Fantasy A Friendly Wager (angel/demon; 1x1 starbear & endersheart)

[starbear]

"A window to fix...?"

Tony sighed again; knowing that bunch, Alula's apartment was completely trashed. No wonder she looked so worn out.

"Look, I'll get things straight with the guys. But in the meantime, if you need a safe place to stay, why not use my place?" He'd made the offer before he even realized what he was saying, and it sounded just as shocking to his ears as it must have to hers. "I'm not trying to make a move on you or anything. I'm just saying, it might be a good idea for you to lay low somewhere until I sort them out."

 

[endersheart]

Alula’s eyes widened and a blush coated her cheeks, he wanted her to do what? Was he trying to insinuate something or just genuinely be nice? Her questions were answered by his next statement, causing her blush to lighten a little. “Oh,” she had to stop the warm expression from crawling onto her features. He was being sweet.

She wasn’t sure if she should take him up on his offer, what if something happened between the two of them? The thought had the pink on her cheeks darkening to a light shade of red. What was he doing to her? Shaking her head, she patted her cheeks a little, “are you sure that’s okay?”​

 

[starbear]

The pink flush on her cheeks did something to Tony - yes, she was an angel, they were supposed to be radiant and all, but were they supposed to be this cute?

"It's just a suggestion. I feel I kinda owe you, since those idiots did that in my name," he said, with a shrug. "And, well...I didn't know if you had anywhere else to go."

 

[endersheart]

— "It's just a suggestion. I feel I kinda owe you, since those idiots did that in my name,"

A small smile found its way onto her lips, he was definitely just being kind. Truth be told, she didn’t have anywhere else to go. She could probably stay at her place, highly risky, but plausible. She could make someone feel like they owe her a place to stay, but she’d feel bad for doing it. She could also take Tony up on his offer which, to her, seemed the smartest yet stupidest thing to do.

Looking up as him, she nodded, “do you have a guest bedroom.. or?” For some reason, the idea of sharing a bed with him was embarrassing and not such a bad thought at the same time.​

 

[starbear]

"Oh, don't worry, there's plenty of room in my bed," he said, unable to stop himself from teasing her. He laughed though, and added, "Just kidding, Angel. I promise to be a complete gentleman."

He paused a moment, and grinned.

"Unless you'd rather I not be."

 

[endersheart]

Those 5 words had her almost losing it, red dusting across her cheeks again. Her heart was pounding, glancing to the side she shook her head ‘no’ noticeably so. “Do you even know how to be a gentlemen?” There was her signature attitude again, she wouldn’t be herself without it.

“Well.. come on, you might as well show me where you live,” she was looking for anything to get her out of the embarrassing situation. He knew just the right things to say to get her flustered. Then again, with her innocence any talk of those types of activities would probably make her awkward.​

 

[starbear]

Oh, it was so hard not to tease her, but Tony managed to restrain himself as he led the way to his apartment. It was a nice place, spacious with two bedrooms and a balcony that looked out over the city. The place had an air of casual chaos about it, cluttered with random things he'd collected from his time in Assiah: movies, posters, an old stereo and even a guitar.

"Make yourself at home, Angel."

 

[endersheart]

Alula couldn’t help but look around, picking up some things and organizing as she went. She could not live in a place that wasn’t overly neat and tidy. It had to be perfect. Other then the couple of cluttered areas and the occasional out of place item, it was a nice place. She had to admit he had picked a good spot to live.

“So I am staying in the extra bedroom, correct? I mean, if you have a roommate I - we - could sleep on the same bed, but you’re sleeping on the opposite side.” She hummed while looking around the kitchen, she didn’t trust his antics. If he had a roommate, unlikely but possible, she would just make him sleep way away from her.

Coming out of the kitchen she peered at him, “nice place,” she complimented. She gave it a second glance over, nodding, “I’m going to clean it though.. I mean.. like, really clean it.” She gave him an awkward grin with a shrug, “it’s in my nature.”​

 

[starbear]

"No roommate. You've got the run of the place."

He'd had people stay with him before - it was useful to have humans around sometimes, and besides, it got a little....lonely, being here by himself. Not that he was about to admit that.

"But, uh, what do you mean 'clean it?' What's wrong with it as it is?"

 

[endersheart]

The fact that he had no roommate excited her, it meant she got a whole room to herself. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, maybe it would be like living by herself. That would sure be nice. Honestly, the extra company wasn’t even a bad feeling as long as she still got her own privacy. Tony wasn’t as annoying as some people, if anything he seemed to be more fun and let loose. It reminded her of someone.. shaking her head, she caught onto his next words.

