Alexis was staring down at his hands while he sat in the small kitchen. He just kept quiet while Uriel made dinner. All was eerily silent, other than the sounds Uriel made while he cooked.

I am such an idiot…

Alexis felt horrible. Through the week, Uriel had not spoken much. He had a cold demeanor around him; he only said the most necessary and nothing else. He was avoiding him at all costs, but he was not showing anger towards him. His demon kept trying to keep it all hidden under a calm smile, which never reached his eyes. His voice was monotone as well.

Uriel just seemed… depressed. And it was his fault, for going into that room, for asking things he had no business in.

While Alexis thought to himself, Uriel sighed and took the food he made from the counter, a seafood salad. Alexis worried when he gently laid the plate on the table, because he had only made one plate. The salad was for him, Uriel did not make any for himself.

Alexis frowned when Uriel turned and began to walk towards the door. Not wanting him to leave, he raised a hand and called timidly.

“Uriel, wait.”

The devil halted, because he never refused to listen. His tired eyes showed no hatred or rancor. Still, Alexis doubted while he glanced back and forth between the demon and the food. He dared to ask at last, after he swallowed his shame.

“You are not going to eat anything?”

His demon had not been eating much these days. He had skipped multiple meals. And again he did it now. Uriel shook his head with a little smile, while he averted his gaze.

“I’m not hungry.” He waved his tail at him and left with one last whisper. “Don’t worry about it.”

Alexis did worry. He was left alone; Uriel was still refusing to talk much. He could only sit there, helplessly. No matter how much Uriel tried to hide it, Alexis could feel the sadness that flowed in him. He knew well that he missed his family.

He knew how it felt to miss someone…

Alexis did not feel like eating either. But he still reached for the food, not wanting it to go to waste.

Uriel was not angry with him. He hoped so.

———————————————————————

Angels were not emotional creatures. But they still had a heart, no matter how they tried to suppress it deep inside. They hid and ignored every trait that made them similar to humans, which they considered immensely inferior.

Alexis sometimes wondered if he could be called an angel at all. But he was. One thing that defined angels, was their ability to sense. Sense the emotions around them, which they analyzed coldly and then acted upon. Alexis could very well be the only one who truly paid attention to those emotions. He let himself be influenced by them; he felt them, and he did not hide it.

The angel was walking through a corridor towards the main hall, without raising his gaze. He was letting the tip of his wings drag a little along the floors behind him, with each tired step he took.

He could not stand seeing Uriel so torn.

Alexis smiled less and less, with every day that passed by. Uriel still held a friendly demeanor around him. He knew he was not angry with him, because there were no glares, no mean words… But he could not understand why he was being so cold. Even if his demon never ignored him and still prepared the food for the day, he was avoiding him. He spent more time in the lower basement, in his room, locked away.

Alexis maybe knew why, deep inside. Family was something one held dearly, the closest thing one had to their heart. No matter if related by blood or not.

He understood. He had tried to forget as well.

Alexis pushed the entrance doors open, with no armors that saw him do so in the middle of the night. He did not doubt to walk down the steps into the courtyard; no matter if the moon loomed high in the sky, no matter if the wind was cold. He turned around the corner of an outer wall and halted at his garden. He stood there, glancing with tired eyes at the grown plants. They were not sprouts anymore, they kept growing. It seemed they would give fruit soon. Uriel had said, before the incident, that he was surprised that he had managed to make anything grow and survive.

He would have stayed there; he would have busied his mind with some extra care for the terrain… but he had already done that for multiple days. He could not ignore it anymore. His shoulders trembled when he walked away through the gates. A single tear escaped his eyes, while he tried to keep it all inside. He did not go far. He only walked a little away from the manor, because he could see a small clearing ahead, between trees.

Maybe it was close enough.

Will do…

———————————-

 

He was hiding in the shadows, between stony pillars, far from the big fireplace at the top of some steps. His mind was pounding, he hurt in the dark. His violet eyes glinted in the shade while they stared at nothing, unable to see clearly. He saw too many memories, instead of the present.

