Israfil landed with a huff in front of the home, his eyes darted from the gate at the front to the home itself.
"I think this is right," He whispered to no one in particular, the angel of music made his way forward and placed a hand on the door. The wood was cold against his hand as the night continued onward, it ruffled his long, wavy hair and caused him to shiver. A baseball hat covered the curls on his head,
"I..." He started, glancing around him. It was quiet, no one was around. The sound of crickets was the only noise, his breathing even sounded too loud as he moved his attention back to the door.
"I should talk to--"
A car raced past causing the angel to flatten himself aside the side of the wall. He picked at the skin of his nails anxiously, he knew if he asked Jophiel the man would insist him not attempt to join the team. His mission was over, right? He glanced down at the crown around his neck, it glowed soft in the darkness.
"What should I do?" He asked the necklace as if it could respond. His fingers traced the warm gold, letting them move over the three sharp points of the crown. The Diadem's glowing started to beat lightly in the wind. Israfil dropped the necklace, tucking it back into his shirt and putting both hands on the door.
"I...I deserve to have a friend, right?" He whispered, "And...If I just make friends with one of them, that can't be interfering...right?"
The necklace didn't answer him, but he felt its warmth against his skin. It beat like a heart against his own. The angel went down to his knees, pulling a marker from his pocket his drew a small circle, adding details quickly until it resembled a key. Standing up straight he grabbed the handle of the door and opened it, stepping inside Donnie's home the angel glanced around in curiosity.
"I hope," He whispered to the Diadem, "That you're right,"
***
The bed felt soft under his sore frame. Eyes burning as he opened them to the waking world, feeling as though he'd been hit by a truck the Angel groaned inwardly. He was laying on the hard mattress of the old motel room, the sun of the once bright day was dipping down behind the skyline.
The blonde shut his eyes tight before opening them again, how long had he been asleep? Abel slept in the bed beside him, the man murmuring lightly as he dreamed. His hand gripping into the blankets below, his face more pale than usual which sent a shot of fear through the angel as he recalled the man's enlarged pupils from the night before.
The angel forced himself out of the warmth of the covers, checking his phone with a groan. The two had slept nearly twenty four hours! Chamuel shook his head attempting to scatter the dreams that still settled above his head,
"Chamuel,"
He perked up at the voice in his head, it was Jophiel, which caused a tingle of anxiety to rush into his bones.
"Meet me outside. We need to talk."
Chamuel sighed, looking down at Abel. He brushed hair from the man's face, eyes dancing over a scar between the slayers eyes. It was something Chamuel had noticed often but never brought it up, making a mental note to ask at some point as he hunted for clean clothes. Tugging on one of Abel's old movie shirts and a pair of jeans the Angel slipped from the small motel room and into the fresh air.
Memories flooded him as the sleep vanished from behind his eyes, Donnie had practically dropped him and Abel off and ran, he knew the Slayer was incredibly paranoid someone or something would find and break into his home. Cham wasn't sure what exactly his friend had hidden away but it must be big if his first reaction was to run as quickly as possible.
"Chamuel,"
Cham turned his head to the right, they stood on the third floor, Jophiel leaning against a gate that covered the balcony, looking to the falling sun.
"Come with me," he said,
Turning on his heels, the expensive loafers clicked against the ground as he walked. Chamuel followed suit, he felt like a child that had his hand caught in the cookie jar, feeling anxiety bit into his skin.
After a few short minutes the men came to a door, Jophiel pushed inside to show a small laundry room. A washer and dryer spinning lightly, letting out a whirl into the air. The walls painted a rusty yellow with a few baskets of dirty clothes waiting to be washed. Jophiel locked the door behind them, turning to the blonde with his hands behind his back.
"We need to talk," his deep voice coming out in a growl,
"I've...been praying," Chamuel started
"Yes, and so have I. You haven't answered me once,"
"I wasn't... avoiding you," Cham defended himself, "I was just not praying specifically to you."
"Chamuel let me make this very clear," He could see the anger in Jophiel's face causing the angel to look down at his feet, "You pray to me!" Jophiel snarled,
"Not to Michael, not to God, you pray to me if you have an issue."
