#a guardian angel to here to protect u!!!

[favoniuscodex]

guardian angel [ genshin scenarios ]

summary: overprotectiveness isn't the cutest, but it's endearing to know that your boyfriend has your best interests in mind (aka instances where the boys are (healthily) protective of you).

characters: alhaitham, childe, cyno, diluc, xiao w/ a gn!reader

warnings: implied catcalling/harassment (alhaitham), intimidation (childe), exhaustion (cyno), minor injuries (diluc), threat of hilichurl attack (xiao). no angst endings.

word count: 3.4k

a/n: this one won the poll, so it's first up! hope u enjoy! thanks to @/spiriteddreams reading over alhaitham's part for me beforehand!!!

-- alhaitham --

Alhaitham enjoys sticking to routines. Thus, when you disrupt his routine of meeting him after work in order to walk home together, he is annoyed, but his brain is quick to rationalize it. They are probably just busy with work or they left work early, Alhaitham justifies. However, there is a less rational part of him that gnaws at his sanity, telling him that something is wrong.

He takes his usual path home, making it only a short distance before he feels arms wrap around his waist. Alhaitham stiffens in response to the sudden touch. But, as he looks down and realizes its just you, mouthing words that he can't hear due to the music playing through his headphones, Alhaitham pauses his music. He pushes one of his earpieces off his ear in order to hear you properly and parts his lips to speak, but an unfamiliar voice cuts through your reunion with Alhaitham.

"Look, he didn't even respond to your greeting," a man proclaims far too haughtily and assuming for Alhaitham's liking. "That's not your boyfriend. But it's okay, sweetheart, I can make sure you're not singl-"

Alhaitham doesn't have time for this nonsense. Don't get him wrong -- he has all the time in the world for you and anything you're excited about, but your distressed expression at the man's words has Alhaitham protectively wrapping an arm around you before turning around to face the mystery man obviously provoking you.

"Are you calling my partner a liar?" Alhaitham immediately challenges, narrowed eyes sharpening the intensity of his multicolored glare. Your harasser blinks a few times, slowly coming to a fearful recognition of who Alhaitham is.

"My apologies, Acting Grand Sag-" the man begins.

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to them."

"I am sorry!" the man cries, but Alhaitham can't quite be bothered to hear the man grovel for forgiveness. Alhaitham looks down at you, deciding to let you make the call.

"Would you prefer for me to handle this or would you rather just go home?" Alhaitham asks you softly, looking at you over his shoulder. "I am content with either option."

"Um," you begin, peering around Alhaitham to glance at the man once more, who seems to be trying not to collapse in fear. "Just... Let's just go home. He won't mess with me again, and I'm hungry."

An affectionate, soft smile appears on Alhaitham's face at your words as he realizes you're just as attached to your little routines with him as he is. Thus, with all the venom he can muster in his expression, he turns back to the nervous man.

"If I see you anywhere around here again, I will ensure that you will be dealt with swiftly," Alhaitham promises, and the man nods before scampering off like a coward. As soon as the man is out of sight, Alhaitham sighs and grabs your hand. The action sends your heart aflutter, due to Alhaitham not frequently initiating public displays of affection.

"Are you alright?" He asks, using a gentle voice you don't hear all too often from him. You nod, and he smiles softly once more before giving your hand a gentle squeeze. "Very well then. If anyone else tries to make trouble for you, let me know and I'll handle it."

"Wow," you breathe teasingly. "Alhaitham willingly taking on extra work?"

Alhaitham sighs, but you notice the way a smirk threatens to flash across his features at your playful words.

"I'd work forever if it meant you'd be happy," Alhaitham says, and you playfully place your free hand over your heart, pretending to swoon.

"I think that's the most romantic thing you've ever said," you say with a giggle, relishing in the way Alhaitham rolls his eyes at your words.

"Let's go home. I have biryani planned for dinner."

"Biryani? I changed my mind -- that's the most romantic thing you've ever said."

