(no subject)
Shadows coalesced in the deserted, filthy alleyway, and disgorged a young man, trembling all over. His thick dark hair fell into his eyes. While his clothes a cropped skintight shirt with lacings that revealed pale skin from his shoulders to his wrists. Moss green pants and boots, trimmed in black completed the tidy outfit. Cloth that might have once been a cloak hung in ragged tattereds from around his neck He hunched over himself, clutching at his shoulder with both hands, as if in pain. His breath came in heave pants.
“Damn them.” he gasped out, one hand dropping to support himself, as if even sitting on his knees was more than he could manage unsupported. “The hunters may kill the vampires; but at least they expect them to fight back.”
“But you did run.” Another voice said behind him. The dark haired man started as if struck and lunched forward, crashing into the dead end of the alley before turning, half suporting himself on the wall to see who had come up behind him. The other man was built wider at the shoulders, wearing a red leather jacket, trimmed in black His hair was white blond, and his eyes a pale, pale blue. Over his shoulders was a hard black instrument case, and from one ear dangled a heart shaped red drop. There was a silver heart pin at his throat and sleeve.
“I shouldn't be surpised that you are loveless.” the blond man said.
“You shouldn't have followed me.” the dark haired man said.
“I had to see for myself.”
“Then see!” black ribbons of energy expanded from the dark haired man's back, fountianing outward in the vauge shape of wings; pulling him to his feet as the remains of his cloak fluttered in a sourceless wind. The ribbons struck forward with speed greater than snake's lashing out to the fair man. They rebounded away, and struck again, still finding no purchase, as if they struck an invisable barrier.
“If one is ready for it, it's fairly simple to guard against..” again and again the ribbons of darkness slithered over the sheild, trying to find a crack. “You don't really want to attack me, do you?”
“I need-” whispered the dark haired man.
“Let me rephrase that...” the fair man removed th instrument case from his back. “You don't.” In an explosion of light, wings fanned out from his back, snowy white with tips the color of freshly spilled heart's blood. The other man contorted in pain, hands curling up into claws. The ribbons curled away slightly, then strained forward, as he tired to force himself away from the other man.
“Will you just leave me alone! its' their weakness that they die from it.”
“I'm not accountable for anyone but those in my flight. None of whom you've harmed; or you'd be dying in pain as we speak. I just wanted to see the nelfihm myself.”
“My name is Malach. Add it to your tally, deathangel.”
“I'm not a killer.” he tipped his head to one side “Are you?” His wings folded down to a resting posture, and his shield dropped.
Malach was drawn forward a few steps by the black ribbons of energy. They struck at the other man, and buried themselves in his flesh. He winced, bright blue eyes closeing, but he stayed on his feet and waited. Malach gritted his teeth, seemingly in as much pain as he was causing the blond man, and slowly, the black ribbons withdrew.
“Why?” he demanded the one word a dozen questions.
“Vampires have defenses so their prey doesn't escape. But you don't. Why is that, I wonder?”
“Why!?” he demanded again.
The angel smiled. “Because as angels go, I'm nothing. Because I could.” His wings folded away to nothing. “As I said, I was curious. They'll catch you again, you know. And they'll kill you.” He nodded. “But this wasn't a taking. It was in a way, a gift.” He gathered himself, as if to leap upwards, away, into nothingness.
“Wait!” the word was a sob, and Malach threw himself forward, arms wrapping around the angel's waist. “What... what will happen now?”
“Now? I will go back to my work; and they will follow you, until they hound you to death, for the harm you've done, because all angels are their flights.”
the dark haired man buried a sob in the angel's back.
“Are you trying to get me to lower my defenses? I assure you, they're as down as they're getting, Malach.”
“There's no hope then.” the voice was flat and resigned. “I will die.”
“Everyone dies, nelfihm. Gods die, men die, stars die, I will die.”
“Call me by name.” His hands clenched on the angel's coat. “You said it before, say it again. So someone will know it before I die, Deathangel.”
“I have a name too. They call me Cupid. Of the Loveless.” Over his shoulder, he smiled down at the other man, who was half hidden behind his curtain of dark hair. “Are you giving up then? When you strove so hard not to pick a fight you couldn't win; when all you wanted to do was run, and live another day?”
“For what was it?” Malach demanded. “You said it yourself, I will die.”
“For life, of course.” A great sigh moved his chest, and his hand rested on Malach's for a moment. “Life is a struggle.”
Malach rested his cheek against Cupid's back. It felt odd, warm in a way that had nothing to do with warmth. “Kill me.”
“What?”
“If I'm going to die, I want to choose it. I never chose anything in my life. You called me Loveless, and then said you were of the loveless. So I'm yours anyway, if I understand it. Just kill me now.”
Another great sigh shook them both.
“I said I'm not a killer, Malach.” He turned in place, so that he faced the dark haired nelfihm. “Let go.”
“No.” He exhaled slowly. “I need you to kill me. They won't just kill me. I know it.”
“You're right. You angered them.”
“Then kill me. You'd do it without pain, or prejudge.”
“This is weird.” Cupid sighed scratching his head. “People beg me not to take them, not to take them.”
“Please.”
“Shhh.” Cupid laid a hand on the other man's hair, and closed his eyes. “Don't throw your life away.”
“I'm not. It's more of a ... gift.”
Cupid's eyes jerked open, and he pulled himself free, wings sprouting, he leapt upward, landing on a ledge far above the alleyway. For a moment he paused looking down, flight feathers trembling. Then he disapeared into the night sky.
Malach fell to his knees again, and stared after the angel. “No hand but yours then. I will live.” His dark eyes shone with a golden fire for a moment. “No matter what.”