Alexis held one of his wings carefully. His eyes were trailing every single feather, as he brushed them gently with his fingers. He was trying to control his anxiousness; now that he was alone, he could not avoid falling into his worried thoughts.

When Ayako had left, he had waited. He wanted to check his wings, but he contained himself, to not worry her. But as soon as he lost sight of her and he was sure she couldn’t see him, he grabbed his wings. He wasted no time, because the landing he had after hitting those trees was… not graceful at all.

He had already inspected every inch of his left wing, the one that hurt more. He did not find any wound, other than a few scratches. Now he had his right wing outstretched over his shoulder and onto his lap, limp.

He sighed and caressed slowly the tip of the wing. He saw no muscle or articulation broken, even if he felt beaten and the feathers were messy.

He worried about his wings as much as his hair. He always got grumpy if any of the two was not how he liked it, carefully combed backwards, down and pointed. He only ever let his long flicks of black hair out of place, hanging right beside his face.

Alexis smiled a little and let go of his right wing. He folded it back behind his shoulder, calmly. They were ok, only sore, bruised and tired.

He let himself lean forward; he closed his eyes and huffed when he plopped onto his bed. His wings relaxed and outstretched over his back like a blanket. It could seem like he had fallen asleep, but it was far from true. He could not forget that axe. His wild mind was not helping; he kept on imagining how it would have hurt if…

He let out a huffed growl and shook his head against the leafs on his bed.

No, stop thinking. My wings are not… I am alright.

Alexis yawned, feeling extremely tired. Even if he was exhausted and falling asleep, he kept rambling mentally. He was alive. Thanks to Uriel.

Why did he do it?

His wings gave a final twitch; he blinked one last time, unable to keep himself awake. His body relaxed, like his thoughts did.

He fell into a deep sleep when the sun went down.

————————————-

A tail was moving in slow sways.

Uriel looked up without hurry. He was lying on his back, on the branch where he had slept on. He could see the sunlight, which reflected faintly through the leafs above him. The sun was rising slowly; it was early in the morning.

He had been awake for hours now; as always. But today, something was different. His angel had not woken up early today; unlike he had done every day since he chased him. It was the first time he heard small snores.

Alexis had finally been able to sleep, not only rest slightly. And that fact made Uriel feel guilty.

The young demon stood up a little when he heard a sudden gasp and a strong jolt. The angel had seemingly woken up with a start, and had shaken his wings up when he sat up.

Uriel looked at the opening. His inhuman eyes could see the shadow behind the leafy drapes. He could see him huff and tremble while he sat on his bed. Alexis had a hand on his chest and was staring down at his lap with a dazed expression, like if he had gotten out of a nightmare. He seemed to realize he had fallen asleep… without keeping watch.

Even if Alexis knew he would not be harmed, he still was paranoid. More now, because he was alone. Not even Lykaios roamed nearby now.

Uriel looked with worry and disapproval, because his angel stumbled hurriedly out of bed and fell down in a mess of tangled limbs. After managing to untangle his wings, his head peeked from behind the curtains. He looked outside wearily, at the clearing and its surroundings.

Alexis did not see Uriel, because his dark clothes and his silence always helped him hide in the shadows. The morning light was not making his glowing eyes as obvious.

The blond raised an eyebrow with an annoyed look on his face. Something told him that Uriel was around. He was sure that he was out there somewhere, not only because of the words he had said to him.

Alexis debated going out of his small cave for a long while. It took him a lot to make up his mind about it. When he did, Uriel relaxed; he felt relief when he saw Alexis get out slowly, while hugging his wings around himself. He had feared that his angel would isolate himself in his cave all day.

Once Alexis determined he was alone, he turned with a nervous smile, to look at his garden. The hunters had spotted his nest first, before they found him. Uriel could only frown sadly at the mess they left. Most of Alexis’ things and tools were broken or damaged. But the worst was his garden; almost every plant was stepped on or cut off. The three had wrecked his plantation; they had wanted to erase anything that could help him. They wrecked the garden to steal away his main source of food, not knowing he also ate fish.

Uriel fumbled with his hands and looked down when Alexis walked tiredly towards the garden. Even if his amber eyes were showing sorrow, there was determination in them. The demon felt true wonder when he saw the slender angel grab his tools with a frustrated sigh. Alexis got to work fast. He began to fix all the mess, with no breaks. He spent hours on the task, and he did not bother to eat or have dinner. He managed to plug out every broken root, fix the terrain, and straighten all the plants that could be saved. He managed to salvage some tools while at it, thanks to some spare rope. It took him all day.

The sun was setting. Alexis nodded with approval and admired the garden, which was better to look at now. It was still not the same, but it would be a matter of time until it regrew.

