Of Angels and Demons

Chapter 13

"Eddie!-"
"Ah-ah! Take one more step, he dies." The demon emphasized his words by twisting the dagger deeper into Eddie.
"I-Ahg! 'M already d-dying assh-hole." Eddie growled out.
With that, he managed to jam his elbow into the demon's chin, making them both stumble back a little.
"R-Richie!" Eddie broke the angel from his semi-trance, his arm held out.
Richie didn't need another hint, he immediately tossed his Blade to him.
After that, everything was a blur.
Eddie caught the blade with one hand, and twisted his assailants arm with the other, forcing him to release him, then turned to deliver the blade straight to his chest.
It was silent for a long time.
Soon enough, the demon began to fade away, leaving the blade empty in Eddie's hand.
He staggered slightly, turning to Richie.
The angel, in turn, took a few steps towards him, shock still rushing through him.
Eddie looked down at the other blade that was still dug into his middle.
"Well... that hurt." He smiled anyway, letting out a couple painful chuckles.
Then...
"No no no no!" Richie finally lunged forward, seconds too late as Eddie pulled out the blade.
It were as though the blade was the only thing keeping him standing.
Richie managed to catch him at the last minute, nearly sending them both toppling to the ground.
"No, no!" Richie chanted the word as though it were the only word he knew.
As though it would fix the scene before him. As though it would convince him none of this was happening.
However, the blood that almost instantly covered his hand when he put pressure on the wound, assured him it was real.
"H-hold on..." Richie stammered, tears stinging in his eyes.
Why wasn't he healing? Why couldn't he heal him?!
If this were his first day on earth, he might have been able to do it, but with it being nearly a month-
He tensed when he felt a hand rest on his.
His eyes met Eddie's.
Despite the position, Eddie was still smiling.
"It's okay." He said simply.
Richie's eyes clenched shut, tears breaking free. "Eddie, why the fuck did you come back?"
Eddie chuckled, which made Richie glare at him.
"'Cause I'm stubborn. I thought you woulda realized that by now."
Richie tried his best not to crack a smile, but it failed.
He then felt a hand caress his cheek.
It was familiar and almost made him feel secure.
"Hey...Richie..." Eddie spoke up again, his thumb brushing his cheek to get his attention, "I gotta tell you something."
Eddie took in a couple wheezing breaths before continueing, "I know... you said you don't g-give a shit about m-me..."
"Eddie..." Richie began with a whimper, grabbing his hand, "No, I didn't mean-"
"But I do." Eddie broke him off, "I c-care about you... I-I can't help it. Y-you... are the best thing that ever happened to me... I'm glad I met you."
Richie was practically sobbing by now, his heart shattering to a million pieces.
"I... I... lo...-"
Richie waited for what felt like minutes for him to finish, but it never came.
He went motionless, his eyes slowly glossing over.
"...Eddie? Eddie?!" Richie shook him gently.
Nothing.
"Eddie!" He cried out, shaking him again.
Still nothing.
"No. No, no, no, no." Richie sobbed, pulling him closer to his chest, burying his face into his neck.
FUCK!
Why did this have to happen to him?! He didn't deserve to die. He didn't deserve him. He didn't deserve-
After a few seconds, Richie pulled away, looking up to the sky.
"Please. Please! Help him. I'll give anything. I'll do anything. He helped us defeat a greater cause. He sacrificed himself for this. Please, he doesn't deserve it. Please!" Richie prayed.
And prayed, and prayed, and prayed.
It was silent again.
Of course.
Why would he expect anything more.
Eddie was a demon. Period.
But he wasn't. Not to Richie.
Richie had learned so much about him, that he believed he didn't even deserve that type of title.
Suddenly, he was broken from his thoughts by a gentle breeze, which slowly grew more harsh. Almost demanding.
Richie dared himself to look to the skies again.
Still nothing.
Then...
A light pierced through the clouds.
It wasn't the sun. Richie knew better.
The light surrounded them, warmth and security along with it.
Richie closed his eyes, giving one last plea.
Soon, he could feel the light's warmth enter him. It felt like a power surge, and it made him feel good as new again.
He opened his eyes again, before slowly returning his focus onto Eddie.
His position remained the same.
Apart of Richie was still skeptical about what just happened, but his hopes were up too high to care.
Slowly, he pressed his hand back onto the wound, which had, somewhat, stopped bleeding.
Richie's eyes closed in concentration as he felt another gentle breeze go through him.
Please. Please. Please.
Minutes passed, and little by little, he could feel the wound closing under his hand.
Suddenly.
The demon inhaled deeply, as if he had been holding his breath.
Richie snapped his attention back to him.
He was breathing again, but his expressions remained the same.
Then, after a few seconds of regaining his breath, his eyes slowly drifted shut.

———————

Eddie opened the door to his given hotel room, before staggering inside.
He was soaking wet, but that was the least of his worries.
He made his way to the bathroom, hastily removing the clothing from his body, letting the clothes hit the floor followed by a light 'sloshing' noise.
He rested his hands on either side of the sink, hovering over it as though he were going to throw up.
Eddie stared at his reflection in the mirror.
His hair was messy, his face was nearly pale, and his eyes were red from crying.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, he turned on the sink water, splashing water to his face.
No matter how many times he did this, it couldn't wash away the pain and shame he felt.
He was practically at war with himself.
His heart was shattered, and his mind was breaking him down, piece by piece.
'Who could love a demon like you? You're nothing. You should be ashamed.'
"Stop!" Eddie finally let it out.
His fist made contact with the mirror, which shattered to pieces.
Soon after, he felt a stinging sensation come from his hands.
When he focused on his palms, he could see a few shards of glass embedded there.
His hands were sliced up and slowly turning red.
He then focused on the sink again, watching as blood slowly disappeared into the drain.
Slowly, he reached into the sink, pulling out one of the large glass shards.
He stared at his reflection it provided.
So many thoughts were running through his head, so many ideas. So many things this piece of glass could do.
He gradually tightened his hold on it.
However, just as quickly as he had done so, he let go, the glass falling back into the sink with a clatter.
No. He couldn't.
Taking a deep breath, he turned to head for the shower.
A shower would make things better.
He came to an abrupt halt when he noticed something peeking out of his jacket on the ground.
Eyes narrowing, he leaned down to pick up the piece of clothing.
The item slipped out as he did so, hitting the ground with a loud clang.
He almost jumped back when he noticed the item, but relaxed almost instantly before he could.
It was a dagger, and not just any dagger.
It wasn't until now that he noticed...
He had Richie's angel dagger.
He still had it...
'You need it more than I do.' A flash of Richie's sincere face flashed across his memory.
He even swore he could feel the angel's hands resting on his.
Slowly and shakily, he picked up the item.
He inspected it for a long time, as if he'd never seen it before.
He was sitting on the bathroom floor now.
'I saved you because I believed you were worth saving.' Richie's voice echoed again. 'I trust you.'
Memories flashed through his head, gradually speeding up to the point words could no longer be heard.
Finally, he let out a defeated sigh, sitting on the cold cement floor.
He stayed there for the rest of the night.