You get a rare chuckle out of Alhaitham as he guides you home, walking close to you and protectively holding onto your hand tightly in case any more trouble comes along for the two of you.

-- childe --

"Pardon me for interrupting," a silky voice croons from behind where you and Childe stand. "I was hoping to have a word with our dearest Tartaglia."

Childe's grip on your hand tightens as his playful expression turns steely at the sound of the voice. He gives you a cautious glare, before plastering the fakest smile you've ever seen on his face.

"Give me a moment, babe," he murmurs lowly to you, practically speaking through gritted teeth, before turning to face a man you've never seen before. Of course, arriving at Zapolyarny Palace on the Tsaritsa's request practically demanded that you would meet new people, but few were able to evoke such a strong reaction from Childe like this man was.

The stranger adjusts his silver-framed glasses and smiles sweetly at you.

"Apologies for my rudeness, I do not believe we have met," he says, eerily reminding you of a viper waiting to strike. "I am Pantalone, ninth of the Fatui Harbingers. And you are..?"

You look over at Childe, who glances at you out of the side of his eye. You respond curtly, giving the man just your first name, and he laughs.

"I understand your hesitation to divulge answers, but your relationship with Tartaglia is quite evident already. Any other information I wish to find out about you I can do so with ea-"

"Spit it out, Pantalone. What do you want?" Childe asks, and you wonder if your boyfriend has lost his mind at how rudely he is speaking to his superior. However, Pantalone seems to pay it no mind, finding the conversation all the more amusing.

"My my, you're much more friendly Pulcinella and Capitano than you are with me. How tragic. I simply wished to discuss finances with you. Is that such a crime?"

Tartaglia blinks at him, taking a slight step forward and sheltering part of your frame behind him.

"We can discuss it at the Fatui meeting tomorrow. Considering you're a higher rank than me, you shouldn't require my input," Childe says, and Pantalone laughs once more. It is a dry type of laugh, as if he's never really found anything funny in his life. A conniving smile spreads across Pantalone's face once more.

"I see that you are on the defensive because of the company you currently keep. No worries. We can discuss our matters tomorrow," Pantalone says. He turns around and takes a few steps, before looking over his shoulder at the two of you. Tartaglia's hand moves from holding your own to wrapping protectively around your waist. Your lover straightens his posture, ready for a challenge, but Pantalone simply smiles eerily once more.

"I would be careful about who you show affection with in the Palace," Pantalone warns.

This time, it is your lover's turn to grin widely at his opponent across the hall.

"That's alright. I can fight," Tartaglia promises with an edge to his voice that you rarely hear. Pantalone's expression warps indecipherably at Childe's words. The ninth Harbinger shakes his head before turning and walking away, leaving you and Childe alone in the hall once more.

With his arm still on your waist, Childe leans over and presses a quick kiss to your forehead and smiles down at you.

"If any other Harbingers try to intimidate you, let me know and I'll handle it."

You stare at your lover, narrowing your eyes. "How would you handle it?"

Childe laughs softly. "I wouldn't want to ruin your stellar image of me, would I? Now, c'mon, let's go. This place is eerie."

-- cyno --

"You need to rest."

Your boyfriend's figure looms over your own tired one, multiplying the amount of relieving shade that covers your body. Despite Cyno's order for rest, your pride gets the best of you as you dismissively swat a hand through the air.

"I'm fine," you insist.

"You can barely walk. When was the last time you were even in the desert?"

"Is this a setup for a punchline?" You ask. Your voice almost sounds like a croak, straining from a lack of water. Cyno is quick to respond, pulling his own canteen off his belt and handing it over to you.

"No. It's me caring about you, that's what it is," Cyno crouches down to meet you at eye level. "Drink."

"This is your water. You need it. I'm not drinking it," you say stubbornly and Cyno sighs before pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"I know the desert well enough to know how to ration my water. I also know it well enough to tell you when to rest and when to drink. Go ahead. I'll be fine."