His thoughts were interrupted when his stomach rumbled. He pouted and glared at it. He always forgot his needs when he worked.

He would have maybe lighted a fire to cook some fish… but he did not. Uriel tried to crouch more on the branch, silently; because Alexis was now glancing around him again, with yet another weary look. Sadly, the sun had gone away and darkness had fallen. The demon gasped silently, because he was unable to hide his presence. Those amber eyes spotted him in the shadows. Their gazes met, and they never broke eye contact.

Uriel watched as Alexis began to back away backwards, towards his cave. He did slowly and carefully, without turning or giving him his back, never daring to look away from him. While Alexis retreated, he stayed still, to not scare him off.

Alexis got inside without eating anything, and did not get out again. He did not sleep either, there were no snores that night.

He was still alert.

——————————————-

Uriel splashed some water onto his face, strongly and firmly. It did not bother him that it messed his hairstyle, even if he was very squeamish and liked to keep it smooth.

He hoped the cool water of the lake would help him clear his thoughts. It did not.

“…Why?”

Uriel had tried to leave. He had really tried.

He had spent two days watching Alexis go on his routine, which was full of the nervousness he now knew defined him. He watched for two days… and he could not take it any longer. He had left; he headed back towards his manor, in order to leave him alone. He had wanted Alexis to stop worrying, to rest from his unending vigilance. But things had not gone as planned.

One week; a whole week he had been near the clearing after his attempt at staying away.

Uriel grabbed his horns and pulled at them angrily; he closed his eyes shut and bit his lip with a fang.

When he had left, the pulse in his chest had grown, with every single step he took away from his angel. It ended up hurting, and soon made him unable to keep himself away for long.

When he had been waiting for Alexis to attack first, his heart had felt bound, twisted. It had not been painful, even if it felt wrong. Something made his heart beat too fast, something flowed in his veins. And when he began to search for him… every step he took closer loosened that ache.

He had not realized it until now, now that he wanted to go away. He could not leave. He tried, but the ache was unbearable, always beating like it could break him inside out. He could not ignore it, it was always there. He had gone back to his manor, but he only stayed there for a day. He came back to these woods, because the ache and something in him begged him to do so. The spell in him was unbearable, it haunted him. And so, it troubled his angel too, who had to suffer his constant presence.

Is this feeling what makes us demons so anxious to find the angels we are bound with? Is this what drives us to kill?

Uriel was crying without tears, while he curled his tail around his frame. He was not near the clearing yet, he was keeping his distance. Near, but not enough to see or hear him. And it made him feel… something he could not define. He could feel his blood boil, pound. It was not something nice to feel, even if it had been worse before, when he was so far away. He had no idea what to do about it.

Killing him was not an option. As much as he wanted to deny it, he now believed. He couldn’t keep fooling himself with stupid claims. He had seen too many times the dread in those amber eyes. The care and emotion; all what would never define an angel. He should not be near him as well. Not when he was causing him so much stress and anxiousness. He was not letting him sleep or rest, too dreadful of lowering his guard while he roamed. No matter what, he was stuck, incapable of solving anything without drastic measures.

I am only being a damn creep… But I can’t just go away either. It hurts.

“Damn it all!”

He slammed his fist on a rock and made it crack noisily. All the birds around the lake flew away, scared by his lament.

Uriel took a few deep raspy breaths to try to keep himself from going mad. He now would define his plight like a burn you couldn’t relieve by any means. An itch, which flowed inside, where one could not scratch or claw. And it was impossible to ignore, no matter how much he tried to distract himself. He had tried to play his harp in his manor the day he had stayed away. He also tried to cook or practice some chess. He tried everything, anything to keep his mind busy. Nothing made him feel better. He surrendered. Here he was again, and it was shameful. It was demeaning.

Those blue eyes know too much. She knew damn well that this would happen.

“Aaaaaaleeeex?!”

Speaking of the devil…

Uriel was at the shore of the lake; a place which Alexis now roamed less, because he knew Uriel could wander. It was close to the clearing, but far enough, with water and food. Ayako knew Alexis frequented it.

She stepped onto the humid ground that composed the spacious surroundings of the lake. Her blue eyes met his violet ones. Uriel’s expression filled with shyness when she smiled. She approached him yet again without fear.

“Looking for an angel, and I find a devil! Have you grown a taste for fish as well, Uri?”

He pouted grumpily, and only made her laugh with the nervous waves of his tail.

“My taste is refined! I know better than to base my diet only on fish! I’m not obsessed on them like him!”

She only gave him a sheepish smile and leaned closer to his side. She spoke with a tone that got a timid growl out of him.

“Really? Huh, it would suit you better than Alexis, considering how you resemble a big buffy lion, with your claws, and those little fangs peeking from your-”

“Do you really have to make comments like that and put nicknames on everything?”

