The warm purple cloth that covered the table felt strange against his palms, the silk texture always made him shiver whenever he rolled his finger tips against it. The people in front of him stared at him with jaws on the floor, he could see them clearly through his left eye. Watching the group with a frown on his features, the teenagers all gawked towards him. The room was small, warm, with shelves lining the walls all of which held artifacts that the prophet collected in his short thirty years of life.
"Well," One of the teenage girls whispered, he rolled his eyes and let out a low sigh. The man had taken to reading peoples 'futures' or talking to their dead relatives for money. It wasn't something he enjoyed but didn't want to argue when he needed the extra cash, he put a hand on the clear, cold ball that stood on a stained glass holder. He shut his eyes tight, the right one he couldn't see anything but pure white. That was, until he focused.
The sigil that was drawn under the crystal ball started to glow, making the woman gasp in shock, his eyes opened wide. Starlight danced within his gaze as the white color faded, melting away from his vision. He could see now out of the eye, but not the present. He watched one of the girls in the group, she held a baby up, grinning wide at the child. He focused his attention on the other girl beside her, than to the other. They had wanted to know who would marry a specific man but from what he could see of their futures, none of them would.
The magic that rolled through his fingertips from the crystal prickled the skin turning his fingers to pins and needles. The crystal ball glowed as it connected to his right eye, showing off a blurry image of the woman a few years in the future before falling dark.
"None of you marry him," The prophet snorted, his monotone voice caused the woman to shuffled in an uncomfortable manner. After some more back and forth the group collected their things and walked out of the small room, the prophet groaned. Pain flooded his head above the right eye, using his power had recently caused him discomfort and he could only blame the sudden stir of darkness.
"Hey, you alright?"
The voice made his heart jump, he glanced up towards the dark haired demon with a large black cowboy hat. He ducked through the beads that covered the opening that lead into the small space,
"Yeah," He replied flatly.
"I got one more, do you think you're alright with one more, Bohdi?"
Bohdi looked down at the crystal ball, his blindness had returned to the right eye as he moved his fingers absentmindedly over the cold artifact.
"Just one? They usual come in groups," He mused, the man shrugged and ducked back into the other room. Bohdi heard some chatting before a man stepped into the area. He wore a pure white suit that made his deep ebony skin almost shimmer in the light.
"Hello," The man said with a smile, "My names Fran,"
Bohdi glanced up towards Fran, inspecting his short curly locks and beaming smile. Magic flooded off of the other, a magic that Bohdi had never felt before. It caused the sigil on his table to glow so bright that the prophet leapt away from it in shock.
"Wha-- what are you?" He whispered, glancing at the man with a puzzled expression.
"Like I said, my names Fran, and I have some information for you,"
***
Cain stepped out of the home, beer in hand as he glanced around outside for the angel. The group had decided to hit the beds, he watched as Mishka practically dragged Abel up the stairs and into her room. Snorting with displeasure, he had gone to look to see where Chamuel went only for the man to vanish outside into the darkness.
The cold air puffed from his mouth as he glanced around for the blonde, hazel eyes scanning the now ominous looking beds of spider lilies that dotted the backyard, leading to a large maze-like garden. The doctor has seen his fair share of rich homes, but this one seemed as if it were made by someone with an incredibly dramatic flair. Noting the odd patches in the grass below, he shrugged wondering if it was possibly a new found way to grow grass. If it was one thing Cain didn't know, it was gardening. He never got into it, having lived in an apartment his entire life he preferred them to homes. Houses felt far too open, too many things could go wrong in a large home but an apartment? It was small, cozy, and safe.
His thoughts trailed off as he spotted the Angel in the middle of the garden, inside a small white gazebo. His body leaned forward till his elbows met on the side of the white wood, a cigarette in one hand, his eyes to the stars above. The cardigan sweater folded perfectly over the man's body. The moonlight shone on his being, for a heartbeat the doctor could see his wings bright against the cool light. His halo rimmed his blonde locks, turning his blue eyes to gold. Cain stared in shock at the feelings that exploded through him, he hesitated before making his way to the other.
"Hey, you...come here often?" He attempted to joke, he wasn't quick witted as he wished he was.
Chamuel turned to look at him, blinking a few times before giving a small smile.
