AkiAngel - if you Never Touched Me

when the climate is cold

The two of them. At an alleyway filled with trash and rats. Waiting for a devil to appear to kill. Just another mission for another day. Just another day stuck with the other, a puzzle undone. Aki's cigarette smoke mixes in the air, Angel almost snatched it from his hands and throw them out, tell him to get serious. He could, but he didn't.

"Why is it so chilly? Any colder and I'll freeze to death."

Angel looks up at him, his sharp chin blocking the rest of his beautiful features.

"let me hold your hand"

Aki flinched.

"What?"

"I said, let me hold your hand." "You're fucking with me, right?"

A million words enter his head, but none make it out his mouth to form a sentence. He stays still, almost stunned.

"No." Is always what he ends up saying. Not because he wants to. He's afraid anything else he adds might give it away. But watching his dark eyes shift and his shoulder tremble makes him uneasy. He wants to say it. He had to think of a plan.

But as always Angel doesn't follow his heart. He shuts it down, thinks of a more 'practical' plan. He gets up from his seat, tugs on Ali's sleeve.

"Hayakawa." He said it so briefly.

"What now?" He sounds almost pissed.

"Sit. Watch out for the devils, they'll be out any minute."

And as he steps away from him, his halo bobbles as he walks.

"Where are you going?" Aki has a low, distinct voice. It echoes down the corridor.

"I'll be back soon." He grits his teeth, clenches his fists.

"I fucking hate this dude." He mutters under his breath, only to come back with a hot cup of coffee for Aki.

Angel didn't hate Aki. He's heard his name mentioned by the other divisions, passed around saying he's the closest to Makima and works well. Now seeing him next to his shoulder, he begins to wonder why he's all high and mighty. He's another stuck up snob, with pretty hair and pretty eyes...and a very, very pretty face...

"Do you hate me that much?" His voice brought him back here.

"What?"

"You asked me to hold your hand, knowing you can kill me in seconds. Do you hate me that much." The last sentence wasn't a question. It was a statement. Like he knew him before they met and could read his mind. Angel almost choked out a laugh.

"Yeah. Maybe I do-"

His voice is interrupted by the sound of smashed glass. Ahead lies the Snake Devil, with five heads and splurging red venom all over the floor. Immediately Angel draws his sword, but Aki holds him back.

"I'll take him, you bring the people to a safe spot."

"What? That's not the plan-" before Angel could move any further to argue, the boy grabs his collar, etching closer to him, breaths touching. Immediately, Angel was about to hold him back from his strong grip, almost accidentally holding his shoulders.

"Do as I say." We're his last words, before pushing him with full force, his back hitting the cement. Thankfully his wings were able to break his fall. Angel clicks his tongue, watching his tall shadow disappear, farther into the debris. There's a bitterness on his tongue. And it's not just the dust and the aftermath of the devil crashing into the building. There's something not quite right about Aki. Something he feels he needs to find out.