holy

xiii

eddy woke to the bright heaven sun shining through translucent white curtains.

he groaned, rolling out of the grand, plush bed, confused and just slightly sore. above all, though, he was on edge. being in heaven definitely wasn't doing anything good for his temper and every sound and smell made his blood boil. his head pounded and he could hardly recall when he had passed out, and what had happened in the hour before that.

gabriel, the council, holy water, archangel michael, hellfire...

brett!

eddy shot to his feet.

where was brett?

was he even still alive?

panicked, angry red demon eyes flitted across the room, seeking out the familiar small angel.

eddy was just about to yell out for brett when he spotted the small body hidden under blankets, perched in a cream colored lounge chair across from the open balcony doors.

his whole body relaxed in relief. brett was here, safe with him.

now, he had the chance to take a better look at his surroundings.

it was as angelically beautiful as the main hall was, stone pillars and marble floors, the glass chandeliers casting rays of light across the room. the bed eddy had been sleeping on was huge, piled with gold pillows and blankets that matched perfectly with the trim on the walls. he craned his head toward the ceiling, gazing intently at the hand painted clouds and angel wings that adorned every square inch of space.

a sharp knock on the door interrupted his daze and sent him into defense mode. he was in an unfamiliar place and brett was sound asleep on the chair, so it arose out of an instinctual need to protect himself... and brett.

eddy twisted the gold-plated doorhandle, temper still hot and eyes burning red. in front of him stood a young female angel, wearing a pristine white maid's outfit.

"angel brett, i am here to—" she gasped in horror as she looked up to see a tall, seething demon towering over her. he was the stuff of legends and nightmares, literally, since she'd never seen a demon in real life before.

the angel opened her mouth to scream, but before she could, eddy slapped a hand over her mouth and wrapped his other hand around her neck, silencing her screams before they had the chance to escape.

her blue eyes were wide as eddy leaned in closer to her face.

"be quiet," eddy spat out, "if you wake him, i'll kill you."

the angel nodded furiously, and as soon as eddy released his grasp she was sprinting down the hallway and away from the demon.

eddy let out a sigh of relief, shutting the door and walking back over to brett.

he picked up the small angel, struggling slightly as the holy water had yet to run its complete course through his veins, and set him down onto the bed.

his efforts to avoid as much contact as possible with the angel, whose cool skin was unsettling and whose honey like scent had seemed to have gotten stronger, had failed miserably as brett grabbed onto the hem of eddy's shirt and yawned.

"eddy?" brett peeled his eyes open, "you're awake!"

eddy blinked in surprise at the stark shimmering gold shade of brett's irises.

"are you okay?" brett asked, his voice soft and smooth in the early morning. he reached out to touch eddy's hand, a sign of comfort.

the demon flinched away from brett's unnerving touch.

"i'm fine," eddy responded, a hint of a growl in his tone.

brett frowned. another one of the demon's mood swings, no doubt, but his angelic instincts couldn't help but want to make eddy feel better.

"what's wrong?" he inquired, gazing warily at eddy's red eyes.

eddy huffed in annoyance, pacing across the room, clenching and unclenching his fists. brett watched closely.

"stupid fucking angels, that's what's wrong," eddy snapped, sending a glare to brett.

the last of the holy water in his body was still employing it's full effects, and it felt as if his body had been wrung through the 9 circles of hell.

before brett could respond, a quiet knock sounded at the door.

eddy stormed over to the door, slamming it open and nearly throwing it off of its hinges.

"what the hell do you want now?" he growled at the young maid who stood timidly in the doorframe again.

brett watched shamefully as the girl shook in fear.

"th-the archangel michael requests your presence within the hour... please don't kill me!" she squeaked, scampering away before eddy shut the door with a loud bang.

he let out an exasperated, aggressive sigh, gripping his aching head in his hands.

a long pause plagued the silent room.

"eddy," brett started carefully, hesitating as the demon's eyes burned into his, "you can't just go around threatening to kill people."

"like i would listen to you," eddy scoffed, "hurry up and get ready, i want to leave."

brett looked disappointedly at eddy, who had turned away, but nevertheless walked into the en suite bathroom to change before going to meet the archangels.

-

"angel brett."

brett bowed his head in acknowledgment.

michael coughed.

"demon."

eddy rolled his eyes.

"you two are expected to return to earth. the demon's presence has created... quite the stir here in heaven," michael passed a condescending glance to eddy, "and brett, i assume you are well enough now?"

brett nodded with a beaming smile that didn't go unnoticed by eddy's attentive eyes. in fact, eddy hadn't stopped staring at brett ever since they left their room. although he secretly liked the way the angel looked in his black clothes, brett looked even more ethereal in the all white outfit he wore now, which complemented his bright gold eyes beautifully.

he tuned out the archangel's irrelevant ramblings as he looked over to brett, that strange, warm feeling bubbling up in the pit of his stomach again. he shook his head, trying to get it to dissipate.

"come along, then." michael stood up gesturing to the other side of the large hall where the portal to earth stood, between two large stone pillars.

"farewell, angel brett," michael said kindly, smiling as brett disappeared into the portal.

eddy followed close behind, eager to leave heaven, but then the sound of the archangel's voice stopped him.

"demon,"

eddy continued walking. only a few more steps. then you'll be rid of heaven and rid of the angel.

"eddy," michael called his name out this time, with a bit more conviction.

he stopped, waiting.

"he's not safe."

eddy took the last step through the portal.