"Yeah, the people here know my order and everything," He joked,
Cain hesitated as he attempted to think of a response but none came, standing beside the other and leaning on the wood in the same manner.
"You alright?" Cain asked, breaking the silence that had found its way between them. Chamuel hesitated, looking down at the cigarette in his hand.
"I don't smoke much," He confessed, "Is that what tipped you off?"
"A smoking angel wasn't in the bible," Cain said with a small smile to the man. Chamuel scoffed, his smile faded.
"Guess...just stressed about everything," Chamuel whispered, before Cain could say anything the angel jumped back in shock. The doctor glanced down in confusion at what the other saw, a large spider raced across the wooden deck causing the Angel to shuffle away from it. Groaning inward, he gave the other an embarrassed look.
"Sorry, I uh, I'm fine with every other bug but spiders?"
Cain bit back the need to educate the other on what a spider was, instead he just shrugged. Adjusting his coat against the cold, the spider dashed out once more but the doctor simply stomped down on it. Smashing it under his shoe, Chamuel frowned but didn't say anything.
"I don't like 'em much either," Cain said finally.
Chamuel went back to leaning on the wood, the awkward silence continued for a few more heart beats before Cain decided to break it again, finding his stomach was rapidly filled with fireflies.
"So...you and Abel," He said, causing the Angel to stiffen beside him. "You're not together?"
The doctor took a sip of the beer as if attempting to keep his nervousness from his tone. Chamuel cleared his throat, "Erm, no...I uh, we're not,"
"Is he with Mishka?" Cain asked, causing the angel to cough as if he was choking on something.
"No! Not at all," He spat out the words as though he were disgusted by them, freezing in his place. Racing his hand through his hair, letting it rest on his neck, rolling his head back a bit.
"I erm, he's not,"
"Okay,"
Cain took a few more sips as they stood in silence, the angel shuttered in the cold but didn't complain.
"You want my jacket?" Cain asked, "I have two on,"
"Oh uh, no, thank you," Chamuel murmured, Cain nodded looking back to the ground.
"You uh," The silence was driving the doctor crazy, he had fireflies in his guts as he attempted to find the right words to speak. "Listen to podcasts?" The question sounded stupid to the doctors ears but Chamuel visibly lit up,
"All the time," He laughed, taking a drag from the cigarette, letting the smoke billow from his open jaw.
"Ever listen to that psychiatrist? Uh," Cain started, attempting to recall the name. He listened to a lot of different ones, but grasped for one of the most popular, snapping his fingers in the air as if asking for assistance.
"Doctor Shimon?"
"Yes!" Cain chuckled, grinning up at the other.
"Oh yeah, his lecture on mood disorders was incredibly interesting," The angel said, the man's response surprised Cain. They chatted for a few minutes about the podcast, turning the doctors insides to fire at the excitement the blonde shared with him.
"Anyways," Chamuel finally said, ending the conversation "I'm gonna get some sleep," flicking the butt of the cigarette onto the ground of the wooden gazebo with a few others. How many had he smoked? Cain wondered as the angel walked away with his hands in his pockets.
"Thanks Cain, goodnight," the blonde murmured against the soft winds of the night.
Cain watched the man go, screaming at himself for not stopping him,
"Sleep...well…" He murmured though he wasn't sure if the blonde heard him.
"You're a terrible flirt," Cherm asked suddenly, causing Cain to gasp in surprise. Having almost forgotten about the shadow for just a few seconds.
"Shut up," Cain snarled, the feeling the angel brought him was warm, something he hadn't felt before. Now, to make the angel his, he just had to get rid of Abel.
***
"So you guys are going to be watching?" Abel asked as he sat on the back of the corvette, Israfil stood on the top of the large truck with a grin on his face. Donnie pushed the side of the van out, it slid open easily showing off a few handful of computers. Donnie sat on a stool with a hum, he started to type into the keyboard as the computers blinked to life.
"Yep, we'll be outside watching from the security cameras," Donnie said with a laugh, "We can keep you guys updated on Bailey's position,"
"So cool, I feel like an action hero," Abel laughed
Chamuel leaned against the side of the garage, scrolling on his phone with narrowed eyes as he scanned the comments that continued to flow into their twitter. Abel had become good at ignoring them but occasionally he noticed waves of pain falling off the other, he also noticed a dark mark on the man's neck but chalked it up to sleeping with Mishka who was inside with her aunt.