Uriel growled; his frame shook with a silent sigh. He did not want to cry, but another tear fell down. Between his tormented thoughts, one pounded strongly.

It is not Alexis’ fault.

And even then, he was here. He was still hurting. No matter how much had he debated with himself, no matter how much he had buried those memories years ago. It did not matter that he could not remember clearly.

He held himself and shrank more in the shadows of his room, leaning against a cold wall. His claws scratched his black vest, but he did not care. His nails sunk more when he tried to contain another raspy breath.

He knew… he knew well that he should let go of it. He should not feel like that anymore.

However, he still avoided the angel. He hid, instead of lashing out like he did at first. He could not ignore or push away the painful emotions in his heart. He had remembered again; his memories were only making his apprehension and prejudice grow. He was scared, again, without reason, for possible acts against his life. He knew it was senseless. And it hurt.

Uriel leaned his head onto his knees, refusing to cry. His tail brushed away the single tear on his cheek.

I am stronger than this… I must push it all away; bury it again in my mind. It does not matter; there is no reason to let it out. I must forget all that happe-

He gasped, because he felt something tremble, other than himself. He sat there, frozen, confused for a moment. But after he regained his mind and came back to the present, his claw was fast to dash to reach into a pocket. His breathing fastened as he took out the gem; his eyes opened fully, with fear for what he saw. The stone was beating differently, the golden glow was flowing towards one direction, and one edge was pounding.

Alexis had moved away.

Uriel stood sharply and hit his tail against the wall in anxiousness. He brushed his real heart with his free claw, wanting to make sure this was not a mistake. Indeed, even if very faint, the ache was a little stronger now. It was barely noticeable, but it was there, it was a small difference. It confirmed that Alexis was out the manor… And not just at his garden, but a little farther away.

Uriel did not doubt that Alexis wouldn’t plot against him. It was clear as water. He had seen with his own eyes. And yet…

The demon frowned, a darker expression on his face. His pain, sorrow and thoughts only made him fear the worst. He asked himself why Alexis would be outside.

He had to see. And know why. He surely was just cutting some wood… even if there was already a lot at the doors for him to take. Maybe he was just having a walk… in the middle of the night.

Night… Alexis does not like the dark.

Uriel huffed and bolted out of his room, slamming the door open. His heavy footsteps echoed all through while his feet dashed fast. He headed directly for the entrance.

He did not want to doubt. But doubt he did, because a thousand broken memories still haunted him.

It was not long until he reached the main hall. His eyes narrowed with suspicion and anger, because the doors were slightly open. They were almost closed, but a small glint of moonlight managed to get in. He slowed a little his steps, growing silent as a feline. The doors did not make a sound as he opened them. He glanced at the courtyard, wearily; his irises sharpened and adapted quickly to the dark.

He did not call his angel, because he wanted to see him first. He wanted to have the upper claw, even if he had no reason to do so. There was no reason at all. His claws clenched while he stepped down the steps. He grabbed again the gem that told him where Alexis was. He was going to give it another glance, to ponder, but he halted dead on his tracks at the gate; because he heard something. It was a faint sound, which no human would hear, far and subtle.

He was not human. He heard it clearly. It was faint crying.

He slowly turned to look at the trees. He narrowed his eyes to discern the shadows in the distance, and indeed, he noticed that there was someone there. A figure, which was sitting on a tree stump, shaking slightly, hugged by two shiny and protective wings.

Alexis tried to hold back another silent sob; he clenched his teeth and ignored the jolt his wings gave. He tried to focus on the warmth of his feathers, which brushed and shielded him of the breeze. However, this time they were not managing to make him feel any better, because there was no danger, no fear. There was only the feeling that something was missing. He closed his eyes and hid his face onto his arms, below his wings. Their tips were brushing the ground at his sides, as he sat curled onto himself. He let out a few trembling exhales, noticing well how his body shook, with nothing he could do about it. He clenched his hands around his arms, he tried to calm down. But it was pointless, he could only cry silently. All the sorrow he had been burying had finally overflowed, with the same force that waterfall had. He could not keep the tears from falling.

