him tenderly on the back while holding up Rias who has fallen asleep.
Almost as if he has been predicting their entire movements, the angel turns his head that has been bobbing back and forth as he enjoys a soundless tune. His eyes light up before he is waving them over eagerly like old friends, swirling the glass of angel’s whiskey in his hand.
“I can’t believe this.” Eki breaks the silence, tempted to take off his glasses and rub his eyes until his vision turns blurry. “A fucking angel in the club?”
“Something tells me he isn’t here for a glass or two.” Hikarino grunts as he hoists Rias up, placing the serial killer on his back with much difficulty.
“Yea, no shit.” Kanekuro growls before he is striding over at once and sliding into the seats of the VIP booth. Eki and Hikarino exchange glances before they follow suit. Hikarino lays Rias down on the seats and places the serial killer’s head on his lap, touching his forehead gently.
For a few seconds of tense silence, the muffled music of the club permeating through, Kanekuro and the angel stare each other down before the angel finally chuckles and props his head up on one hand. “So, you’ve finally come to meet me.”
“Formalities, angel, formalities.” Eki reminds as he taps his tip of his blade lightly on the table with a light smile, the harsh scraping of the metal ringing loudly in the angel’s ears. “Why don’t we get to know each other first, hm?”
“Oh, you’re so charming.” The angel giggles like a schoolgirl as he leans back into his seat, wings moving with him that brushes past the top of Hikarino’s head ever so slightly, feathery to the touch. Within seconds, Hikarino has plucked a white feather from the angel’s wings and studies it with great curiosity, turning the feather over. “Well, as you can see, I am an angel.”
“I have eyes.” Kanekuro mutters as he fishes out a cigarette from a white packet, lighting it up with his lighter.
The angel’s eyes curve into crescents, largely amused by Kanekuro’s crude response. “I’ve come seeking your aid, my friends. What you see may not be what it appears.”
“We have no incentive to help a stranger, unfortunately.” Kanekuro sighs, exhaling a cloud of smoke as nicotine starts to buzz in the back of his brain. “Unless you can offer us something that none of us would refuse, you will be seeing yourself out shortly.”
“Oh, I very much can.” The angel laughs, a twinkling laugh that echoes in Eki’s ears. “I know your fears, everyone. The fear of not being able to last. And I know the secret to self-preservation. At the end of the day, we are not the main characters in this story, yet.”
“Very interesting.” Hikarino nods, fingers absent-mindedly weaving themselves through Rias’s dirty grey hair. With a soft groan, the serial killer flops over and buries his face into Hikarino’s tummy, arms looping around the sorcerer’s slender waist. “You’ve certainly struck a chord of mine with those words, pretty angel.”
Kanekuro tosses Hikarino a judgemental side glance. “You’re already sold?”
“I can sense a great fight just around the corner.” Hikarino offers Kanekuro a dazzling smile, though his fingers twitch restlessly at the thought of shedding blood. “It’s been far too long, Kuro. My sorcery will burn down your club at this rate.”
“Not again.” Kanekuro grumbles, scrunching up his face at that one time Hikarino practically blew up the entire club because he had no one to kill and nowhere to channel his accumulating sorcery. It was such a pain to rebuild the entire club, putting a small dent in Kanekuro’s finances, and Eki even had the nerve to suggest that they give the club a complete makeover.
“I’m so glad to hear that.” The angel giggles again, clasping his hands together. “What about the rest of you? Would you be willing to help a dear angel in crisis?”
Eki snorts, shaking his head. “You wouldn’t want to know what we do.” He mutters calmly as Kanekuro takes a long drag of his cigarette, feeling the smoke curl in his lungs and yearning for a good glass of whiskey to go.
Something sinister falls past the angel’s eyes, but it disappears as quickly as it appeared. The angel is smiling at them again, a smile too bright for Eki’s taste though it seems more of a threat than a friendly smile. “You wouldn’t want to know what I am.” The angel retorts just as calmly, hands placed over each other daintily. He reeks of purity, stinks of it even, and Eki fucking hates it.
Silence, before there is an awfully loud crack of Rias’s bones. With a guttural groan, Rias pulls himself up and plants the upper half of his body onto the table, blinking tiredly at the angel. “I like him.” Rias mumbles, before he yawns again and falls back onto Hikarino’s lap, squirming about to find a much more comfortable position.
“Well, will you look at that?” Hikarino smirks, fingers weaving through Rias’s hair again as the serial killer nuzzles up to the touch with a content sigh. “Rias has never approved of anyone until now. Can you still reject him, Eki Eviland?”
Eki pursues his lips into a thin line, gazing at Kanekuro in his peripheral vision. The mafia boss doesn’t seem to have an opinion on the matter as he smokes his cigarette idly, silently allowing Eki to make the final decision because Eki is the true mastermind behind everything, and the one pulling on the strings within the shadows.
“Fine. But I’m agreeing to this only because Hikarino needs to expunge his sorcery and I can sense Rias going batshit insane if he doesn’t kill anyone soon.” Eki huffs, leaning towards the angel and caressing his blade. “What do you want, little angel?”
“It’s very simple.” The angel raises his head and Eki feels the burning urge to hack that haughty smile off his lips. “See, I’m currently being imprisoned by a bunch of cultists. I just need you to set me free.”
“Cultists.” Eki echoes again before he starts to laugh like a maniac, clutching his sides as the angel watches on plainly because it’s just so fucking unbelievable. “What, are you going to ask us to fight a god next?”
“That won’t happen.” The angel shakes his head before extending his arms as if inviting all of them to an embrace, and Eki tenses up upon sensing the overwhelming power flowing out of the angel. “Because I am a god.”