“Yes, Ariel!”

He gave her a blank stare. He had no comments for the pun she just made. She switched a single letter and called him a name that literally meant lion. After getting out of his bafflement, he raised a finger at her, with an eyebrow raised. He resigned to her demeanor.

“…Ok, you may call me Uri, but not that. You sure are an odd human.” Not that he really minded, though he would never tell her that. “Now, I’m really glad to see you are well again, Ayako; but if you don’t mind, move along. Alexis is at his nest, probably trying to snatch fish near the waterfall.”

With that, he sat again at the shore and mumbled something she did not manage to catch. He began to ignore her.

Ayako pondered while Uriel waited patiently for her to leave. He was not surprised when she did not take off; she spoke again, after staring at him for a while.

“I really had no reason to worry about leaving him alone.”

Uriel looked at her over his shoulder. She did not miss how he was blushing faintly, or how his voice was even shyer.

“O-of course you did not have to worry! I told you already, I don’t-!” He halted for a moment with a snarl. Ayako was surprised when he confessed. “I don’t even think he might plot against me! There, I said it! Happy?! Stop thinking I could be a menace towards him! I am not!”

Ayako lost her mocking smile, because Uriel hugged his knees tightly and glared holes through the water of the lake. He was obviously uncomfortable.

He heard her next words even if she whispered. She spoke with a tone much more soft and serious; he did not hear a trace of mockery or mischievousness.

“Then, why are you still here, Uriel?”

She knew already, as he trembled and doubted to answer. One of his hands moved, to brush his chest.

“I- I don’t know…”

The demon didn’t have enough determination to run away from the conversation; he was too nervous to even move as she sat at his side. She looked at him with wonder, and the lack of fear any other human would have.

He still did not get her; she spoke to him like an equal. Demons were never seen as such by her kind.

“Does it hurt?”

Ayako had no doubt of what afflicted him. She saw how his figure was suffering subtle trembling, how his tail was not stopping moving, and how he couldn’t stop fumbling with his nervous claws. His thoughts were chaotic.

Uriel clenched his teeth and cursed mentally, realizing that Ayako knew about his plight.

“You are very clever.”

“I am. After all, one must be if they want to be a hunter. But you did not answer my question.”

Ayako had read a lot in her life, about every single creature in the world. Demons were not an exception. They were the beings that could compete with her for the kill. They could steal away any angel she chased, and so, she had to know about them. She knew that a demon which was bound to an angel felt a strong pulse in its body, until the angel died. That ache was what told them they were being hunted by a winged being; that they had to kill to survive. It was not a pleasant sensation, she knew. But she did not know to which extent it hurt. The books could never tell more than words.

By the look of it, Uriel was troubled. She was seeing it was not something that could be ignored. It seemed like it was slowly making him lose his mind.

Uriel glanced sideways at her, shyly. All his hostility was gone.

“I can’t seem to be able to leave. This sensation… It does not hurt like a wound. But I just… it’s too much. I swear, I don’t want to bother either of you.”

He bowed his head, feeling ashamed. He grew quiet, having a sudden thought.

Why am I even talking to her? She surely thinks I’m a weakling, a selfish bastard, a moron who still dares to trouble her friend and-

Uriel jolted a little, because he felt a sudden touch. Something brushed his hand. He slowly looked down and stared in awe at her hand, which was on top of his. He slowly leaned his head to look her in the eye, and he felt even more confused than before. She was smiling up at him, with kindness and empathy. He lost himself in those blue eyes, in her voice. Her voice was the only thing he could hear, her touch was the only thing he felt, while she tried to comfort him.

“If you keep staying this far from him… you will keep on feeling this horrible ache.”

Uriel frowned and clenched his hands, afraid of brushing her with his nails. Ayako sighed with disapproval when he despaired.

“And what I am supposed to do? I have seen the fear I cause him, and I don’t blame him for feeling that way. I can’t keep on creeping around him like-”

“If you just push away your shyness, and stop thinking he will run or hate your presence, you can stop feeling like this, Uriel.”

He blinked when she let go of his hand, in order to stand again. He realized that while she had been holding his claw, he had been able to ignore the ache. Not anymore, because she turned to leave. She halted for a moment with a warm smile, to give him some last advice.

“One would think he should be afraid of someone who has killed his kind; that he should hate. But strangely enough, he does not despise me, or push me away. Me, someone who wanted to rip his wings off. Granted, he did fear when we met, indeed, but… he does not anymore. I like to think it is because I breached the walls he tried to keep at first.”

Ayako walked away, with no more words to be said. She let him follow her trail of thought. He did. And it only made him doubt more.

Now he could swear the ache was stronger. And the only thing he could do was hold himself and growl tiredly, all alone.