He had tried to ignore the reality that surrounded him, the fact that he would never go home. He couldn’t, he never would by his own hand.

“I’m sorry, Angus.”

What is his uncle going through?

He was sure that his only family had to be furious. He knew him. The only reason that could explain why he had not jumped was that he had been detained. The elders would never let anyone intervene in a hunt.

Has he even been allowed to see I am alright? That my demon is not evil, and that I will not die in a hopeless fight? Will he… be able to not mourn my disappearance?

Alexis couldn’t know; he had no way to answer those questions. And it hurt.

The angel had deemed that this clearing was a good place to let his sorrow and worries go free. It was far, enough to not be heard in the manor. And at the same time, it was close enough to not hurt Uriel. So he cried silently, not bothering to repress his small jolts or raspy breaths anymore.

He was unaware that he was not as alone as he had planned. He gasped when a loud crack echoed. Something shattered to pieces behind him, and that, made him lower his wings and look up dreadfully, startled.

Uriel was glaring coldly at the broken stone at his feet, emotionless, not caring that Alexis saw him in the shadows. Both watched silently how the golden glow faded from the stone; it left the gem without color, with huge cracks all over it, because of the strong hit against the ground. The gem was unable to fall intact, not with Uriel’s fierce throw; he had hauled it down, intentionally.

Alexis’ amber eyes filled with confusion and shame when Uriel looked up, at him. His violet eyes had shame as well, but based in his regret.

How blind I’ve been.

“You are not like…”

Alexis did not dare move an inch when Uriel neared. He approached slowly. He towered at his side, but looked down at him calmly. After a moment, he slowly leaned and crouched to his eye level, knelling on the ground. Alexis shivered, not knowing what to do while Uriel reached with a claw for one of his wrists. He did not dare move or speak, still shocked that he was there. He just followed Uriel’s focused gaze. One of his claws took and held his hand, while the other raised a nail onto the black bracelet.

Alexis frowned and felt a little apprehensive when that nail tangled with fire. The flames did not burn, not in the slightest. He only felt warmth when Uriel clawed at the bracelet precisely, until he made a crack on it. The bracelet opened, after such a long time. It was not closed by the spell that the demon inflicted anymore.

Uriel sighed and let go of Alexis; he was not surprised when he saw him grab his wrist with a puzzled expression. He spoke to his angel with shame, unable to meet his baffled and thoughtful eyes.

“I’m sorry, Alexis. I should have opened them a long time ago.”

He tried to reach for his other wrist and remaining bracelet. But to his surprise, Alexis held it away from his reach. His wings shook when he looked at him and questioned, confused.

“W-why remove them? I did not mind. They are harmless.”

Uriel stared at the angel for a full minute. Alexis kept the other bracelet out of reach, with a reprimanding look on his eyes. The demon leaned his head to a side, not understanding why the angel was looking at him that way.

“They help me know where you are. I have been using them to make sure I had you on check, I have been an reckless coward. I-”

Alexis interrupted him, with a serious comment.

“They are not tight, they are not uncomfortable. They are kind of nice to wear.”

Uriel blinked when Alexis took the opened bracelet on the ground and inspected it with a curious frown.

“Ayako gave me a lot of things. Food, tools, clothes… You did as well.”

He actually liked the bracelets. They seemed heavy, but they were light and soft to the touch; even more so, the stone had adapted to his wrists. They seemed to have been made for him, because they really were.

Alexis smiled a little, seeing that the bracelet was now able to be opened and closed freely. The crack Uriel made had been there since the very beginning; it was the demon’s will what locked them all around. He laughed a little and relaxed his wings at his sides, to then give Uriel a calm look.

“If you don’t mind, could I keep them? Or, do you need the stones?”

“No, I don’t think I’ll need them, at all.”

There was a double meaning in those words.