You narrow your eyes at him, not moving the canteen to your lips. Cyno sighs before plopping down in the shade-cooled sand next to you. In the distance, you watch waves of heat warp the sand dunes on the horizon, and you wonder if you're in over your head. You'll never admit that though. The last thing you wanted was to slow down Cyno on your trip to the desert, but here you are, struggling to bear the heat.

Cyno sits with you in silence for a moment, before splitting the quiet with another question.

"People often say my humor is dry," Cyno says plainly. "But I think it's only dry when it's in the desert."

A small giggle escapes your lips at the awful pun, and Cyno smiles slightly. Cyno looks over at you. He pointedly looks at the canteen in your hands before flickering his piercing gaze up to you. Despite his best attempt, Cyno can't bring himself to stare at you with the same intimidating gaze he uses for criminals. When he clears his throat to speak once more, you interrupt him by lifting the water to your lips, taking a few sips before handing it back to him.

"I can carry you until we reach an oasis. There should be one not too far away, if we're lucky," Cyno offers, and you giggle at his offer. At your laughter, Cyno raises an eyebrow questioningly. You lean forward, hugging your knees close to your chest and smiling at him.

"What's so funny?" Cyno says, and you beam at him.

"Nothing. You're just cute when you're worried about me."

Cyno's eyes widen, before he decides to study the sand instead of your eyes. You watch as his fingers twitch slightly in the sand as he thinks of the words to say.

"'Cute' isn't exactly how most people describe me," Cyno mutters. In your heat-addled haze, you only grin wider at him before closing his canteen and handing it back to him, drawing his attention once more.

"Well, you're cute to me, even if others can't see it," you say. Despite the warmth of your body, you still reach out to grab his hand, lacing your fingers through his.

"Can we rest for a bit here?" You ask sheepishly. "I'm a bit worried I won't be able to walk far if we get up now."

Cyno nods at your words. "Of course. The last thing I want is to overwork yourself. It's okay if we work at different paces - I'll wait for you as long as you need."

Your heart melts at his honest words, so you scoot over to him before laying down in the sand, holding out your arm for him to rest with you. However, he shakes his head, electing to hold your hand instead.

"I'll watch over you while you sleep. Right now, it's my duty to keep you safe."

-- diluc --

"It's just a scratch, 'Luc," you say to the broad-shouldered man currently fretting over your injuries. "I'll be fine, I just need a bandage."

Diluc glares at you with as much vitriol as he can muster towards you -- which isn't much. You're unsure if this type of glare from him would even scare one of the bunnies on the Dawn Winery grasses outside. It certainly isn't the same glare he uses for handling criminals and members of the Abyss. Despite Diluc's efforts to seem intimidating, he's never been able to be mean or intimidating towards you. Thus, you giggle at his expression and his brows furrow.

"This is serious, love. You can't keep going out there and getting injured," Diluc grumbles. "Come on, sit on the bathroom counter."

"One of the maids could've helped me, y'know," you say teasingly before hopping up and resting on the cool marble basin, watching as Diluc's cheeks flush with a faint shade of red. "But you're way cuter."

"Stop trying to distract me," Diluc mutters, voice plagued by his easily flustered state.

"Is it working?" You ask, and your lover falls silent. The color of his cheeks synchronizes with his hair as he furrows his brow, focusing on cleaning up the scraped skin on your arm with a clean cloth. You smile softly at him as he works, unaware of your affectionate gaze towards him.

"How did this happen?" Diluc asks after a few moments of silence. His voice warbles slightly, and it takes everything in you not to pull him in for a hug -- it would only upset your injury, which would upset Diluc further in turn. Guilt washes over you at the sadness in his voice, and you use your uninjured arm to lean forward and ruffle his hair affectionately.

"I just tripped on a branch while out trying to collect some berries. Don't worry, it wasn't anything bad, sweetheart. I promise."