"Trying to get you to respond is worse than ET trying to get home," Chamuel replied with a touch of irritation in his voice.
"What?"
The blonde looked up at the man in surprise, blinking as he realized he'd just done an Abel to the other.
"Erm, I just...didn't think you'd understand," shuffling from foot to foot, he could feel his face burning from the embarrassment.
Jophiel frowned at this, looking from Chamuel to the wall as if he could see something the other couldn't.
"What is it?" Jophiel finally asked, though it sounded pained as if the thought of guiding the other physically harmed him.
Chamuel glanced at the man in light surprise, causing Jophiel to clear his throat "tell me. After I help you with...your...problem we can discuss what I called you here for,"
Chamuel bit his lip, he never expected to talk to Jophiel about this let alone in an old laundry room surrounded by dirty clothes.
"Well?" Jophiel was growing impatient, he could hear it in his voice yet the dark skinned mans face remained stone cold. Feeling his throat going dry at what he was about to confess, it scared him yet, it also thrilled him. It was something he'd been stuck on, something he noticed that was growing. Noticing it got really bad after the drunk night at the party, even if he couldn't remember most of the night.
"I uh," Chamuel fiddled with the beaded bracelet on his wrist it belonged to Abel but he often wore it since the slayer's insisted need to snap the bracelet against his own skin worried the angel. "I think I'm…" swallowing hard, Jophiel was the last person in the universe that Chamuel wanted to talk about this with but he felt backed into a corner now as the others dark eyes narrowed.
"I'm...not completely sure, but I...think I might have feelings for Abel?" just saying those words made him feel high, a mix of anxiety and pure Bliss at saying it out loud for the first time.
Jophiel's facial expression didn't change but the anger in his voice was something Chamuel wasn't expecting,
"Don't you dare,"
Chamuel recoiled, taking a step back as the man glared down at him.
"I-I didn't think--"
"No you didn't think," Jophiel snapped, speaking to the angel as if he were a child sending a wave of anger through the blondes veins but he remained quiet. Bowing his head in defeat at his superior.
"This isn't some magical journey, you," he jabbed a finger into the blondes chest, "are the archangel of war! This love nonsense isn't you anymore, you are in possession of the most powerful grace that's ever existed and when you reach your full power this body," gesturing angrily to Chamuel's form, "will crumble!"
Chamuel kept his eyes to the ground but a sudden feeling of rage he wasn't expecting flooded his body, opening and closing his fists as if to keep himself in control.
"What's so wrong with having feelings?" Chamuel snarled back, keeping his voice low.
"Nothing, to a human,"
"Than why was I put on Earth for so long if I'm not meant to feel human? If I was suppose to be some killing machine why am I here? If I'm so powerful why did God put me and Abel together?"
"God works in strange ways," he huffed, "I can not speak for them, but what I can say, is to get rid of this crush!"
Jophiel's anger clean in his features, Chamuel felt his fear of the other dropout of his chest and boil hot, turning to to an angry lava.
"Why should I have to? Why can't I love him and be an angel of war? I can get a new body,"
"Because your mind will be far too focused on him!" Jophiel yowled, something in the angel's tone sounded desperate almost, "you'll get him killed, you'll get yourself killed. I've seen it happen and it's not pretty Chamuel."
"Besides," Jophiel seemed to relax now, shoving a hand in his pocket, "you've known him for only...two minutes? You'll get over it."
Chamuel wasn't so sure, shaking his head as the anger in his continued to rise, unable to control it. War raged inside him, as if it were a separate entity.
"I figured you wouldn't understand," Chamuel uttered
"No, because I'm not a human. I'm not a fool who falls in love with our most powerful human pawn,"
"Don't call him that, he's not a pawn,"
"God is using him like they are using you, you're a pawn Chamuel. So am I."
Chamuel continued to clench and unclench his fists,
"I saw what happened at the club, your power is great but you lack discipline and I fear Abel might be the reason. This will be life or death,"
The blonde felt himself starting to calm down, refusing to meet the others eye still as memories of the club jumped into his mind.
"Besides," Jophiel scoffed, "God made a mistake with Abel,"
Chamuel's head snapped up, the anger came again. Hot as a fire he felt it burning, boiling
"What do you mean by that?" shocked by the sudden extra voice that seemed to be speaking with his own.
