Work Text:
Laughing happily, Meg flopped down onto one of the logs that had been dragged by the fire for seating. One of the villagers immediately pressed a cup of cider and a bowl of treats into her hand. Meg nodded gratefully at her, rested the bowl in her lap, and began to eat.
“You’re in a good mood,” Benny observed as he sat next to her, holding his own bowl of treats. Meg, seeing that he still had an éclair in his bowl, reached out and snatched it. He sighed heavily. “Thanks for that.”
“You’re not going to eat it anyway,” she said. While Benny’s race could eat small amounts of grains and sweets, their primary diet was blood and meat, so his palate was fairly limited. “And I am happy. We did a good thing today.”
Benny laughed. “Never thought I’d see you doing good for the sake of doing good, Captain.”
“And we got paid,” Meg continued, reaching into her own bowl for a cookie.
“Ah, there’s the captain we all know and love,” Benny said. He nudged her shoulder and pointed to where Castiel was dancing with a pretty blonde angel. “Still, it was a nice thing you did for him.”
Meg swallowed her cookie. “Well, wouldn’t want to lose our pilot, would we?”
“You did it because you love him,” Benny teased. “Face it, Meg, under that stone-cold demon exterior, you’re a creampuff. Just like these angels.”
Meg rolled her eyes. It was true that this job was far below her crew’s usual pay grade. Normally they smuggled goods, or people, from planet to planet, and occasionally took on a small kidnapping job or two. But when Castiel had come to her, blue eyes wide and full of tears, feathers falling out from distress, and told her that his home village was being taken over by a gang of angels, she’d offered her help. Castiel was the best damn pilot she’d ever had on her ship, and she’d grown fond of him over the past two years.
So, they’d flown to his home planet, Araboth, put down the gang of outlaws that had been menacing his home village, and collected the bounty that had been placed on their heads. After watching their punishment (feathers plucked out one by one, followed by a hanging), Castiel’s sister and the village leader, Anna, had insisted on throwing them a party to thank them.
Still, being called soft annoyed her. She reached over and gave Benny a small shove, growling at him. He growled back. He also had the more impressive set of teeth, long and sharp and shiny. Demons were stronger than vampires, but she’d heard tales of vampires killing demons with those teeth.
She felt her eyes turn black and smiled sweetly. “Are you gonna finish your treats?”
Benny rolled his eyes and handed his bowl over. Unlike vampires, demons ate absolutely everything, and they ate a lot of it. Her kind overindulged in practically everything, from food to sex, and Meg loved it.
She fished a chunk of some sort of sweetbread out of Benny’s bowl and tore it in half. “Have you seen Charlie?”
“She wandered away a while ago with one of those little brown haired angels,” Benny said. “We might have to hunt her down tomorrow.”
“We could leave her here,” Meg suggested. She wasn’t overly fond of the ship’s mechanic. Charlie was a whiz with machines, and could fix absolutely anything, but she was also overly cheerful, loud, and was a horrible cook. The entire crew dreaded when it was her turn in the kitchen. “She could settle down with her little angel girl and fix things for people here.”
Benny sighed. “We wouldn’t even get halfway to the next planet without her, and you know it.”
“The ship is not that bad.”
“The ship is a flying metal deathtrap,” Benny retorted. “I love the old girl, but she’s about ready to die. At least Charlie keeps her running.”
Meg had to admit that Benny was right. She loved her ship, she really did, but the Hellhound had seen better days. And those better days had been around fifty years ago. Thankfully, the crew needed to run it was minimal. Castiel was the current main pilot, although Benny was a passable flyer. Charlie kept the engines running and did general repairs. Ruby, the only other demon on the ship, was a longtime resident who did absolutely nothing but take up space, although she paid her way, so Meg couldn’t complain. The woman had wanted to see the universe, had had hopped onto the first ship that let her on. Mostly, Meg and Benny were responsible for making deals and actually moving their cargo, with Ruby occasionally tagging along, looking for some fun.
“Well, you’ll have to hunt her up tomorrow,” Meg said. She finished the treats in her bowl and set it aside. The cider in her cup was sweet, with just a bit of a kick from the alcohol, and she gulped it down. Like all demons, it took a lot to get her drunk, so she wasn’t particularly concerned with the alcohol content.
“I’ll try,” Benny told her. Just then, one of the angels took up a flute and began to play, her dark wings fully extended. Another angel settled a drum between his thighs, and a third took up a lute.
“Oh, no,” Meg groaned. “Dancing.”
“Well, it’s not like they’re making you dance,” Benny said. The sentence had barely left his mouth when a pretty, black-haired angel bounced up and grabbed Benny’s hands. Her bright blue eyes shone when she looked at him, and her face was flushed from drink.