Alexis stayed still while Uriel took his other wrist. The fire did not burn him, no matter how close it was to his skin, no matter how fierce it looked to be. Uriel brushed another nailed finger along the bracelet and allowed it to open. Those amber eyes filled with gratefulness, and then looked at the trinkets with wonder. Uriel backed a little away, feeling unsure.

“Thanks, Uriel.”

The demon did not understand why the angel felt grateful.

There was silence. Uriel limited himself to keep sitting on the ground besides the tree stump, while Alexis kept on looking at the bracelets. They kept quiet, because neither knew what to say or do. They only had light thanks to the moon shining above.

Uriel had seen his sorrow. He had finally seen how much Alexis hurt in reality. He leaned an inch, to glance sideways at the blond. Alexis was still crying a little while he looked down sadly at his hands. He had a small smile on his lips, which did not reflect on his tired expression.

How could I have thought I was the only one who hurt? How could I have felt that I was the only one to have experienced loss? How could I have dared do so? Alexis misses his own as much as I do. So how could I have ever indulged the thought that he could be like the monster I saw once?

He couldn’t anymore.

Alexis did not look up when Uriel whispered a quiet question.

“You miss him, don’t you?”

Uriel had heard him.

Alexis hugged himself with his arms and let his wings slump backwards along his back. Uriel knew that if Alexis were uncomfortable with the question, he would be holding himself with them. It was not the case as he took his time to answer.

“Very. But at least I know he is still there. That he is ok. I should not think about it.”

Uriel can’t say the same…

Both missed their family too much. They were not different in that.

“We both wish we could see them again, huh?

Alexis blinked, not expecting Uriel to speak up about the matter again. Not after looking so hurt about it.

“Uriel, I didn’t mean to-”

“I owe them everything. I do not wish to forget them, I can’t. I have no reason to not voice my memory of them.”

Alexis did not understand why Uriel was smiling a little, like if he did not mind talking about it now. His tail was swaying on the ground, his teeth showed as he chuckled a little.

“Even if I was a demon, even if they were human…” Even if we were different. “They took me in as their own son, with no trace of doubt.”

Alexis frowned, because the only possible answer was confirmed. Humans rarely related with demons, yet they had adopted him. Uriel only showed love while he spoke, remembering well all the time he lived with them.

“They did not see me as a devil. They did not think they should leave me. They saw me as a person, when I most needed it.”

Alexis raised an eyebrow when Uriel turned to face him with a look full of care and understanding. He laid his claws on his shoulders gently, and then spoke calmly and firmly, without doubt in his words.

“Since I was born, I was taught that humans were afraid of us. That they would repulse us, evade us, or maybe fight us if the situation allowed them to.” He shook his head and smiled with anger and sarcasm. “I was wrong. I was a young demon, who was lost, who had lost everything. And everything they gave to me. Humans, who I believed would kill me for what I was. I was wrong with them. And how blind I was about you as well…”

Alexis could only muster one word, from the depths of his wild mind. Uriel already knew he would ask, as always, out of worry.

“Lost?”

Uriel nodded, narrowed his eyes and looked away, smile not faltering.

“I feared you so much…” It was not easy to admit. “You don’t know how much, Alexis. I really thought you would kill me, in cold blood.”

Uriel closed his eyes and let go of his shoulders; he got ready to confess why he had been so scared. Alexis felt a shiver and froze when he heard the next words.

“I saw an angel once… And it was nothing like you.” It was not kind; it was not cheerful below a feigned bad temper. There was no trace of a hopeful smile, or generosity in its eyes. It did not have a good heart; it did not have that amusing clumsiness, or that curious determination. It was not Alexis. “It was a monster.”

The only things they had in common were the wings. But that still was not the same.

Uriel clenched his fangs, still haunted by the flashes of white wings, in his very own mind. Those memories would burn forever in his conscience, even if he could not remember everything. It was a hellish night. All brought by an angel.

He looked at Alexis again. The blond was now moving his wings subtly, and his eyes were filling with shame, surely imagining what he could have lived through.

