Angel Wing Chapter One
Title: Angel Wing
Pairing(s): Linkara/Spoony
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 10,414
Warning(s): Violence, strong language, overt Christian themes and theology
Summary: When an angel loses his wing and falls to Earth, he learns more than he ever expected and finds more than he ever dreamed of.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
1 John 4:18
The sword never felt right in his hand.
Oh, sure, he knew how to use it, how to slay a demon with it when it came too close, but it was never what he was meant to wield.
After all, angels were not meant to be warriors, per se. They were guardians, guides to the mortals below, and they only took up the swords when the mortal Earth was in danger.
No, the sword never felt right in his hand.
But the wings felt right. Huge, white, feathery wings that could lift him far above the clouds of the mortal world and keep him invisible to the human eye. Soft, flexible wings that made gentle breezes for the humans nearby. Strong, warm, comforting wings that he could wrap up in when he needed a rest and keep the nightmares away. Yes, the wings felt right.
Spoony couldn’t imagine life without his wings. He knew that he hadn’t always had them-no angel gets his wings right away, the Christmas specials weren’t all bullshit-but it had been so long that he couldn’t remember what he had done before he got them.
As long as he had wings, he was content.
So when Saint Peter called to him, he wasn’t unhappy. After all, he was safe in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever they wanted him to do, he could do it. Even if it meant watching the mortal world, helping some poor human, he would be fine.
He was not expecting the sword.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked, though he knew. He knew what the sword was for. Striking down the enemies of the Lord. Making the mortal world safe from the power of Satan.
“There is a demon that needs slaying,” Saint Peter said. “He has left the Gates of Hell and is heading for the mortal world. Someone must stop him and it’s your turn to protect the humans.”
“I… I think you want someone else for this one.”
“Spoony.” Saint Peter sounded stern. “You know your duties to our Lord and our Kingdom.”
Spoony nodded. “I do.”
“Good. The demon’s name is Insano. A scientist on Earth who turned to darkness and was sent below, where he managed to impress Satan. He is trying to claim the mortal world for himself. Drive him back… slay him if you must. You won’t have trouble finding him. But he’s almost at the doorway, so you must hurry.”
“Yes, Saint Peter.” Spoony took the sword. With a great flap of his wings, he flew off to the Pearly Gates, passing through unhindered, and to the doorway to the mortal world.
*
Saint Peter was right. Spoony had no trouble finding the demon. It was simply a matter of following the vice of mankind to the closest source. Demons rarely left Hell and when they did, they always made a spectacle of themselves. No, finding the demon wasn’t hard.
Spoony found him on the plane just above the mortal world. Some mortals called it “purgatory,” but their concept of it was a bit off. It wasn’t a place for those not ready for Heaven. Rather, it was a plain where all three realms-Heaven, Hell, and the mortal world-intersected. All who wanted to pass from one to another had to come here first, which made it the primary location for battles between Heaven and Hell-the mortal world very rarely got involved, the humans content to sleep ignorant in their beds.
Spoony spotted the demon right away. It was slinking toward the doorway to the mortal world, trying to be stealthy so as not to attract the attention of the Saints. He looked familiar, almost like Spoony himself, but his wings were scaly and black, built for creating tempests and cold, gained through misery as opposed to joy. Spoony readied his sword and leaped down to the demon, landing square on his back, knocking him down.
“What business do you have on Earth, demon?” Spoony asked, holding his sword to the demon’s back.
“What business does anyone from my plane have there?” the demon-Insano-asked. “To remind the mortals of their place, to bring them to their knees, to spread the darkness as far as it can spread.”
“In the name of the Lord, I command you to-”
“Command me?” Insano laughed manically. “You command me? My orders do not come from your pathetic kingdom, angel. You cannot command me to do anything.” With that, the demon pushed back, shoving Spoony off of him. He unfurled his dark wings and produced his own sword. “But if you want to protect that pathetic plane, you can fight me.”
“Oh, I INTEND to,” Spoony said, throwing himself at Insano.
Their swords met with a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder-the mortals below would hear the storm and hurry inside. Spoony pulled back and lunged again, but Insano blocked the sword before producing a device that Spoony couldn’t make heads or tails of and turning it on. He smirked as Spoony felt his wings shudder slightly. Spoony wasn’t sure what was happening, but he swung his sword and knocked the device from the demon’s hands. It fell to the ground-not quite as hard as the Earth, but harder than the clouds of Heaven-where it shattered.
“What was that?” he asked, swinging his sword again.
“Just a little gift from Hell,” Insano answered, blocking easily. “A little invention of mine that blocks the good of mankind from reaching you-that’s what you feed off of, isn’t it? And don’t worry about destroying it-it has already blocked you from receiving it and I can easily recreate it.”
Spoony wasn’t sure if Insano was telling the truth, though the shudder that had gone through his wings seemed to point in that direction. But no! Even if he was weakened, he could do this. He had been given a task and he knew he could not return to the Kingdom of Heaven until he had completed it. He threw himself toward the demon, intent on finishing this battle one way or another.
The battle went on for what seemed an age to Spoony-and it could well have been, it was hard to keep track of time when he had forever to live. But as the fight continued, Spoony realized that Insano had been telling the truth. He was weakening the more he fought, while before he would have gotten stronger, or at least remained at a constant level. But he couldn’t give up. Couldn’t let this demon make his way to the mortal world. Even if that meant fighting for all eternity, Spoony would do it.
In desperation, Spoony flung himself at Insano again, swinging wildly with his sword. His wings were practically useless now, falling ragged behind him, but he could still stand. Insano had somehow gotten his back to the gate to the mortal world and when Spoony threw himself toward him, the demon sidestepped easily.
Spoony couldn’t stop his forward momentum and he fell through the gateway. Just as he passed through, he felt a sharp pain from the base of his right wing. He turned his head back desperately as he fell.
“Try getting back to Heaven now!” Insano cackled.
Spoony was falling, falling toward the mortal world below. His sword flew from his hand, falling Lord only knew where. He tried to flap his wings and fly above the storm clouds, but he found that only his left wing wanted to work… the right wing…
Spoony looked over his right shoulder. His right wing was gone, cut off by Insano’s sword.
One wing was not enough to fly. Spoony closed his eyes and hit the hard ground below, falling face down on the Earth. His back was definitely hurting now, throbbing where his wing had been cut off, though he knew he couldn’t bleed. That didn’t stop the pain, though. Not just the physical pain from losing it, but the pain of knowing that with only one wing, he couldn’t return to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Spoony pushed himself to his knees. It was raining here on Earth, soaking his body, weighing him down. He buried his face in his hands and wept, his remaining wing hanging limp and ragged behind him, his dreams shattered, his heart empty.
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