"So you two are going to break in, get to the painting, then what?" Cain asked, sipping the lemonade in his hand. Sitting beside the angel, swirling the liquid in the clear glass as if it were bourbon.
"Take the picture," Baal said, shrugging.
"Isn't it in a high tech...erm, frame?" Cain asked, Chamuel glanced down at him then to Baal.
"you betcha! But if you two can pick up the whole thing and bring it out I'm sure we can crack it!" Donnie laughed, Israfil floated down from the top of the van. Knocking his fist to Donnie's with a grin.
"We're the boy wonders," The angel laughed, ruffling the darker skinned man's hair, "Me and him can figure anything out!"
Donnie grinned, giving Cain a thumbs up.
Cain frowned but didn't say anything else, Chamuel sat down beside the other and let out a low sigh as Abel explored the inside of the van.
"Did you get the picture I sent you?" Cain whispered, Chamuel chuckled, nodding at the doctor. He wasn't sure why Cain had been attached to his hip since last night but he silently enjoyed the attention.
"The museum closes at ten," Baal said, stretching with a low grunt. "I'll wait for you guys outside, Nathan's driving and I'll have my motorcycle" He said pointing to Donnie and Israfil.
"Good, I hate driving!" Donnie laughed,
"I don't have a license," Israfil sang out, floating towards Baal as he harmonized his voice causing the demon to give him a look of irritation.
"I know you," Baal groaned, "You're that angel who was drawn on all the churches for years. With your baby face and big doe eyes,"
Israfil nodded, humming softly to himself as he floated around Baal. "That'd be me!" He sang out. "I'm older than you,"
"Guys, focus," Nathan said, making his way towards the group. "Oh and Abel?"
Abel turned to Nathan, blinking at the man with a tilt of his head. Nathan held up a walmart bag, shrugging at him.
"Happy Birthday,"
"What!" Israfil squeaked, Chamuel looked at the other in shock. Abel hadn't mentioned his birthday was today, or even when it was.
"Hey! Look at you," Abel laughed, taking the bag.
"You didn't have too,"
"Yeah well, Mishka told me it was your birthday and I felt...as your uncle I should, maybe give you something,"
Abel chuckled softly, "Aw shit, thanks Nate,"
"Well, what'd he give you?" Donnie asked, stepping out of the car.
Chamuel felt a hole in his chest, he had told Mishka but not him? He looked to the ground, feeling a swell of agony race over his heart.
Abel pulled the old, red flannel jacket out with a tilt of his head. Glancing at Nathan with a puzzle expression, "An old shirt?"
Nathan chuckled, feeling his face heat up, "Uh, it's...actually Gil's," He said quietly. Rubbing the back of his head, placing his hands on his hips as he started to explain. Using one hand to gesture into the air as he spoke.
"It was his favorite and...well I've kept it in the corvette for so long, hidden, and well...I think he'd have wanted you to wear it."
Abel blinked down at the shirt before looking back at Nathan, grinning wide as he pulled the large flannel over his frame. The sleeves draped off his hands in a comical manner. Israfil giggled, attempting to help push the sleeves up.
"You gotta roll them up," he said
"Well, your dad...was a lot bigger than you," Nathan chuckled, having nearly forgotten that Abel was short and not as built.
"No no," Baal laughed, moving over and pulling the jacket off Abel. "You gotta make this fit 'em," Baal said, pulling out a pocket knife. "Rolling them up ain't gonna make them fit neither,"
"What are you-- Hey!" Nathan gasped as Baal dug the knife into the jacket, cutting around the sleeves. Everyone watched in awe as the demon king swiftly moved the knife through the fabric as if it were made of butter.
"There!" He laughed, "A shirt fit for a Lancaster, don'tcha thing Nathan?"
Baal held the shirt out to the young Slayer who looked at him confused before taking it back, he held it up with a small smile. Something about it felt comfortable now, Baal had hacked the sleeves off turning it into a vest, it reminded Abel of his punk phase as he slipped it on.
