Chapter Text
“Just stay away from my domain!” Tsukasa demanded, wings unfurling and bristling at Rui, whose devilish tail flicked with amusement. “Your domain? What, does Heaven have some kind of stake in this area?” He shot back, an eyebrow raising as a cocky smile took over his features. “Last I checked, I was free to do whatever I wanted. Unlike some creatures I know… What is your mission here, anyway? To stop any devils from coming around and tempting a few humans?”
“None of your business.” The angel frowned, his wings still at their full size, the span at least double the width of his body on each side. “Don’t make me ask you again.” His whole body had this… Strange glow to it, definitely unnatural, very supernatural if you would. Thankfully, no one was around for now, so the two of them were able to display their features comfortably. Rui just waved dismissively, tail curling idly around his leg, the spade-like tip prodding at his calf thoughtlessly.
“How about we work something out, hm? Just tell me your goal down here, and I’ll try to stay out of your way. It’s hardly worth your divine effort to smite me, after all.” The devil replied, voice smooth and even. The angel hesitated, actually… Considering the offer. It had been weeks of encountering Rui and knowing something was off, but not having the proof– Until today. He’d noticed that the devil’s horns were visible when he was particularly excited about being offered a cigarette by a human, and that was when it occurred to him. Rui was a devil, here to tempt humans to a life of sin in exchange for power.
While it wasn’t really in Tsukasa’s best interest to be hearing out a devil, he also couldn’t exactly admit that the power to smite wasn’t one he had these days. He’d been living domestically on Earth for so long, most of his power was innate, rather than drawn from his exposure to holy things like most angels who still resided up above. And Rui had been getting severely on his nerves, his quest to tempt becoming a lot more obvious now that Tsukasa had the knowledge he did. He was wondering why so many of his friends had begun picking up worse habits… It was hard to keep undoing that, but he certainly didn’t stop trying.
“It’s truly none of your business what I aim to do. All that matters is that you have to stop ruining my life here. Leave the people around me alone.” The blond replied after a while, and Rui’s eyes lit up. Success. The angel was actually receptive to his negotiation, which meant he could buy himself some time. “Sure, sure.” He agreed smoothly, tail uncurling and flicking thoughtfully as he stepped closer. He studied his ‘enemy’ carefully, watching as Tsukasa’s wings folded back slightly, seemingly relaxing a little.
“How about this; allow me to continue living around here, and I won’t give you any more trouble… Maybe I’ll even help you make friends, as that seems to be your own personal goal from what I’ve observed. But in exchange, I need the freedom to tempt a few people here and there, or I won’t even be able to keep up my disguise.” Rui offered, hands up in surrender. “Devil’s honor. I could swear on, ah…” He seemed to consider it for a few moments. “Your wings.”
“Hey, why not swear on something of your own?!” Tsukasa seemed bewildered, wings immediately reaching forward to protectively wrap around his body. “Because, you’d have to trust me a lot more if it had some kind of stake for you.” Rui replied, grinning. “Besides, if I break my promise, it means I’ve either got to take your wings or die trying. Exciting deal, no?”
Tsukasa pinched his nose. He didn’t like this at all. But there was nothing else he could do, so…
“To keep the peace… I will… Agree with you.” The angel relented, pushing his wings back into their resting position on his back, and stepping forward to shake Rui’s hand. The two shook on it, and… That was that.
From then on, throughout several centuries, the angel and devil lived together with increasing peace to their relationship. While Tsukasa still found himself irritated by Rui’s bad habits at times, they’d found a groove of sorts. Rui had even moved in with Tsukasa after one of the great wars decimated the economy, and they couldn’t afford to keep living in real homes and acting so lavishly. The two cycled through cities, through identities, slightly changing their appearances to avoid any suspicion from humans. Now, in the modern age, they had become something like old friends. Though a few hundred years wasn’t immaterial to species such as them, it was a fraction of the overall lives they’d lived– But a fraction they’d spent enjoying together, which meant they continued to live in a shared home despite having recovered financially from the economic crash that prompted their rooming together.
And while Rui enjoyed getting on Tsukasa’s nerves, but he also knew when to quit. The two had found a strange comfort in each other, growing to consider one another their closest confidants, the only immortals they knew of who could actually provide any kind of solace from the way humanity lived. They had learned to cover for the other’s supernatural flare-ups, such as when Tsukasa had become particularly agitated and started to faintly glow (“I saw him doing his skincare for three hours this morning, that must be it”) or when Rui’s tail emerged out of delight for successfully snagging the latest gaming console (“He’s got a weird belt accessory, haven’t you noticed it before? Sometimes it comes loose, that’s all”).