“Dance with me?” she asked him. Benny looked at Meg, his light blue eyes wide and terrified. Meg laughed and gave him a push.
“Go on, go on. Celebrate,” she told him. She’d known Benny for many, many years, the two having served together before she’d gotten her own ship, and she knew that he was a horrible dancer. He’d probably crush the poor girl’s toes.
Meg sat back and clapped with the other people that were sitting out the dancing. It wasn’t really her thing. But the longer she sat, the more the other angels plied her with food and drink, until she was pleasantly tipsy enough to stand a dance a little in place.
A few of the other angels whistled, and the song changed, the drum fading away. It was replaced by more flutes, and couples began to line up as a large board was dragged out and put over the fire.
Meg swayed in place and watched as, one by one, the male angels scooped up their partners and glided over the board. When the pair touched down, they touched noses, laughed, and each took a sip of wine before they danced away.
She felt someone tap her shoulder, and turned to see Castiel’s older sister, Anna, standing next to another angel, who shyly held out his hand toward Meg and nodded toward the fire. Laughing, Meg decided she was just tipsy enough to dance and joined the line with him, letting him lead her through the steps as they approached the board. The angel was still young, with a face just starting to lose its roundness, and his wings were a little smaller than the others, although they were a brilliant red like his sister’s. Still, he was big enough to pick her up and gently fly her over the board.
Meg touched noses with him and drank the wine she was offered. It was sweet, and tasted heavily like berries.
The angel led her away from the fire and pulled her into another dance. As they whirled around, Meg saw the female angel lead Benny to the board, and began laughing so hard that she stumbled when she watched him try to swing her over it. It took three attempts, but finally Benny managed to land the two of them on the other side, with the female losing only a few feathers in the process. But she was laughing and happy, and so was Benny, so Meg supposed that everything was going well.
She danced with her angel for the rest of the night, and once or twice she even dared to touch his wings and was surprised to find how soft they were. Castiel never, ever let her touch his wings, saying that grooming was something almost sexual on his planet. Meg hadn’t argued, but she’d always been curious as to what they felt like.
When she couldn’t dance anymore, her angel followed her back over to the log where she sat and ate and drank with him at her side. The party lasted well into the night, and at the end of it he leaned over and kissed her hand.
“Samandriel,” he introduced himself. “Some people call me Alfie, if it’s easier for them.”
Meg stuck her hand out. “Meg.”
They shook for a moment, and then Benny stumbled up to them, his own angel hanging off his arm. Unlike Samandriel, it looked like she wasn’t about to let go of her partner that easily.
“Meg, I’ll meet you at the ship in the morning,” Benny said. “This little lady and I here are gonna get to know each other a bit better.”
Meg rolled her eyes. “I’m too drunk to even respond to that properly.”
.
Meg thanked the gods the next morning that she was a demon and had a superior metabolism. If she’d been human, she knew that she would’ve woken up with a pounding headache and spent some time with her head in the toilet. But she woke up feeling perfectly fine, and apparently so did Ruby, because the other dark-haired girl was cheerfully whistling when Meg stumbled into the kitchen in the morning.
“Have fun last night?” Ruby asked her. Meg nodded and pulled her dark-brown hair back into a ponytail.
“Benny had a little too much, and so did Charlie. I actually lost track of Castiel, but I think he did, too,” Meg said. “As soon as they can stumble out of whatever beds they fell into last night, we’ll get going.”
“Nothing for you last night?”
Meg shook her head. “Nah. I did dance with this one angel, but he looked like I’d break him.”
Ruby laughed, and Meg headed outside to see if she could round up the other members of her crew. Luckily, Castiel was right outside. Unluckily, he seemed to be having a shouting match with his sister in their native tongue. Meg couldn’t understand a word they were saying, but both of their wings were flared out angrily, the feathers ruffled, and Castiel’s face was red.
“What’s going on, Feathers?” Meg asked. “It’s too early for you two to be shouting.”
Castiel glared at Anna. His sister hissed at him.
“I told Anna not to encourage this foolishness,” Castiel said. “But, as usual, she wouldn’t listen.”
“I wanted to give them a proper reward,” Anna said. “I think she and her friend will be pleased.”
“With what?” Meg asked dumbly. She hoped that Anna meant some of the wine she’d had last night, because it was delicious, but she’d settle for a couple of crates of food or some extra cash.
“With your new husband,” Castiel spat. “And Benny with his new wife.”
Meg blinked rapidly. She took one deep breath, and then another, and forced herself to stay calm and keep her voice even. “Explain.”
“While my sister had me distracted with wine and food last night, she apparently put together a couple of weddings,” Castiel said, his teeth clenched together tightly.
“I don’t remember saying I do to anyone last night,” Meg said. “Just doing that thing with the board.”