"That...actually looks perfect," Nathan admitted, shaking his head at Baal, "Next time, ask me, okay?"
Baal nodded, winking at Abel who returned the wink.
"We should grab you a cake or something," Donnie said
"And a present or two," Israfil added,
"No no, I never celebrate my birthday, don't worry about it," Abel laughed,
"You don't tell anyone about it either," Chamuel huffed, causing Abel to shoot him a glare at the passive aggressive comment.
"Well, you never asked," He replied.
Chamuel felt fire burn in his veins at the comment, only for Nathan to pop into the conversation. Chamuel didn't hear what the older Slayer said, glancing back down at his phone. Absentmindedly scrolling through a few websites in an attempt to calm down. Cain shuffled beside him but said nothing.
"So, ten tonight. We'll drive down, steal the picture, and get back here. No cops, the paintings not….super expensive is it?" Donnie asked to Baal who shrugged,
"Don't think so," He stated, "but I haven't thought to check. Does that matter?"
-
Abel felt guilt wash over him, he hadn't meant to tell anyone. His birthday wasn't something he often celebrated, his mind faded to when he was a kid hanging out in his foster home with his friend. Staring numbly into an empty pantry, the teen beside him placed a hand on his shoulder. Long, dark hair pushed back, "don't worry, someday I'll buy ya a cake," the teen had said.
Abel blinked away the memory and glanced at Chamuel who was staring at his phone, he felt sick suddenly. He had told Mishka in passing and begged her not to mention it, of course, he didn't know why he expected her to stay quiet.
"Abel?"
Abel glanced up, his friends all staring at him, waiting for an answer to a question he hadn't heard.
"Yeah, right uh," He laughed, "We...steal it at ten, got it,"
Nathan and Baal shared a look as Abel glanced back at Chamuel. Feeling a thorn in his heart as he noticed how close Cain had gotten to the blonde.
"He rejected you" he heard Arphaxad whisper into his ear.
***
The air felt tense as the day went on, Chamuel knew he wasn't mad that Abel hadn't told him. He knew what he was mad at, but it felt easier to simply be mad about his birthday. Avoiding the Slayer as they attempted to get everything set up for that night, Cain became a quick companion for the angel as he attempted to contact Jophiel. Something didn't feel right under his feet, he couldn't describe it, it was as if his grace could feel something and was desperate to tell him but he couldn't make out what it was saying.
Now he found himself sitting beside the King of Kings, the corvette roaring down the streets of New York. Despite how dark the world was outside the city was alive, as if the innocent celebrated the nights here. Yet, the closer they got to the museum the less and less people they saw until it was a ghost town. Chamuel felt his heart pounding against his chest wildly, he could almost taste the storm between them.
"What do you think of this?" Abel finally said, breaking the silence, turning to look at the man and waving a hand in the air as he spoke. "This entire...Jesus thing?"
"What do you mean?" Chamuel asked, tilting his head.
"Yaknow, me...being Jesus?"
"I mean," Chamuel started, "You're not Jesus. You're...something else?"
Abel frowned deeply, his eyebrows creased together. "What am I then?"
"Well, I...don't fully know, you're not Jesus," Chamuel whispered,
"They didn't brief you on all this shit before tossing you into your meat suit?"
"I skipped that class," He scoffed, "But no, I was...sent down here ten years before meeting you and wasn't told why. In fact, I'm...pretty out of the loop,"
Abel breathed into his nose deeply, letting it out of his mouth before speaking again, "Is it because Jesus is like...gods kid or something?"
"Erm, well from what I understand Jesus was just a person...who could use the Diadem to perform miracles? Maybe they were born holy or something,"
"I was born to a drug addict," He scoffed, "get this, the bitch attacked me as a baby,"
Chamuel looked at Abel in shock, he hadn't heard that before. The man pushed his hair up from over his face, nodding towards Chamuel.
"Ya'know that scar?"
Cham nodded, inspecting the scar right between the Slayers eyebrows.
"Yeah," He said, letting his hand drop back on the wheel. "On my birth records, says she was convinced I was supposed to be a boy. That me being born a woman was the devil's work. I was the antiChrist" He laughed bitterly, "She even said I'd get some crazy ass demon partner."