So, now… Now they had a rhythm. Now, they worked together, and rarely clashed. If they did, it was over such normal things that no one would even suspect anything was amiss between them, nothing to betray the fact that they were biological enemies, and Tsukasa had a moral obligation to kill Rui centuries ago.
“Rui!” Tsukasa called, adjusting his black and white sweater vest slightly, his freckles catching the light in a way that wasn’t quite natural for humans. Masking supernatural features took energy on both their parts, so they’d found ways to make it less strenuous over time. Tsukasa would channel the magic from his wings and general aura into the freckles that dotted his face, and they manifested in shapes resembling real stars, not that any human would recognize them as such. If asked, he would say it was makeup.
Rui, on the other hand, often simply allowed his horns to be exposed and would tell people that he had them surgically implanted. No one questioned that, either. Body modifications had become normal, and Rui was thankful for that.
“Yes, Tencchi?” The devil chirped back, looking up from his seat and meeting the gaze of the angel who was pushing himself up against the back of the chair. The nickname had become a staple between them, a subtle way of almost dehumanizing Tsukasa, referring to him by his species in a way most people wouldn’t notice. His chosen surname was Tenma, after all, so it just sounded like a nice way of referring to a friend… And if anyone asked why it sounded so similar to ‘tenshi’, Rui would just shrug.
Tsukasa stared down at the devil, unblinking as if the intensity would cause the devil to act a little more respectful (he knew it wouldn’t). Then he just waved dismissively, poking Rui’s forehead pointedly. “You have work today, don’t you? It’s been centuries of this, but you still try to skip out on your human obligations!” The angel scolded, wings ruffling with irritation. Rui laughed. His tail flicked slowly against the book in his hands, and he stood up, stretching thoughtfully. “Yes, yes, so observant of you, Tencchi… Do you have my schedule memorized so you can follow me around and stop me from corrupting too many humans? I’ll have to find another city to visit for my needs, if that’s the case…”
Scoffing, Tsukasa just rolled his shoulders, camouflaging his wings as a small wing pattern on the back of his vest. As long as they existed somehow, it took way less effort to hide them… “You’re staying out of my way enough that I don’t have to follow you, and I’m not seeing a drastic rise in crime, so there’s no need to worry about that. I was just asking because you called in sick to work for the last week, and I’m sure they’ll start getting suspicious!”
“You’re so built for this life, Tencchi, it’s a shame it’s not going to last.” Rui sighed pitifully, clicking his tongue. “The monotony and repetition… It’s an angel’s forte, isn’t it? Working out of obligation, so little enjoyment for life…”
The angel just shot Rui a glare, and the devil looked away, yet couldn’t escape feeling the intensity of his angelic gaze burning holes in the back of his head. “Sorry, sorry.” He relented, brushing nonexistent dust off his pants and putting away the book he’d been reading. “I just worry about you, Tencchi! What if you never get to experience true love! You’ve had not a single romantic escapade in your whole, incredibly long, life…” Tsukasa frowned at that. While it was true, he didn’t think romance was necessary, and it saved him a lot of heartache to avoid getting attached to humans in such a way…
“It’s not like you’re going around experiencing true love, either.” He pointed out, and Rui shrugged indifferently. “Well, I’m quite fulfilled in my daily life. But you remind me of those humans, what are they called… Oh, I can’t remember the term for them as people, but the ones who succumb to ‘karoshi’. Death by overwork. You’re always either working, or at your little theater club, or devoutly studying something that you haven’t yet mastered… None of it seems particularly easy or enjoyable to you!”
As much as Tsukasa didn’t want to admit it, Rui had a point. While he was sure the devil had ulterior motives for this concern, he knew that his friend wouldn’t bring it up unless there was some truth to it. Teasing as he may be, Rui was an honestly good friend most of the time, so… Digging his toes into the ground, Tsukasa frowned and chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully.
“In fact, how about we make a bet? I bet you can’t find someone to go on a date with that you’ll feel a real connection and pull to! You avoid connecting with any humans beyond a basic friendship, because you’re the type to get overly clingy, and–”
“Okay, okay, enough!” Tsukasa interrupted, waving to try and shut Rui up. “I accept your bet!” He forgot that bets usually have a condition on both sides… Problem for Later Tsukasa. “I’ll find someone that I really like, and I’ll go out with them, you’ll see!” The angel resolved, grabbing his coat and the tea he’d prepared in his travel-mug earlier. “In fact, I’ll even do it today! Not the date part, but I’ll find someone to pursue today!”
“Oh?”
“… No, wait, this week. Give me the week, and I’ll have someone to show you!” He insisted, amber eyes intense with the promise of living up to some ultimately pretty meaningless expectations. Rui just chuckled. Tsukasa was so easy to bait. “Alright, I look forward to it.” The devil agreed, tail swishing with obvious amusement. This was going to be good.