Diluc swallows heavily before nodding. Both of you know why seeing you injured affects him so much, but neither of you dare speak of the causation. Instead, you move your free hand from his hair to his cheek, heart melting at the way his face instinctively leans into it. Diluc reaches behind you to pick up the roll of bandages that one of the maids provided.

"Tell me if this hurts, alright? It should be taut, but it should not hurt," Diluc murmurs, voice deep as he begins to wrap the bandages starting at your wrist. You hum in acknowledgement, but Diluc is far too gentle to cause you any pain. He wraps the bandage up perfectly, staring at his handiwork with narrowed eyes before looking up at you.

"It's perfect," you applaud him and, for the first time since you've shown up injured, Diluc smiles softly at you. "You did wonderful. I feel better already."

"If it causes you any issues, please let me know." He says hurriedly, and you sigh, causing him to look at confusion. You smile wearily at him.

"C'mere," you urge, moving your hand from his cheek towards his tie. Loosely, you grip the knot of the fabric, urging his face towards yours. Your lips meet Diluc's in a loving kiss. You can tell he's caught off guard by it as you hear the hasty slap of his hand against the marble counter behind you as he regains his balance, leaning further into the kiss. Diluc's other hand reaches forward to curl around your cheek and jaw, calloused fingertips delicately gliding against your skin like a restorationist carefully brushing a piece of fine art.

Diluc is a man of quiet intensity, preferring to show his devotion to you through actions rather than words. As he kisses you in this moment, the reverent movement of his lips tells you over and over how much he adores you. The worried tension eases out of his shoulders as he melts into you, parting only when the two of you need to catch your breath. You use this opportunity to press your forehead to Diluc's, staring at him in the eyes.

"'Luc, I'm not going anywhere." You reach up and cradle his hand closer to your face. "I promise."

Diluc's thumb brushes gently back and forth on your cheekbone as he mulls over words to say.

"I know," he sighs, before sounding more firm in his words. "I know. I trust you. I love you."

-- xiao --

You've never been happier to have your boyfriend accompany you on an expedition. Adventurer's Guild commissions were at an all-time high, but danger was also at an unprecedented level. For reasons still unknown to the Guild, Treasurer Hoarder activity was at an unusual high, which made transporting goods and completing commissions that much more difficult.

Plus, it wasn't that often that you got to see Xiao. Warmer months are approaching, which means monster activity will increase, along with the need for commissions. Sure, the two of you would still meet at Wangshu Inn, but your relationship with the adeptus is still rather unconventional. After all, you knew from the start that Xiao wasn't the type of guy who would take you to fancy dinners at Xinyue Kiosk.

Rather, the two of you were perfectly content with eating dinner together on the Wangshu Inn balcony whenever the weather was nice and your schedules coincided. 'Dates' were a foreign concept to Xiao, and you didn't want to urge him out of his comfort zone by surrounding him with other humans. Thus, you found enjoyment in the fact that Xiao was willing to help you with this commission -- it was a more unique date for the two of you.

Yet, as the two of you head north to Qingce Village on a trodden dirt path, Xiao is quick to wrap his arms around you, pinning your hands to your sides and clutching you close.

"Xi-" you begin, but you're cut off by the stomach-whirling sensation of teleporting away. The two of you touch the ground almost instantaneously, but you're left reeling and dazed, not used to the feeling of teleportation. The two of you are now stationed in a cave, and you have no clue how far you've gone.

"What? Aren't you not supposed to teleport me like that?" You breathe, mind still spinning with confusion and disorientation, but Xiao silences you with a finger to his lips. With a single swipe of his hand, his mask reappears on his face, and he's quick to summon his spear.

"Wait here."

You watch, dumbfounded, as your lover teleports away, leaving you alone. Xiao wasn't the type to leave you stranded without good reason, so you sigh and make yourself comfortable on the stone ground of the cave, waiting for him to return.

Minutes later, the yaksha returns. The tip of his spear is stained with something, but you figure it's probably better if you don't pay too much attention to that.