Chamuel looked down at his hands, feeling his heart hurt for the other. Leaning back into the seat,
"She stabbed me with a butter knife that came with her food." He whispered, "Had a crater in my head for most of my childhood."
He fell silent now, watching the gps but his mind was far away. Deep into the paperwork he had read through as a teenager, he didn't remember what his mother did personally but he did remember living in the hospital for a long time.
"Hey Chams,"
The angel glanced up at Abel, who refused to look at him, "I'm...uh, I was gonna tell you about my birthday," he said awkwardly, "and I've been thinking about it all day and...I just, I guess I was afraid you'd…" he paused,
"Go on, I'm not going to judge you," Chamuel encouraged, Abel shot the man a small smile as he continued down the freeway. Leaning forward to turn down the music that was blasting from the radio,
"I never had a good birthday," He admitted, "Something...about my birthday always felt cursed, yaknow? So I just stopped celebrating it, and I finally have friends now and...a best friend, and I just got afraid no one would want...to celebrate it?" Abel let out a breath, shuffling in the leather seat.
"Last night, with Mishka, it was an accident. My phone went off at midnight with a stupid birthday ringer I always forget about, she asked and well...you know Mishka, she told everyone she stopped by," He chuckled nervously, looking at the blonde with a sideways glance.
"I'm sorry for being so snappy today," Chamuel replied, racing his fingers through his hair, "I think...I'm just stressed and well, I felt like maybe Mishka would...replace me?"
Abel blinked at the man in surprise, grinning at the angel now his eyes ablaze with warmth for the other. "Her? Replace you?" He laughed, "You're my wingman, I'd give up woman forever if I had t-- I mean, ya'know, not... romantically," He stumbled over his words, "Just...yaknow, friends? You're my best friend. That is,"
Chamuel felt his heart leap when hearing the start of what the other said only for it to sink down again, his friend. Of course. That's all he was supposed to be anyways.
"This whole Jesus shit, thank fuck I'm not Jesus. Yaknow? Who wants to be nailed to a cross?"
"That might be someone's kink," Chamuel shot back, attempting to push away his anxiety.
"Chamuel," Abel said with a shit eating grin flashing over his face, "Are you trying to tell me something?"
Chamuel playfully winked at his friend, "Wanna see if home depot has any crosses?"
Abel laughed, feeling the awkward tension between them fade away as if the sun had come to wash away the storm.
***
"Alright Bail, I'll see you in the morning,"
The man grunted, he wore a friendly smile on his pale skin. He placed a cowboy hat on his graying short hair, turning away from the woman who leaned against her locker. She had been waiting for the older security guard to leave for nearly an hour, having gotten into a conversation with him about his horses, his son and his sons 'amazing' farm hand. Bailey nodded her head whenever he started up, smiling while she would try to stop the conversation but nothing ever worked.
As he left out of the bright red door she groaned, quickly stripping down to her underwear as she tore the blue locker open. It reminded her of high school, except, these lockers were far less clean. They sat against a back wall, beside that a wooden bench that has seen better days, a small shower with no covering and a tiny coat rack.
It wasn't ideal, but she enjoyed the job. Only having recently got her license to carry back, she tugged the bright blue overshirt over a black tank top, grunting as she attempted to pull the baggy pants over her legs. They hardly fit, having been the only size her manager had on hand. Though he promised to get her a fresh pair it'd been a few months and she hadn't heard anything of it, even though she reminded him nearly everyday.
She ruffled her wavy locks, making sure the blond fade in the front could be easily seen as she placed her security hat on. Putting her hands on her hips, biting her lip as she held her arm up. Rubbing at the itchy, red heart that was embedded into her skin. It occasionally hurt as well, but no one could seem to figure out what it was. Most doctors skimmed her records once and assumed her a nut with a tattoo gun.
Pushing this to the back of her mind she left the small changing room, into a dark hallway. Though the museum was closed she kept a few lowlights on above, making it easier to see. The woman made her way into the small security office not far down the hallway, pushing inside and staring at the wall of screens before her.