Jophiel either didn't notice the glow in Chamuel's eyes or he simply didn't care, unafraid of the others anger.
"He's nothing like Gil, he's weak mentally and physically. He's a man made from a test tube not even a full ma--,"
Chamuel lost his control, he threw himself at the other. Yanking him easily off the ground and slamming him into the wall with ease, the angel gasped in shock at suddenly being thrown around as if he were made of nothing. Power burned into the archangel of war, a soft wind kicked up under the mans pink shoes.
"Don't you ever ever ever say that about him," Chamuel's voice echoed as if came from his throat, giving him a deep, angry tone. Fear flashed in Jophiel's face, Chamuel guessed no one has ever done such a wild thing to the huge messenger angel.
Jophiel opened his jaw to speak only to lose the words in his throat, grasping for something to say. Chamuel had never seen the other so terrified, flustered, feeling a mix of satisfaction and fear roll through his veins as he dropped the bigger man.
His feet touched the ground with ease, the wall behind him had a large dent where his body was violently thrust against it. Chamuel sucked in air as he attempted to fight off war,
"And this is why you can't tell Abel," Jophiel hissed, attempting to brush off the cement that speckled his once wrinkle free suit.
"It's not just you in love Chamuel, it's also war. And war...isn't going to care who he hurts."
Chamuel went to his knees, attempting to calm the storm inside him. Sucking air in as if he had run a few miles,
"And if you destroy everything in your path to protect your love for Abel, well, you might not make it to the final battle."
Jophiel leaned down, placing a hand on Chamuel's back. Chamuel felt warmth spread through him as the bruises from the night before vanished, his exhaustion lifted.
"You have a choice, Chamuel, to either love him," Chamuel glanced up at Jophiel, tears racing down his cheeks as he felt his heart breaking in his chest, "or save the lives of thousands,"
"That can't be the only options," his voice hardly a whisper, practically begging the other to give him anything else. The idea of never being with Abel in the way he imagined made him feel empty in a way he never felt before. It hadn't occurred to him how often he imaged these scenarios with the slayer until this minute. The hours of daydreaming seemed hallow now.
"There are none, if War becomes too attached to Abel it's over. War will kill everything and everyone in his path to protect Abel," there was a softness to Jophiel's tone for a few heart beats but it vanished almost immediately.
"If war falls in love, Abel must die to protect the human race." Jophiel stood up tall, walking past Chamuel and yanking opened the door.
"I knew you wouldn't be a good fit, I told God not to choose you, but here we are. Don't be a traitor to us. We are all counting on you to stop the darkness. Don't be selfish."
With that the door slammed behind him, Chamuel sucked in air again as he attempted to stop the tears that raced down his cheeks. Rubbing his eyes, he leaned against the old washer. Feeling it vibrate and move helped calm him a bit, rubbing his hands in a desperate attempt to comfort himself.
***
Despite the healing Jophiel gave him his head pounded from the sudden burst of rage, It came out so quickly he couldn't stop it. Yet the look on Jophiel's face he wouldn't change for the world, having never seen the other afraid even in the worst situations.
Making his way back to the motel room slowly, dragging his feet as he went. He was afraid of seeing Abel now, afraid of feeling that familiar warmth in his chest. Knowing now that it wasn't destiny, love at first sight, anything that he silently daydreamed about. He had feelings for the Slayer from the second he saw him and it caused a war in his mind.
After all, he was just a pawn. He wasn't meant to survive the war, he knew that now especially. Grabbing the cold door handle he felt the tears burn his eyes once more but blinked them away. He couldn't let the other see him like this, what would he even say?
Pushing the door open he stepped into the warm room, Abel sat on the bed with his headphones in and the laptop open. He grinned up at Chamuel but the smile vanished immediately,
"Cham?" He pulled the wireless ear pieces out of his ears and placed them in their case.
"What's wrong?" He asked, Abel knew Chamuel too well. Even in their short time together, it felt as if they'd known each other forever.
The angel couldn't stop the tears once more, he was terrified and seeing the others face made his chest ache in a way he didn't think possible. Abel got to his feet the second the tears fell, placing a hand on the other's arm and guiding him to the bed.