“That’s our wedding ceremony,” Anna explained. “I thought you knew. Castiel’s been with you a long time, so I assumed he’d explained some of our customs to you.”
Meg felt her brain short-circuit for a moment. She stared at Anna, swallowed hard, and took another deep breath. “No.”
“It’s a reward,” Anna insisted. “Samandriel and Hael are good cooks, and skilled in sewing and cleaning as well. Hael can even fight.”
“A person isn’t a reward,” Meg said slowly. “No.”
Anna folded her arms over her chest and huffed. “Well, I sent in the official papers to the Galactic Registry late last night. Everything’s legal. If you want to get it annulled, you’ll have to do it at the Galactic Hub.”
“Then I will,” Meg replied icily. “Cas, get on the ship. I’ll find Charlie and Benny. Then we’re leaving.”
Castiel shifted from foot to foot. “We have to take Hael and Samandriel with us. Both parties have to be present to sign the papers.”
Meg groaned in frustration and felt her eyes go black. “Then find them.”
For the first time since she’d met him, Castiel scurried off without argument. Meg glared at Anna, but the other angel had a soft expression on her face.
“We meant to honor you,” she said. “Samandriel and Hael were both consenting. Actually, Hael shouldered through several women to get to your vampire, and Samandriel was one of many volunteers.”
“We still got tricked into getting married,” Meg growled. “That’s ridiculous.”
Luckily, Charlie appeared before Anna could speak again. She was holding the hand of a brown haired angel that had fluffy white wings, and the two of them were chattering excitedly. Meg was just glad that they wouldn’t have a third marriage to annul. She hated going to the Galactic Hub, and wanted to be in and out of there as fast as possible.
“I’ll persuade them to come back, Hannah,” Charlie promised when she reached Meg. “And you know how to reach me on my holophone. If I can, I’ll answer when you call.”
The angel, who was apparently called Hannah, gave Charlie a sweet smile and a quick kiss. “I hope to see you soon.”
Meg gave Charlie the rundown once Hannah had wandered away. Thankfully, her mechanic had the good sense not to laugh, but instead kept her lips pressed firmly together until her face nearly turned the same shade of red as her hair. She sent Charlie inside to make sure that the other two cabins were clean enough for visitors, and tapped her foot on the grass.
Benny appeared first with his little angel woman slung over his shoulder, the two of them playfully laughing. Samandriel and Castiel trailed behind, Castiel with a look of disgust on his face. Samandriel was merely staring straight ahead, but his eyes brightened when he saw her. Castiel shouldered his way past all of them and walked into the ship without even looking at his sister.
“What’s with all the blue eyes here?” Meg wandered out loud. Castiel, Samandriel, and Hael all had them.
“Samandriel and Hael are our cousins,” Anna explained. “They’re twins, actually.”
“So, you just wanted to keep it all in the family?” Meg asked. Anna rolled her eyes.
“The little lady and I are ready to set sail, Captain,” Benny said when he reached them. Hael squealed happily as Benny put her down, her black wings flaring out for balance. She nodded at Meg, gave Anna a quick hug, and raced into the ship, scooping up her small bag as she went.
Meg shook her head. “You’re way too calm about this.”
Benny shrugged. “It happened. No use fighting it. And she’s a sweet girl. Maybe I’ll keep her.”
“She’s not a puppy. You can’t just keep her,” Meg said.
Benny simply smiled and strolled onto the ship, leaving Meg alone with Anna and Samandriel. The other angel looked down at his feet, his bag dragging in the dirt. Meg rolled her eyes and turned to Anna.
“We’ll be back to drop them off,” she promised. “Alfie, come on. We’ll set a room up for you.”
Anna smiled. “If nothing else, thank you for helping us. Be good, Samandriel.”
“I will,” Samandriel promised as he followed Meg into the ship. It was oddly quiet, as if everyone was ignoring each other. Meg turned around, and for the first time she got a good look at her new husband.
Bright blue eyes. Short, brown hair. A rounded face. Bright red wings. He was a little taller than her, although not by much, and skinnier than she was, too. His shirt was odd, red with white stripes, and his pants were decoratively patched in places. But his clothes were clearly well cared for, unlike hers. The purple shirt she’d thrown on that morning was fraying in places, and there were large holes in her jeans. Only her leather jacket was in good condition. But Meg had never cared what she dressed like when they were up in the black. There was no one around to judge her, after all. Her ship was her castle, and she was the queen.
“Come on. We’ll find you a room,” Meg said. She turned and began to walk without looking to see if he was following her. “You and your sister can go pretty much anywhere on the ship, except the crew’s private cabins and the engine room. We’re not carrying any cargo right now, so no one has to worry about that. Just try not to get lost or hit your head on anything, or electrocute yourself.”