“Oh, uh.. nothing is necessarily wrong with it, I’m just a neat freak and all of that. It has to be perfect.” If things didn’t make sense where they were place, she would rearrange it. If she found a spot of dirt, she would clean it. That’s who she was. Whether or not it was due to the fact she was an angel, she wasn’t sure.

A sudden jolt of fatigue ran through her, making her feel like she might collapse. His damn friends, they could have at least left her, her light orb. It was the only thing she had to keep her going. She managed a smile, “don’t worry, I won’t clean anything until after I sleep.” It’s not like sleep was a cure to exhaustion for angels and demons, but it gave them a little boost. She wondered how long she could go like this before she couldn’t. She visibly grimaced at the thought, not like anyone would care about her general suffering.​

 

[starbear]

Tony raised an eyebrow. Perfect? It seemed fine to him. Then again, Alula was probably used to the pristine orderliness of Elysium, while he much preferred the unpredictable chaos of Gehenna.

Oh, well. If straightening up made her happy, what did he care?

(Wait - why was he worried about her being happy?)

He shook his head as if to clear that unbidden thought.

"Well, this room's all yours. Hopefully it's up to your standards," he said, showing her into the second bedroom. It was indeed more tidy, with far less personal effects strewn around. "We can work out ground rules and stuff for this arrangement after you've gotten some rest, okay? Just take it easy for now."

 

[endersheart]

** imma do a little timeskip since she’s just going to sleep anyhow **

— "We can work out ground rules and stuff for this arrangement after you've gotten some rest, okay? Just take it easy for now."

Alula nodded, looking around her room when Tony left she sighed. It was going to be a long couple of weeks. She sat on the bed, noting that her room was a lot more simple than the others, maybe she would bring some of her stuff down here later. Leaning back against the bed, her eyes fluttered closed as she gave into sleep.

—

She slept for a couple of hours, probably about three or four since when she opened her eyes it was dark outside. She looked out of the window of her room for a second, the moonlight illuminating her small form. She felt a little more energetic, not enough to use a bunch of magic, but enough to get her through the next couple of days. Slipping her feet off the bed, she sat up. Raising her arms as a small yawn left her lips.

It was beautiful outside tonight as it was a full moon. She had to assume that meant Tony was stronger, most demons soaked in the light of a full moon. On nights like these she normally stayed inside, not wanting to cause anymore chaos than was warranted.

Standing up, she dragged herself to the bathroom. Turning on the lights to look into the mirror, her reflection was so dull. Was it as obvious to others as it was to her? She was fading. She had to find some other form of light energy, at least temporarily. Turning on the shower, she assumed Tony wouldn’t mind, she waited for the water to warm up.

Upon locking the door and finding a towel, she got undressed and got in. The warmth of the water felt so hydrating on her skin. She let out a blissful sigh, this was heavenly. It took her about 15 minutes to shower, making sure she was nice and clean. She ran a comb through her hair, put some lotion on, and once all of that was said and done she walked back into her room with a towel wrapped around her figure.

She peered out the window with a soft gaze, wondering if Tony had went out for the night. This place was not where she thought she would end up at, with a boy; a demon at that. However, it didn’t seem all that bad anymore. “Is dying supposed to feel so peaceful?” She voiced her thoughts aloud. It was the sad truth, without something to regain her essence - her energy - if she used too much of it she would cause herself to pass on. Maybe that’s why she was so desperate to get back into Empyrean.​

 

[starbear]

After Alula retreated to the bedroom - her bedroom now, he guessed - Tony was left alone to wonder just what the hell he was doing.

Letting an angel into his own home? What was wrong with him? If she was weak, that was good for him - it made it easier to corrupt the human, and secure his ascension (well, descension) back to Gehenna. What did he care if he hadn't played by the rules? What did he care if he hadn't done it on his own? He was a demon - that was what demons did.

And yet...he'd invited her into his home. Offered her shelter, rest, and peace.

Yeah, no wonder he'd gotten banished to Earth. His time here had obviously gotten to his brain.

His friends said as much too, when he finally caught up with them - they hadn't understood his anger, or his insistence that they not go near the angel again, no matter what.

"Assiah's messed with you, man. You obviously need to win this thing more than we thought. Good thing for you we smashed that angel's light orb! Ha, she'll probably be a goner within a week, anyway."

Wait...what?