"Hey, man." He murmured, wrapping his arms around his friend, "Are you okay?" His voice soft, worried.
Chamuel shook his head, "No," he murmured, Cham couldn't tell Abel the real issue. He wanted to, he felt the intense desire to spill it all out but Jophiel was right. He hardly knew Abel, and soul mates were so rare. Why would it happen to him? He continued to rub his hands together only for Abel to reach forward and take his hand.
Chamuel's heart raced as he started to fiddle with the others fingers, looking up at Abel who grinned at him with his usual cocky smile.
"What's got you so worked up? I know it's hard waking up to my ugly mug every day but you don't gotta cry about it," Abel teased
Chamuel laughed now, sniffling as he felt the tears beginning to stop. Brushing them away with the back of his free hand, watching Abel's fingers as he let them trace over his skin. The feeling of warmth spread through his body, his eyes moved to the Diadem around Abel's neck. The Chamulet almost seemed to glow.
"I just…" Chamuel shook his head as if to rid his heart of the secret it had to keep. "I guess I'm overwhelmed," he whispered, lacing his fingers with Abel's. Noting how big his hands were compared to the slayers, making his heart melt.
"Well we do have to save the world," Abel pointed out.
"It's just…I guess I'm having a hard time figuring out why I'd even want to save the world," he admitted, "I mean, since I've been here...on Earth just," sighing as he attempted to find the words.
Glancing at Abel, who watched him with a puzzled expression.
"I...haven't really felt like anything is worth living," he felt cynical as he spoke but it was all coming out now, "since I've been here not only do people just...hurt each other for no reason but they hurt everything, nothing in this place is beautiful. When I was in heaven everything was so beautiful, vibrant, but here? Everything feels so dull and gray,"
Abel listened to the other, tilting his head, Chamuel felt warmth spread through his veins as he continued to speak. Blue eyes meeting green.
"And...when I came here," he started, "I...I figured being the angel of love I'd be able to help people. Teach them about love and how to love, only...I don't think I know anything about love anymore," the last part came out in a whisper, looking back down at his hands. They covered Abel's completely, but the comfort he felt from the touch made the weight in his shoulders lift ever so slightly.
"What do you mean?" Abel asked, blinking a few times as if attempting to understand.
"I…" Chamuel bit his lip, "I'm...gay, Abel," he murmured, Abel looked at him with a knowing look but said nothing about it.
"and my first time coming to earth…" he ran his thumb over the freckles on Abel's hand,
"People suck, man," Abel whispered
Chamuel nodded, not wanting to go into details. Thinking back to the comments Abel had been getting online, feeling embarrassed by what little hate he had received compared to the other.
"but the right people are what makes it worth it,"
"Yeah, maybe," Cham murmured, brushing a few tears from his cheeks as he did so.
"It just makes me wish I was in heaven again, it was...boring, but so beautiful, I don't really get any moments of beauty on Earth," he murmured. There was a pause, he could see Abel's mind working but he continued to remain silent. Listening to what Chamuel had to say.
"I guess...I just want a reason to keep doing this," Chamuel whispered, his voice cracking as the tears continued to flow. "I'm sorry, I…"
"Don't apologize, Chams, I know what you mean." Abel's voice was soft, loving.
Chamuel nodded, rubbing his eyes again as he attempted to hold back the hopelessness that settled in his gut. It felt like a cold fire that threatened to burn him up.
Abel seemed to be thinking hard, his eyebrows creased as he listened to Chamuel. There was a long silence before Chamuel awkwardly broke it,
"If you keep thinking so hard smokes going to start coming out of your ears," Chamuel joked.
Abel pulled his hands away from Cham he stood up with an extra kick of energy, though the angel could see the exhausted look in his eye. He held dark rings on his features which was strange, after all, they just slept for an entire day.
"What?" Chamuel asked, spotting the shit eating grin flashing on the man's features.
"Close your eyes,"
"What? Why?" Chamuel asked, bewildered.
"Do you trust me?" Arching an eyebrow at Chamuel, causing the angel to visibly roll his eyes.
"Unfortunately," he chuckled, shutting his eyes as he was told to do.