Uriel kept speaking, even if the angel was now shrinking under his golden feathers. He needed to let it out, even if it hurt. He needed to do it to show how wrong he was, for distrusting someone who had a good soul, who did not have a single similarity with that angel. His voice tangled with bitterness and focus, because he could barely remember more than flashing glints of fire.

“I was just a child, so many years ago. I have forgotten how many, but… I still remember that I lived in a small village, one inhabited by my kind. We were as prosperous as humans would be in a small community; we all cooperated, even if of different traits and ways.” His eyes narrowed with hate. When his tail whipped the ground, Alexis’ wings shook. “Of course… It was the perfect place for a demon bound to an angel to seek help. That devil ran into our village, knowing perfectly that he would lure his angel to us all. He was a selfish bastard, a loner. I don’t remember much of what happened after his arrival… but I remember the flames.”

He could sometimes feel like it was still happening around him.

————————————

A loud ringing echoed…

A claw raised and emerged from below debris, slowly and shakily. Two small horns surfaced from the dust. A young demon gasped for air, desperate to breathe after having been buried below scorching rune. His whole frame trembled and jolted while he tried to crawl out of the heavy rubble. All had fallen over him. His eyes blinked in a daze. His vision was blurry and foggy; he could not see clearly, not only for the smoke and dust around him. His head hurt, he was shocked and confused. But no matter how he felt, he kept on crawling with the help of his small claws; he followed his instinct of survival.

The small devil managed to crawl out the debris, with cuts on his body and arms. He had no serious wounds. He could discern voices, between the loud ringing he kept hearing. He regained a little of his sight, and so saw that he was in a small house. Well… It was one before. All had crumbled down. A lot of fire surrounded him, all over the structure. Luckily, no flames reached him, because the fallen stone shielded him, for the moment.

He soon saw the blood near him.

Adrenaline flowed through him. He cowered away from the mass of ruin at his side, what surely had been the roof. There was a claw, which peeked from below the stone, buried and deformed under the weight. Before he could scream, another one did, too close. The scream had echoed outside. His head whipped fast, he looked through a big hole on a wall.

Another demon was running. Right there, in the street. Uriel gasped when something white flashed… and that demon fell forward.

He hid between the debris, which he had problems recognizing as his home. He held his breath with one claw and ignored the cut he had on it. He could only stare with fearful eyes, as he tried to hide as much as possible.

He could not remember much of what had happened before he crawled out the debris. He could barely think, not even knowing if he had lived among the ruins.

He only knew one thing, something obvious: what had done this was still around. He should have closed his eyes. He should have covered his ears. Instead, he just kept watching in a trance. He heard and saw everything. He saw the angel march; fly surely in the air, mace in hand, his other one shining with a flaming spell. The angel’s lips whispered words he did not understand, but which he knew that brought the screams he heard.

Flames went down onto every building, or any devil who tried to flee. The mace struck down anyone brave or stupid enough to try to fight back. That thing was smiling calmly, not even blinking as blood poured down at its feet. It was taking its time to seek and find every demon that lived there. Its strong steps echoed as it strode.

Uriel hid, for a full hour, not knowing if to run. He did not want to dare, because he had seen the angel’s eyes, sharp like the ones of an eagle, able to spot every movement around it. Its cold gaze could see everything. Any try at fleeing only resulted in yet another pained scream.

The poor devil pressured more his claw against his mouth and kept his eyes shut. He did not dare look, because he saw a glimpse of those white wings, too close to his hideout.

Footsteps… Close. Then, silence.

He held his breath. He was able to remember some distorted words, told to him by someone he could not name anymore. Angels had good hearing.

He waited… and waited. Every step made him think the angel was closer. There was silence, he had seen many fall. He prayed he was not the last one.

He almost was. There was a fearful loud heave at the other side of his former home. He heard a loud thud, followed by a pained whimper. Then, silence again.

Uriel lowered his hands and opened his eyes, unable to stop his tail from twitching. He dared to peek, glance outside again. He cried when he saw the back of the angel, those white wings, tainted in red. It was now standing on the street, with a wounded demon at its feet. The devil was wounded, but still alive.