Tony knew that angels got energy on Assiah in a different way - demons having no compunctions, of course, about taking their energy directly from humans. He didn't know a lot about it, but he'd heard that most angels carried an orb of light that provided them with energy from Elysium. If Alula really had lost hers...

That was bad, wasn't it?

He rushed back home, ignoring his (so-called) friends' calls and jeers. Without thinking he barged right into her room.

"Angel! Hey, did they - ]woah, sorry!"

He did a quick turnabout when he saw Alula standing there in nothing but a towel, and quickly escorted himself back out of the room. He realized his face was flushed and his heart was racing - seriously, what was wrong with him? It wasn't like he'd never been with a girl before.

"Uh, sorry about that," he called, from outside the room, "I just wanted to talk to you."

 

[endersheart]

The darkness in the room hid the red that scattered across Alula’s face when Tony burst in, a loud squeal escaping her lips as she pulled the towel closer to her body. She clung onto it, making sure he couldn’t see any part of her features. She had snapped her gaze to the door just in time to see it close back shut. Clearly he had wasted no time in leaving, either he didn’t want her to throw something at him or he just didn’t see her in that way. Not that it mattered.

“Could you at least knock next time, Tony!” She scrambled to her bag of stuff, the stuff she had managed to get before coming here, pulling out a plain white tank top and a grey pair of sweats. She slid on some undergarments, pulling on the outfit over top of it. She then put her hair in a messy styled bun, not feeling it being out wet.

"I just wanted to talk to you."

She twisted the knob and slid the door open, peeking out at him. “About?” She questioned, a quizzical look on her face and a light pink dusted across her cheeks. She realized he had basically seen her almost bare a couple minutes ago, but had pushed it aside as to hear him out. It wasn’t his fault he was used to living alone anyhow. This was a change for both of them.

She pushed the door the rest of the way open, pieces of hair falling out of the bun and her tank top slightly slid up above her stomach. It was obvious she had rushed to get dressed. Waving him in with a light smile, she turned and walked back over to the bed. Sitting down on it when she got next to it and watching him with her vibrant blue hues.​

 

[starbear]

Okay, she was smiling, that was a good sign - that had to mean she wasn't too mad about Tony barging in on her. He breathed a small sigh of relief as he joined her, and tried not to think too much about how bright her blue eyes were even in the low light.

"So, uh. I caught up with the guys that were harassing you, and I set 'em straight. You should still probably lay low for a while until I'm sure they got the message, but. Yeah." He paused. "Hey...did they really smash that orb of yours? The light thingy?"

 

[endersheart]

Alula listened to Tony speak, making it clear to her that he was out with his friends. Not that it mattered, she hoped he had actually gotten to have fun with them versus scolding them over her the whole time. They were from completely different worlds after all. Still, she couldn’t help the small amount of warmth she felt that he really went through with it. He really told them to back off.

"Hey...did they really smash that orb of yours? The light thingy?"

She froze, muscles growing stiff and if she didn’t already give it away she would if she stayed like this for too long. A wave of uncertainty flashed over her features, then something darker. Yet, as soon as it was there it was gone and replaced by an awkward grin and a hand behind her head. “What? No, of course not! I still have it, umm.. it’s in my bag somewhere, no big deal.” She waved it off, she didn’t want him to think he had to fix her: to fix what they did. It was her problem to deal with.

Rubbing her arm lightly, she grimaced. “Not like it matters, even if they did you’d have the upper hand. Wouldn’t that be something to celebrate? It’s not like I’d die or anything..” except, she would and she was. If Tony couldn’t tell by how dim her usual glow was or the way she looked more human, she didn’t know what would tell him.​

 

[starbear]

Tony's expression darkened.

"I already told you, I don't wanna win like that," he said. "And isn't it a sin for angels to lie or something? You're obviously not doing so hot. If you had a source of energy, you'd have used it by now."

 

[endersheart]

A sin, it seemed laughable for an angel in her situation. It was, but what was the father going to do? He had already cast her out. “It doesn’t matter,” she repeated, “it’s not your problem to figure out.” Standing up, she went over to the window to peer out at the moon. It was nice here, in Tony’s little two bedroom apartment. It felt like home already and that was saying a lot, it hadn’t even been a day yet,

Honestly, being over here next to the window was just a distraction. She didn’t want to see his face of disapproval on how she was acting or hear his dissatisfaction. She knew she would fade quickly if she didn’t fix it, but what could she do? It wasn’t like she could just fly back up to Empyrean.​

 

[starbear]

It's not your problem to figure out.