"You are bad at watching the surroundings," Xiao says, looking down at you before wiping his mask away. You look up at him, blinking slowly.

"Wow, thanks," you say sardonically, and Xiao tilts his head, not fully used to human sarcasm.

"There were hilichurls following us," Xiao says, sitting down besides you on the cave floor. "They unsheathed an arrow, so I teleported us away."

"Oh," you say as a devious thought pops into your mind. "Thanks, sweetheart."

At the usage of a pet name, Xiao's face turns scarlet and he looks away from you, flustered. Deciding to make it even worse, you wrap your arms around his shoulders, leaning into him and resting your head on his shoulder.

"What would I ever do without my dashing protector to save me? How may I ever repay my loyal knight?" You giggle while Xiao's eyes widen at your playfully romantic words. "You swept me and my heart off my feet with your heroic ac-"

"Enough." Xiao says, but it comes out less as a firm demand and rather as a sheepish choke of words. "Please."

You giggle once more, memorizing the way the red on his face complements the green in his hair, before leaning in to place a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks for looking out for me, Xiao," you say, teasing tone leaving your voice. Xiao raises his hand to rest on one of the arms you have wrapped around his shoulder, and you feel your heart swell at the rare initiation of physical contact.

"I will always be there when you need me," Xiao vows, and you realize just how far your relationship with the adeptus has come. While he still blushes at your words, he no longer admonishes you for playful romantics and flirty remarks. Instead, he embarrassedly embraces them, while holding you close.

"Good thing I always need you then, huh?" you murmur softly, as if whispering a secret amidst a crowd. The two of you sit alone in the cave for a while longer, and you realize you wouldn't mind spending forever like this, as long as Xiao was by your side, with his eyes fluttered closed in contentment.

#genshin impact x reader #diluc x reader #alhaitham x reader #xiao x reader #cyno x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #genshin fluff #genshin impact fluff #genshin x reader #diluc fluff #alhaitham fluff #xiao fluff #cyno fluff #childe fluff #tartaglia fluff #axia.writing #writing.alhaitham #writing.diluc #writing.childe #writing.cyno #writing.xiao

[cherryrainn]

Can u pls write for Charlie with a fem!child!reader that has the same curse as Kenny from South Park? Like, she dies, stays in hell for a few hours, or a day and then is back to being alive and fine until she dies again and the cycle repeats over and over again. Maybe the reader has black wings and a broken halo too? I just love the fallen angel trope lmao

i love this! i just know im gonna enjoy writing this lmao. thank you for the ask!

☽ ༚  ༵ ۰ ✧ ۰  ༵ ༚ ༵ ۰ ✧ ۰ 

— the curse within

charlie morningstar x female! child! reader with kennys curse (platonic)

in the bustling realm of hell, where lost souls wandered and demons roamed, stood a peculiar establishment known as the happy hotel. high above, among the towering structures, was a sanctuary run by the ambitious and compassionate princess of hell, charlie morningstar.

one fateful day, as charlie went about her duties, a mysterious presence stirred within the hotel. the doors swung open to reveal you, a young girl with ebony wings spread wide and a broken halo perched atop your head. your eyes held a mix of curiosity and weariness, as if you had seen more than your tender age should allow.

charlie's heart skipped a beat as she locked eyes with the fallen angel before her.

a bright smile lit up charlie's face as she spotted you.

"well, hello there! what brings you to the happy hotel?" she asked, her voice resonating with warmth and kindness.

you hesitated for a moment

but something about charlie's presence put you at ease

"i… i'm trapped in this never-ending cycle. i die, i come to hell or heaven, and then i'm alive again… only to die once more."

charlie's eyes widened in surprise, her expression filled with both concern and curiosity.

"i've never heard of this before... how long has this been happening to you?"

you shrugged, a sense of resignation weighing heavily upon your shoulders.

"i've lost track of time. it feels like an eternity."

charlie's compassionate nature took over as she reached out to you, offering a comforting gesture.