The angel folded his wings, and then laughed silently. The mace came down again. In a matter of minutes, a strong glow grew, while the blood poured. The monster began to fade away, because its objective had lost its life.

The angel had waited to end its devil, in order to kill others before going home. But that, the young devil did not understand, not yet. It took him a lot of time to realize he was alone… that the angel was finally gone.

Uriel stood, not without almost falling over when his legs wobbled. He held his tail between his hands, while his eyes cried with shock and dread. He took doubtful steps towards the street. He shook; his eyes stared unfocused at all the scorched homes. There was no one there, no one alive.

A faint wail echoed, and no one heard it. He cried loudly, trying to remember for dear life, trying to guess which of the burning corpses could give him a clue of who he was. He could only remember his name, because the voices in his head were distorted. All was shadowed by white feathers and flames.

He ended up moving, after hours of kneeling there in fright. He began to walk, unable to keep looking without seeing.

But he had nowhere to go. He did not know which roads to take. His village had been far from everything, far from anyone. And there was not a single trace of his kind, not anymore. He only managed to get lost in the woods.

His violet eyes were empty, but still cried. His claws brushed his belly in multiple occasions, hungry. He roamed for days, without a clue of where he was going.

The little demon was running out of strength. He leaned tiredly against a tree, gasping for air, exhausted. But he blinked and looked up again, because he saw a road between the tall trees. He could see… a house.

In said house, a couple stood in a kitchen. A man laughed while he dropped sugar on every plate, even if his wife told him not to. He chuckled when two strong arms pulled him from behind and hugged him. His wife did not let go, not even when he brushed some cream onto her nose.

That moment was interrupted. Both stopped looking at each other when a strong thud echoed. Something that seemed like…

“Were those…?”

“Scratching noises?”

They both left their food. The noise had been like a weak knock, at the doors. The man gasped in horror when he opened them, because he saw a kid, there, lying with cuts and bruises on the stairs. She frowned as her husband rushed to pick up the child, carefully.

Uriel had not been able to keep going, and so had fainted at the steps. Both saw the horns when they picked him up, that tail and fangs as well. But after they exchanged a concerned glance… they could not care less. Not when the poor boy had bruises, cuts, and looked so exhausted.

Dario was the one to show more worry and panic, even if they both were concerned. Eulalia stayed calm while they took care of the demon, who was still unconscious.

When Uriel finally woke up, it was to a faint smell. His nose twitched, his small claws brushed what he was laying on. He felt like if a horse had stepped all over him, or a whole herd. He whined, and then moved one of his claws to his forehead, waking slowly. However, he opened his eyes suddenly, because he remembered the white.

And white he saw.

He jolted onto a sitting position, his foggy vision made him panic when he saw the white blankets over him. His tail shivered when a voice echoed at his side.

“Easy there, you should not move, much less like that!”

Uriel was fast to turn and face the other side of the bed. His eyes cried when he saw clear colored eyes, a man sitting on a chair at his side. He did not notice the care and worry right away. Dario frowned when the boy tried to back off from him. Eulalia stepped into the room just in time to see how Uriel cowered to the edge of the bed, and to see how he fell onto his back on the ground, in a nervous and scared mess.

The demon did not bother to stand again. He let out another sob and clenched his small fangs, hugging himself on the ground.

Humans. He remembered, clearly.

Will they want blood? Sell my skull for gold? Torment me for trespassing into their territory? Do some crazy human thing?

He dared open an eye, because he heard some calm steps. He lowered his claws a little, because he saw the woman leave a bowl on the bedside table. She turned to look down at him, but she did not near. They knew he was panicking, so Eulalia spoke slowly and calmly, something that did not match her stern appearance.

“Are you hungry?”

Uriel did not answer; he kept quiet for a full minute. He just stared up at her, confused. His stomach ended up talking for him, because he had not eaten in days. He nodded a little in shame, without meeting their eyes.