She was right about that.

He should just let her fade, and take the opportunity to prove himself. He should forget about her completely, and revel in his assured victory.

He should.

But then again, that was his problem - he never knew how to leave well enough alone.

He walked up to her, and reached a hand out in invitation.

"You know...if you want, I can help you," he said. "If it's energy you need, let me give you some."

 

[endersheart]

There were a lot of forbidden things in Empyrean. Don’t lie, don’t cuss, don’t be anything lower than perfect. She remembered one of the big rules, though, one of the ones the elders preached religiously. Don’t let negative emotions take over your being, don’t take negative energy. She stared at Tony’s hand and for a second she looked like she might outright refuse. Then, she lifted a hand slowly, it was a way to escape reality. It was a way to survive.

She thought surviving should be all that mattered to her and yet, when she drew her hand close: pang of hurt hit her, she remembered exactly what it did to angels and she withdrew. Lisbeth would be rolling around in her grave right now, she thought. If she wasn’t one of them. “I can’t,” she finally whispered, “you should know why.” She met his gaze and somehow she knew he was just trying to keep her from the fate that was seemingly blanketing itself around her, she couldn’t stop it.​

 

[starbear]

Tony's expression clouded over when she pulled away from him. She was right, of course - taking him up on his offer would only lead to her downfall. Did he want to do that to her?

Once again, he wondered why he cared so much. Maybe he just didn't want to see her wind up in Gehenna - maybe, really, he didn't want to end back up there himself.

"Well, it's your choice, Angel," he said, trying to sound casual. "It's a standing offer. You know where to find me if you change your mind."

 

[endersheart]

Alula watched him, she watched his expression change and she noted how it effected him. She couldn’t believe he was genuine, she couldn’t believe he was actually trying to take care of her. She almost laughed, almost. In reality it warmed a part of her soul so deep down, it would be impossible for anyone to notice; even herself.

She finally let a smile cross over her features. “You should be careful, if you keep trying to help me I might actually think you care.” She brought a hand up, delicately brushing her fingers across his cheek, “and that wouldn’t be good for either of us.” She knew she was right, caring would only get one or both of them in trouble and yet, she also knew something inside of her did care. It cared a lot.

Pulling her hand back, she looked out the window and then back to him. “You want to get a milkshake?” It was a random craving and also something to get them out of this apartment and this conversation. Stepping past him she glanced back, “I know a little cafe down the street from here, it’s pretty nice.” They also stayed open late, which was a plus. She knew a club would probably be more up his alley, but she couldn’t see herself drinking or going to one at all. Unless they served milkshakes, then she maybe could be convinced.​

 

[starbear]

That brief touch sparked something in Tony - something he didn't really want to think about.

It was a good thing she changed the subject so quickly. Honestly, something cold sounded really good.

"Milkshakes?" He laughed, and shook his head. "You're weird, Angel. But yeah, sure, I could go for that."

The cafe wasn't far, and within a short while they had a little booth together, both of them nursing tall, frosty glasses of milkshakes.

"Alright, no lie, this is pretty damn good," Tony said. He'd opted for chocolate, and had already downed half of his. "Though it'd be better with a little alcohol mixed in."

 

[endersheart]

Alula was extremely happy to have her strawberry milkshake, the flavor was always something to look forward to. She came here from time to time, she learned that it was one of the nicer places around. She had noticed the looks she was getting as most of the staff and regulars knew her, she also knew they would ask questions later. It wasn’t a big deal they were just friends, but she could see why others might assume otherwise. Alula was almost never anywhere with anyone, it wasn’t her thing. Tony, however, was much nicer company to be around; she preferred it.

— "Alright, no lie, this is pretty damn good,"

She grinned, “isn’t it?” she had to hold back a blissful sigh. The milkshakes here were always so tasty. When he mentioned alcohol, she let out a loud gasp, “you would ruin it! Alcohol doesn’t need to go in everything.. these are perfectly delectable on their own.” She let out a small huff, she knew it was in his nature, but she couldn’t help the small things that made her want to roll her eyes. She would have never seen herself in this position, but here she was, with a demon.

A thought crossed her mind and she settled her gaze on him, “hey, why do you call me Angel?” She noticed he had been doing it more frequently and she had wanted to ask. Now seemed to be as good of a time as any.​

 

[starbear]

"Why? Uh, well..." The question caught Tony a little off guard. He scratched idly at the back of his head as he tried to think of an answer. "Well, I mean...that's what you are. What else should I call you?"