"you're not alone here, you know. maybe we can find a way to break this cycle together?"

you stared at charlie in disbelief, a flicker of hope igniting within your shattered heart.

could it be true? could there truly be a chance for escape from this never-ending nightmare?

as your journey with charlie progressed, you found yourself encountering the other members of the happy hotel, each with their own unique quirks and stories.

first, you met vaggie, charlie's loyal and fiery girlfriend.

vaggies fiery and piercing gaze matched her strong-willed personality. initially skeptical of your presence, she soon softened as she witnessed your struggle firsthand. vaggie became a protective figure, watching over you like a guardian, always ready to jump into action when danger loomed.

then there was angel dust, a sassy and flamboyant spider demon who dazzled with his extravagant outfits and sharp wit.

despite his rough exterior, angel dust possessed a hidden vulnerability that mirrored your own. he understood the pain of being trapped in cycles and offered a sympathetic ear whenever you needed to vent your frustrations.

next, you met the charming and enigmatic radio demon, alastor.

his refined demeanor and charismatic smile concealed a darker nature. alastor was fascinated by your curse, viewing it as a unique opportunity for entertainment. though cautious of his true intentions, you couldn't deny the intrigue he held, and you engaged in many thought-provoking conversations about the nature of your predicament.

additionally, there was husk, a grumpy and world-weary feline demon who served as the hotel's bartender.

husk had seen it all and had a devil-may-care attitude to match. despite his cynical outlook, he showed surprising empathy and became an unexpected source of comfort during your moments of despair.

last but not least, you encountered niffty, a hyperactive and obsessive-compulsive demon with an affinity for cleanliness.

niffty's vibrant personality and boundless energy brought a sense of lightness to the hotel.

one day, everyone was chilling in the lounge.

however, there was a noticeable absence among them — you, the young fallen angel with the cursed cycle of life and death.

charlie's brow furrowed with worry as she glanced around the room.

"has anyone seen y/n? it's been a while since we last saw her."

vaggie leaned against the armrest of the couch, concern etched on her face.

"she vanished again, remember? it's that cursed cycle of hers. she'll be back eventually... like always"

alastor leaned back in his chair, a sly smile creeping onto his face.

"ah, the unpredictability of y/n's curse. it's quite amusing, don't you think? never a dull moment."

angel dust twirled a lock of his hair, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.

"you know, i bet she's off causing mischief somewhere. probably enjoying her time on earth while we're stuck down here forever."

husk stayed silent.

niffty bounced up and down with excitement, her hands clasped together.

"maybe she found a new bakery or a cute little tea shop up there! i can't wait to hear about her adventures when she's back!"

despite the attempts to lighten the mood, charlie's worry remained evident. she fiddled with her bowtie, her voice filled with genuine concern.

"i know y/n disappears like all the time, but it still bothers me. she's been gone for a while now. what if she's being careful now? making sure she'll be there for a while?"

a sudden gust of wind swept through the room, causing papers to flutter and candles to flicker. the familiar sensation of magic tingled in the air, alerting everyone to a presence.

and just like that, you reappeared in the center of the lounge, your black wings outstretched and your broken halo slightly askew. the room fell silent as all eyes turned to you, a mixture of relief and curiosity washing over their faces.

angel dust smirked, his voice laced with teasing.

"looks like someone couldn't resist our charming company, huh? i wonder what your friends think.."

charlie's eyes widened with relief and worry. she rushed to your side, embracing you tightly.

"y/n! oh, thank lucifer you're back. i was so worried. how long were you gone this time?"

you smiled at her, the warmth of her presence soothing your soul. "i don't know, i got hit by a car though."

charlie's grip tightened, her voice filled with concern.

"i can't imagine what it's like for you, going through that over and over again. it must be... tough."

you nodded, your gaze meeting hers.

"it's definitely hard, but knowing i have a place to come back to makes it bearable."

charlie held your hand, her thumb gently caressing your knuckles.