“Am I not staying with you?” Samandriel asked.
“Nope.”
“But we’re married.”
“Don’t care,” Meg said. “I’m sure you’re a nice kid, but this wasn’t my idea. I don’t do marriage.”
“I could still be of service to you,” Samandriel told her. “As Anna said, I can sew and clean, and I can cook.”
Meg stopped and turned to look at him again. “Are you a good cook?”
Samandriel nodded. “Oh, yes.”
Meg narrowed her eyes at him. Out of the entire crew, Benny was the only half-decent cook on the ship. By vampire standards, he was excellent. But to Charlie, who was one hundred percent human, his food was barely edible. Even Meg sometimes had trouble choking down some of the things he made, and demons were known to eat anything that came their way, right down to the bones of the meal.
“Then that’s what you’ll do while you’re with us,” Meg declared.
“Even if you divorce me, I could still stay on and do that,” Samandriel said.
“I’ve always wanted to see the universe.”
“We’ll see,” Meg said. She took him through the kitchen to get to the opposite side of the ship where the unoccupied cabins were and stumbled upon Benny and Hael. Clearly, the two of them were in some sort of honeymoon phase. Hael was sitting on Benny’s lap, feeding him some sort of berry and giggling. Ruby, who was sipping her coffee, looked up at Meg and pretended to gag.
Personally, Meg agreed with the other demon. Even Samandriel looked a little weirded out by the display.
The door to the unoccupied cabin was, of course, stuck. Meg shoved at it, but even with her superior strength it wouldn’t open. She cursed, kicked it, and cursed again when pain shot through her foot. Samandriel laughed lightly behind her.
“Help me,” she ordered. Samandriel obligingly dropped his bag and pushed on the door with her. It gave a rusty squeak, prompting Meg to push harder.
The door flew open, and she and Samandriel fell forward with it. They landed in a heap on the floor, the angel on top of her. His wings instinctively fluttered as he tried to keep his balance, eventually managing to push himself up on his elbows.
Meg twisted around onto her back, wincing as pain radiated from her shoulder and ankle. “Fuck.”
“Are you alright?” Samandriel asked. Meg gritted her teeth and shook her head.
“I bumped my shoulder and did something to my ankle, and we don’t have a medic right now.”
“What happened to your last medic?”
Meg opened her mouth to answer, but quickly shut it again. Their last medic, a charming human woman named Amelia, had unfortunately perished during a run in with the carnivorous sandworms of Bellpepper Moon. Which, despite its cheery name, was not a pleasant place.
“That’s not important,” Meg said. “We just don’t have one.”
The angel raised his eyebrows. “I do have some medical training. Let me take a look at it.”
Meg nodded. Samandriel helped her up and easily scooped her into his arms. The walk to the med bay was thankfully short, so no one saw them, and he moved around as if he knew what he was doing. When all was said and done, her shoulder was fine, if a little bruised, but he told her that her ankle had a minor sprain, wrapped it up, and fished out a pair of crutches.
“If you can cook as good as you say, you can stay,” Meg blurted. “At least until we find a proper medic.”
“I’m glad,” Samandriel said. He pulled a chair up in front of her and sat. He lowered his eyes slightly and gently took her hands. “Can I ask you something?”
Meg raised her eyebrows. “Sure.”
“May I kiss you? Since we are married, and I…I’ve never…”
Meg stifled a laugh, but let it out when his cheeks flushed. “Seriously? Never? How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-three,” he said. “But I…”
Meg shrugged and closed her eyes. “Sure, why not?”
His lips were entirely too wet, and slightly chapped. Overall, it was an uncomfortable kiss, and thankfully over quickly. When he pulled away, Meg opened her eyes and saw Samandriel frowning at her.
“That’s what everyone talks about?” he asked.
“Well, it takes practice,” Meg said. She was a demon, and her race was known to do everything to excess. Sleep, eat, drink, fuck, all of it was done with pure indulgence in mind.
So, she grabbed him and kissed him again. She moved her lips against his and gently coaxed his mouth open with his tongue, reminding herself that she had to be gentle so she wouldn’t scare him. When she finally pulled away from him, Samandriel was starry eyed, breathing hard with his face flushed.
“Oh,” he said.
Meg nodded. “Yup. Practice makes perfect. Now c’mon and help me to the kitchen so we can figure out how long this trip is going to take.”
“Or we could practice some more,” Samandriel suggested. His face got redder as he spoke, and Meg had to admit that his nervousness was kind of cute.
Meg bared her teeth at him. “Well, I can’t send you to your next wife without you having learned a thing or two.”
Even though she knew it was a probably a bad idea, Meg was absolutely going to do her best to practically break him in half, and she was going to enjoy doing it.