She felt as if she was in an old movie with the cheap, broken screens. A few of them were completely black while some fluttered on and off, taking a seat on the large wheeling office chair she leaned back. Her mind troubled as she watched the cameras, yet, she didn't pay much attention. That was, until she spotted a familiar motorcycle driving past the security camera that was pointed out towards the streets. It was that man again, "Oh I'm so going to call the cops on your ass," She hissed, getting to her feet and pulling out a large, black flashlight that doubled as a weapon if need be. Watching as it drove past, she groaned and sat back down. Almost wishing she would see the cops cart the man away, yet, something about him did interest her.
***
"And we're in!" Donnie whispered, the back of the car lit up like a christmas tree. Every monitor flickered on with a soft hiss. The group had parked behind the museum, making sure Baal could be seen driving in the opposite way in case they had cameras that aren't listed in the museum's blueprint records.
Abel and Chamuel stood outside of the car, Abel shivered against the cold air as he waited for his friend to finish setting everything up. Israfil floated down from where he was on the roof, "Did I get it?" He whispered, he wore a black beanie over his usual bouncing hair as well as all black clothes. It was an odd sight to see the man in such dark colors, Abel noticed the same about Donnie except his metal framed glasses that stuck out against the dark fabric.
"Got it all, my man!" Donnie said, giving the other a high five.
"Hold your applause," Israfil laughed, covering his mouth a second later. "Was that too loud?" He pulled the hat from his head, still grinning.
"Annnnd, there!" Donnie chirped, the middle screen that had been black flickered a few times before turning on. It showed the security guard standing in her office, all the screens around her turned the woman to a shadow.
"Nice picture, so long as it doesn't fall I think we're in," Donnie said with a thumbs up
"Alright, awesome," Abel pulled his earbuds out, handing the left to Chamuel and placing the other in his right ear.
Donnie placed a pair of headphones over his head, a microphone sticking out of them that landed just beside his lips.
"Can you two hear me?"
"Yes we can, over," Abel laughed.
Chamuel made a hissing noise like a walky talky, "Breaker breaker 1-9 how ya feelin' Maverick?"
"Let's fly, Goose," He laughed, shoving his friend.
"Abel, you gotta say over, over."
"Over my dead body...over,"
Chamuel chuckled as he shoved his hands into the pockets of the black hoodie. Abel handed him a black beanie, the angel pulled it on, placing a hand over the earbud to make sure it stayed where it was. Abel did the same, shoving his hair under the fabric of the hat though some of it still stuck out causing Nathan to reach back from the front seat and help jam the reddish brown locks into the cap.
"Alright guys," Israfil said, leaning down. He closed his eyes, and within seconds the smell of sulfur hit him. He glanced up at the others, giving a thumbs up.
"I got the signal, go,"
Abel nodded to Chamuel, the two raced past their friends leaving the car behind. Hidden in the large back parking lot of the structure, the soft sound of the Slayer's boot falling against concrete was the only sound he could hear. They slipped to the side of the building, making their way towards an emergency exit, it was the door Baal had pointed out to them earlier in the day.
"She never locks it, the alarm isn't on it." He said, "I don't even think she knows it there."
It was pretty hidden from the inside, nestled behind a statue of an old roman man with large angel-like wings.
"Alright, she's coming outside, she saw Baal again," Donnie murmured into their ear. Abel placed his hand over the bright red door, silently wondering how no one knew about this.
"Maverick, now or never," Chamuel whispered, Abel nodded before grabbing the handle and yanking it down. The handle didn't move, Abel froze up. Turning to look at the angel with wide eyes,
"It's locked,"
"What?" The angel pushed past Abel, grabbing the handle himself and attempting to yank it open.
"What's going on?" Donnie asked,
"It's locked," Abel whispered into the headphone, groaning.
"Can you draw a skeleton key sigil on it?" Nathan said
"Yeah let me, a new slayer, just draw a sigil with no experience," Abel replied with a smirk to his lips causing Nathan to let out an annoyed sigh into the headphones.
"Let's try around the other way? Maybe Baal got the door wrong," Chamuel whispered
"She's yelling at Baal in the parking lot, you're clear!" Donnie said as if agreeing with Chamuels plan.
Abel nodded to the voice, he pressed himself against the wall. Making his way across the white, dark exterior of the building. Taking in a few breaths as he tried not to think about how high up in the sky they would have to go. As they got closer to the front he could hear the woman talking angrily to Baal, the man spoke in a hushed tone but he could tell the demon was attempting to lie to the others face.