Chamuel could hear Abel shuffling through something, the sound of the guitar being bumped nearly made him open his eyes but he forced them to remain shut.
"That guitar is worth more than your life, don't break it," Chamuel teased, he heard Abel scoffed he could almost see the man's smile in his mind.
"Don't look!" Abel called to him, the shuffling stopped as it seemed the Slayer had found what he was looking for. The sound of the lights being flickered off with a soft click cause Chamuel's attention,
"What are you doing?"
"Just trust me, Goose!"
He heard Abel curse under his breath before a triumph "got it," came from where he was in the dark room.
"Can I open them now?"
"Nope! Keep em shut no matter what!"
The sudden feeling of wetness slashed over him, it was as if a sprinkler was going off but only a small bit of the water caught onto your clothes.
"Abe?"
"Don't worry, Chamuel, trust me," hearing Abel say his full name put him more at ease, feeling a familiar trickle of warmth splash over his system. His name sounded like poetry coming from the other's throat.
The feeling of wet droplets continued to fall over him as he sat on the bed. Curiosity burned into his mind, putting a hand over his eyes as he attempted to keep himself from ruining whatever surprise Abel had.
"Okay, open them," Abel's voice excited as he spoke, Chamuel's eyes slowly opened to the scene before him. He gasped, standing up out of pure surprise.
The room had been turned pitch black, with curtains drawn and lights all shut off. All around them were small, droplets of glowing light. The lights sprayed everywhere, from the floor to the ceiling all in different colors, sizes and shapes.
Chamuel looked down at his own body, he was covered in the glow. Letting his fingers brush some of the still wet paint like substance off his skin. It spotted his skin, danced against his shirt, glowing vibrant in the every deep blackness.
He finally looked to Abel, with his jaw nearly on the floor. The man grinned from ear to ear, his face and hands covered in smeared glowing paint, he could see it dripping from an empty plastic tube in the slayers grip. Abel also covered in the stars, green eyes reflecting the light like a Christmas tree. The golden necklace around his neck glowed golden, it seemed to almost beat like a heart.
"Abel how--" he started, looking around again, taking it all in. It was as if Abel had taken the night sky and dropped it in their motel room, filling it with all colors of the rainbow. Tears rolled down Chamuel's face at the beauty and awe of it all,
"Moment of beauty?" Abel said with a smuggest look the angel had ever seen, his heart swelled, "I thought ya'know...we could watch a movie, order some take out maybe, and sit in our own personal heaven! Better than the dump upstairs, am I right?"
"How did you…do this?"
Abel leaned up, brushing the man's skin lightly with a thumb leaving a glowing smudge on his cheek.
"Glow sticks," he chuckled, "those tears better be good ones,"
"Aren't these toxic?" Cham asked as Abel let his hands fall back to his side,
"I'm not that dumb," he laughed, "I carry a handful of the non toxic stuff,"
"Why? For this?" Chamuel gestured around them.
"No, and yes," Abel admitted, "mostly for emergencies. But...sometimes," the Slayer grinned at the stars that surrounded the two.
"Sometimes...I like to remember that the world is beautiful," Abel's voice held a love that Chamuel had never heard before as he spoke of the world. It was clear that Abel loved the world he lived in, the people of it, the nature. It was clear as he spoke, until his eyes fell on Chamuel. A light that Chamuel couldn't describe seemed to flash in Abel's gaze, his heart stopped.
"That was so cheesy," Chamuel chuckled nervously, he couldn't stop the flutter in his stomach as Abel laughed.
"Yeah, I guess so. I use to do this all the time when I was a kid, like a comfort thing,"
Chamuel smiled so big it hurt his cheeks, brushing the tears that ran down his cheeks. He took a step towards the other, his brain telling him to hug the man but his heart singing a different tune instead he found his hands pushing themselves against Abel's cheeks. His thumb racing over the stars that settled on the other's stubble, smearing it lightly.
"Abel, thank you," he whispered, "this...is better than anything I've ever seen," he murmured, looking into the man's gaze.
Abel leaned into the others touch, Chamuel could feel his heart pounding against his rib cage. The high that flowed through his veins felt better than any drug ever could as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to the others. The golden light of the Diadem beat faster.