He would have sworn the bowl had poison, but he could smell clearly. He could smell that it was some kind of meat soup, with seasonings.

The Drago exchanged concerned glances when Uriel finally tried to stand, slowly. He looked at them with weariness and dread.

“I- I- Why…”

Dario sighed, smiled patiently and shook his head with disapproval.

“Calm down kid, we are not going to hurt you.” He raised a hand and pointed with a worried smile. “Please, eat something. You… You really need it.”

Uriel would have not taken that bowl. But he obeyed reluctantly, because he was asked to do so, kindly. He took the bowl slowly, doubting to take a first sip. He dared to drink, because the human and his own stomach were begging him to. He drank slowly, even if he was starving. The taste was delicious; he could not remember eating something like this, as simple as it was. He let out a raspy breath when he finished, and then stared down at his claws with shame.

He only looked up when he heard a question.

“What’s your name?”

There was no malice in the human’s voice. He met the man’s eyes, and only saw kindness.

“U-uriel?”

He questioned every single thing he remembered being told when he saw them both smile at him.

“It’s a sweet name.”

———————————–

 

“I may miss them. But…” Uriel confessed, as he brushed his eyes with a claw. “What has made me avoid you was the memory of why I found them.”

Thanks to an angel.

Alexis’ wings had been lowering more and more, with each word Uriel let out. He told him everything. Uriel winced when he looked at his angel’s eyes. Alexis was shaking slightly, with a deep frown, as the shame and guilt grew in his mind at an alarming rate. He was horrified that one of his kind had done that. He had never liked the idea of slaying demons, and now that he heard it from Uriel’s point of view, much less.

Uriel would not have that.

“Alexis, with this I did not mean-!” He raised his claws a little, with a sorrowful look in his eyes. “What I am trying to say, is that you are different! Y-you… You are…”

He was not that angel. He had no right to blame him like that.

Alexis relaxed a little when Uriel let out a raspy breath and bowed his head, to whisper more quietly.

“I should have seen it right away, like how I saw that they were not what I believed. There are evil humans, there are virtuous ones. Just like my own kind.” Uriel’s claws opened and closed as he tried to find words. “T-that thing might have been a monster. For me, it was! But what gave me the right to see you as one? How could I let my own convictions blind me? How can I condemn your whole kind?”

“My kind does kill without thought.”

Uriel stopped. Alexis was looking at the distance with narrowed eyes. His hands were clenched on his arms, and his wings were folded again. He was tense, but sure of what he had said.

The demon huffed, closed his eyes and leaned his head up with exasperation. He answered Alexis with the same seriousness and sureness.

“Devils do kill as well.”

Both spoke.

“We are the first that…”

“We don’t want…”

Both looked at the other in the eye, and neither needed to say more.

They stayed silent. Alexis did not hold himself with his wings, while Uriel did curl up and hug himself. Both decided to keep on letting out their frustration and sadness in silence, not caring that the other could see. Both understood that they both missed something, something that they would never retrieve.

They were not so different.

Uriel growled, feeling pure impotence stabbing his heart. There was a way in which Alexis could go back home. But now that he knew him… he knew Alexis would never think of it as an option.

Not that he wished to die. But still, it made him feel useless.

How could I have thought that this angel was a beast?

He needed to break the stone he made to control him, as soon as he saw him there, crying. He was not his to keep bound, to suffer. Alexis could have a lot of reasons to hate him, but instead, he stayed at his side.

Both were grateful for the company. Both had felt alone.

The two were too exhausted, mentally and physically… to notice the red eyes that watched in the dark. Sharp bloody eyes, which narrowed in the shadows, with wonder. Their words had been heard and deliberated deeply by that being.

The angel wants to go home… and…

Its sharp teeth crooked into a sick grin, when it saw how those violet eyes glanced at the angel. It was a glance full of guilt, of longing, desperation. He wanted to help, but he did not know how.

The bat laughed silently, and then untangled its black wings slowly, to creep away into the night.

Maybe there was a way to help Uriel with his wish… make the angel go away.