"For a demon, guy's not good at lying," Abel murmured to Chamuel, who nodded in response. He glanced up to the second story, eyes narrow when he spotted an open window. He poked his head around the side of the wall, he could see the front doors shut tight behind the security guard. She was pointing a finger angrily at the demon king who had his phone out, showing her something with a shrug.
"I got an idea," Chamuel murmured to Abel, nodding his head to the second story. Though there wasn't any ledge but Abel spotted the open window.
"Must be to a bathroom," Abel murmured, narrowing his eyes as he attempted to size up just how big the opening was.
Chamuel leaned down, cupping his hands together and nodding to the Slayer. Abel let out a shaken breath, he hated most heights, "I don't think you can lift me all the way up," Abel whispered, Chamuel gave him an annoyed glance, "Trust me,"
Abel groaned, putting his foot in the others cupped hands. Within seconds he was hoisted upwards, gasping in shock at how far he was going up. Snagging the end of the window, hoisting himself into the tiny bathroom with ease.
"What the hell," Abel said to himself, blinking a few times in surprise.
"That was awesome! I got that on camera," Donnie laughed into the headphones.
"Thank you," Chamuel chuckled
Abel glanced over to his friend who was perched on the end of the window. His light pink wings sticking out of his shirt with a grin, they looked smaller than the other wings. Abel silently wondered if the bigger ones belonged to War.
"Baal cut holes in it," Chamuel murmured as he pushed himself into the bathroom.
"Did you Matilda me up?" Abel asked with a smirk, Chamuel shrugged.
"I might have,"
"Clever boy," Abel chuckled, Chamuel tilted his head.
"Was that a reference?"
The look of defeat on the Slayers face made the angel grin, "I'm putting it on the list," Chamuel whispered.
"Already ahead of you," Donnie chuckled into the headphones.
"Stop flirting, get the picture" Nathan said into the headphones, Abel and Chamuel nodded to one another. Chamuel's wings slowly pushed back into his skin, pain shooting like knives into the angel's spine. Gripping the sink with a groan, Abel placed a hand on the other's shoulder.
"You're one hell of a wingman," Abel whispered,
The two pushed their way out of the large restroom. Silently turned a few hallways, Donnie guiding them as they went. His eyes tracing the map, while Israfil watched on the cameras. Keeping his eyes open wide, looking for the security guard. Baal made his way towards them, sitting on the floor outside of the van beside Nathan. Staring up at the large building, feeling power pump into his veins in case something went sideways he'd get them out.
Abel moved easily from room to room, his eyes flashing past the multiple windows that were stacked like bricks all over the sides of the museum. He wouldn't be surprised if they were spotted, but he kept himself hopeful as he dashed up a flight of stairs,
"Wait!" Donnie almost shouted, Abel froze.
The sound of footsteps caught the Slayer by surprise. He crouched down behind a handful of statues that line the hallway they found themselves in. Chamuel did the same, taking in air slowly as they sat side by side against the statue of an angelic figure with his penis handling out.
Abel glanced up, sitting directly under the stony angels' manhood before looking to Chamuel.
"You think this ones based on Israfil too?" He asked,
Chamuel let out a snorting laugh, it had caught him so off guard he nearly forgot they were hiding.
"What was that,"
"Abel, your comedy is going to get you killed," Donnie murmured into the earphone.
Chamuel held his hands over his mouth, feeling fear prickle into his body. The sound of the woman walking towards the statues made panic flare in the angel's chest. Abel shoved his hand into his pocket of his leather bomber jacket and froze. He pulled out the baseball Chamuel had gifted him a while back, looking it over with a grin.
Chamuel shook his head vigorously at the Slayer, putting his hands up as if begging him not too. Abel squeezed the baseball, the woman's steps continued to move towards them. Faster now as she climbed the stairs that were only a few inches between them. With all his might he rolled the baseball the opposite way, it raced to the otherside of the room. Colliding loudly with a small table that held a handful of small objects, they clank together at the feeling of the ball smacking loudly into the legs of the wooden table.