Every part of Chamuel's brain screaming at him, he wanted more than anything to taste the paint that dotted the others lips.
"You can choose to love him, or save the earth,"
His lips brushed Abel's before he pulled away as Jophiel's words flashed into his mind, his face burned as he let his hands drop to the others shoulders. Clearing his throat, the look of surprise on Abel's face made his heart ache.
"W-well if you're going to order food we better do it soon, cause I could...sure use some drugs…"
The awkwardness faded as Abel smiled again, chuckling nervously as he pulled out his cell phone in an attempt to distract himself.
"Yeah, and pick a movie," he agreed, Chamuel could see how red the other was even in the starlit darkness.
"I get to pick the movie this time," Cham said as Abel stumbled to the bed, pushing his hair back anxiously.
"Aw no, you'll pick some dumb romance comedy,"
"Shut up you liked Bridesmaids," Chamuel chuckles,
"Help me I'm poor!" Abel said quickly, mimicking the line from the movie causing Chamuel to laugh
"There's a colonial woman on the wing!" Chamuel mimicked
"She was churning butter. I saw her," Abel replied, causing the two to howl in laughter.
As the night went on Chamuel made sure to take in every moment like it would be their last. Laying beside the Slayer well after the movie, laughing and chatting with one another.
"Hey Cham," Abel murmured, Chamuel could tell Abel was about to fall asleep. Whenever they slept Abel would talk until he fell asleep, usually it was mid sentence and the many sentences Abel had said right before falling asleep always made Chamuel laugh.
"Hey what?" Chamuel asked, the stars in the room had started to lose their glow. Chamuel could see a splash of color in the nighttime sky.
"Thank you," Abel murmured, his eyes falling shut.
The angel let out a breath, "For what?" He whispered now. Watching as Abel fell into the darkness of sleep, his hair starting to fall in his face.
"For saving me,"
Chamuel blinked at the words, saving him? For what?
"Abel? What did I save you from?"
Silence, the Slayer was fast asleep. Chamuel shuffled uncomfortably for a few heartbeats as he attempted to piece together what the man said. He froze, a chill tore down his spine. Sitting up quickly as a rush of cold air passed by him, Chamuel felt his grace kick in as he waited, but nothing came. The sky now filling with purples and pinks, filling the room in a warm light. Chamuel laid back down, confused but too exhausted to question it.
"I think you're losing it, old buddy," Chamuel murmured to himself. Scooting closer to Abel, relaxing into the deep darkness of sleep.
***
"I have to warn him, I have to--" Slamming a closed fist on the ground he sat on, glaring into the deep, dark puddle that sat before him. He was surrounded by trees, all growing tall and dense.
"Mike," The man growled, practically tearing the grass apart like a cat.
"Gil," The man murmured, his voice held a sympathetic note to it. Racing a hand down the mans back.
"I just, ghosts can throw things, I can't even do that?"
"You're not a ghost, Gil."
"You have to give me something, Mike. My boys down there getting drugged by this son of a bitch,"
"You can not interfere, I brought you to the forest of life so you could watch him without restriction."
"Restriction, in heaven! Bullshit, Michael. Somethings going on that you're not telling me about,"
Gil turned his attention back to the large puddle that sat before him. Inside the puddle was a vision of Abel and Arphaxad,
"Don't do it, kid," Gil murmured, dread flooding his body as he watched his son pop the drug into his mouth. Gil watched in horror as the puddle slowly dried up a half an inch. Michael placed a hand on his chosen one.
The pair sat in a large, dark forest with blue shady trees surrounding them. Michael's curly blonde locks falling over his tired blue eyes as he knelled down to the brunette. The man's short, choppy hair fell to the side. The cowlick in the front always sticking up, the old slayer raced his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"I'll….see what I can do," Michael murmured, standing up, kissing the other light on the head before vanishing into nothingness.
Gil glared at the puddle, eyes occasionally glancing to the puddle of Cain before moving back to his own sons. He could also see Nathan's puddle and Nathan's son's, beyond that was Chamuel's. The puddle had mysteriously been moving towards Abel's, the Slayer let out a sigh. Leaning against the tree behind him.
"Don't take drugs from strangers you stupid idiot," He shouted into the sky.
***
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