Bailey froze, "Hey!" She shouted, turning towards the noise and racing the opposite way of the two. Chamuel shot Abel a grin as they got to their feet quickly, padding past her as silently as possible to the opposite wall and up another flight of stairs.
"On your right," Baal said into the headphones.
Abel moved to the right as they came up to a fork in the road. Panting now as he ran up another flight, Chamuel held his hand up now lighting up the darkness around them. The stairs that led up to the next floor were covered in the blackness of night, but the angel's light brought it to life.
They stopped in front of a large door.
"It's in there," Baal said,
"How do we get in?" Abel didn't think the door would be locked, it hadn't occurred to any of them as they all whispered to one another.
Abel rolled his eyes, looking around for a few seconds he grabbed a small, stone statue of an Easter island head. Bringing it down hard on the door knob, Chamuel gasped
"What are you doing?" He whispered, though his voice held the tone of a shout.
"They're gonna notice an entire painting's gone anyways, why waste time?"
Chamuel opened his jaw to speak but Abel brought the head down on the knob again, and again.
"Stop!" Chamuel snagged the statue from the other, causing Abel to shove him lightly in response.
"Stop it," Chamuel growled, placing the art back on its table. "Just-- let me,"
He pushed the other aside, grabbing the knob and closing his eyes. He felt war race through his veins, the sudden thought of Abel with Mishka flashed over his mind. Was...War angry about it too? The angel turned his heavenly glow from a soft pink to a vivid white that ate the shadows violently around them.
The knob sizzled lightly under his hand before melting to the floor in a puddle of goop. Abel looked down at it in horror, "Holy shit," Abel murmured. It hadn't occurred to him how powerful his friend was, or was getting.
"After you, you highness" Chamuel said with a grin, pushing his fingers through the hole where the doorknob had been and holding it open. Abel bowed his head playfully
"Thank you, Jester," Abel joked, stepping into the dark room. Glancing to and fro before racing into the room, staying low to the ground as he moved.
"Guys she's heading your way! Hurry up!"
Abel and Chamuel moved quickly, shoes brushing the black floors below. The angels grace flashing over the pictures on the wall to their right. Abel glanced over, for a heartbeat he swore he saw a set of red, round glasses on one of the pictures but pushed this to the back of his head.
They came up to the very last picture, Abel glanced up at it in awe. It was a picture of Chamuel, at least, what someone had envisioned him to be. Now Abel could see the full picture, not just a blurry image from a frat boys house. Not a black and white shittily taken photo on a Polaroid camera. It was before him and something about it made him feel small, the picture showed Chamuel with a large severed lion's head on his head, its blonde mane draping down over the angel's shoulders. Large, broken wings of gold on his back as he stood over the throne of a skeleton with a crown settled on his head. Abel's heart stopped, around the king's neck was the Chamulet. Though it had been painted in shadows he knew it immediately.
"Cham," He whispered, but the words that raced through his head moved too quickly to come out of his mouth so he just stared slack jawed at the image before them. The soft, yellow light that glowed above it like a halo gave the picture an even more ominous feeling.
"Wake up! What's going on? You're just staring at it,"
Abel blinked a few times, wake up? Was he dreaming? He glanced at Chamuel, confused, who placed his hand on the painting. It was hidden behind a strong, glass case. The case itself had glowing buttons on the bottom, they flashed a soft green in the dark room.
"Cham we--"
Abel looked to the door behind them, he could hear footsteps. Then the loud blaring started, Abel snapped his head around to see Chamuel's eyes had turned to a pale white. He grabbed the painting by both ends and was yanking with all his might. The glowing in his hands rolled up into his arms, causing his muscles to move uncomfortably under the strength. Pain flashed through the angel's mind but he needed to get out of this place. He was suddenly hit with a panic so strong he couldn't fight it,
"Cham!" Abel yelled over the blaring alarm, the angel heaved once more and ripped the panting from the wall with the glass case still surrounding it. Abel could hear Donnie shouting at them but the loud scream of the alarm drowned out anything else.
The alarms suddenly silenced, Chamuel and Abel both looked at each other quickly. The angel's arms returned to normal but Abel could see the grace in his hands. It must have been a lot heavier than either of them expected.
"Who the fuck are you?"