#charlie morningstar #y/n #reader insert #x reader #fluff #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel oneshot #alastor #husk #angel dust #vaggie #niffty #charlie magne #platonic #child reader #kennys curse #ask #request #this was fun

[merakiui]

angel and devil on your shoulder as the leech twins except they’re both devils they just argue who’s bad idea u should do XD

OOOOOO omg devil!Jade who is always up to no good... and then angel!Floyd who is objectively the worst angel ever. T_T he's the least holy angel you'll ever meet (he's committing sacrilege daily and archangel Rollo is going to kick him out of heaven for one more infraction), but at least he's sort of good at his job (i.e. he's good at lazing around and putting good vibes out into the world)???

He's assigned to you as your guardian angel and all is well until Jade worms his way into your life, ready to lead you astray with all sorts of mischievous temptation. He's the soggiest incubus you've ever met because he thought it'd be cute to look pathetic and hungry, but you refuse to let him feed from you and now he just looks silly when he's all splayed out on your bed like a nude model in his skimpy outfit. :( mission failed successfully? Because now he's so whipped for you, the only human who's able to resist all of his charms. He thinks he'll stay for a while; your home is very comfortable. <3

Floyd's kicking him out because you're his human shrimpy. It's his job to look after and protect you. Jade is not welcomed here. >:( Floyd's jealousy gets the better of him and maybe he's being petty when he blesses your house and puts all sorts of magical seals and enchantments on it to ward off devils like Jade, but this is only because he wants you all to himself. How else can he possibly have a chance with you if Jade's so annoyingly relentless with his attempts to charm you into sex? T_T

#twisted chit chat #it's the worst/best rom-com of your life #every day you come home to jade lying in suggestive poses on your bed or sofa and every day you walk past him without sparing him a glance #and every day floyd's spilling salt around your bed so jade won't come crawling under the covers #nighttime is floyd's time to get lots of cuddles from his shrimpy (and maybe some somno groping.....) <3 #i imagine jade returns to the underworld every now and then only to have azul make fun of him like: #'how can you call yourself an incubus and fumble this badly? you're making an utter fool out of yourself' #but that's okay because jade likes the humiliation #he will not give up!!!! ganbare jade!!!!! #(indulge him once but rather than letting him have the upper hand you must peg/fuck him and make him cry and whine like he's in heat)

[lauriegraham01]

the purest expression of grief

pairing: crowley x reader, gn!reader

summary: "darlin' don't you stand there watching, won't you come and save me from it?" or having tempted you into a life a sin, crowley realizes he's gone too far and tries to save you before it's too late

wc: 4.9k

cw: drug abuse, depression, near death experience, power imbalance, complicated relationship dynamics.

a/n: uni has kept me away, terribly sorry. this has been in my drafts for a while, i hope u all enjoy and pls leave feedback. (inspo from hozier + paris paloma)

Your mind is foggy as you lose all control of your body. Ears ringing from the music that's playing too loudly, eyes hazy from the smoke that crowds the dancefloor, and head shaky as the world around you moves in a blur. Has it been merely hours or days since you first started dancing, you couldn't tell. Your mind wouldn't let you think that far back. You stand amidst the crowd occupying the dance floor, losing yourself to the music of the night, and letting yourself only feel the pure bliss that the life of sweet sin seemingly always offered you. Just across the dance floor, with an arm perched on the bar stood Crowley. Dressed sleek in his signature all black look, they nursed a drink in their hand as they watched you from afar. Crowley had always been enamored by your shameless wonder, and even now after millenniums of having been at each others side, they still find you just as wonderous as he did back in the beginning.

Amongst the angels that served as guardians of the gates of Eden, lied you. An angel with strength and beauty that showed the power of the Almighty Herself. When the Garden was no more and the humans you swore to protect were outcast, Crawley, as you knew him before, was there to witness how you had fallen for God's newest creation.

"Here. Take these." With hushed whispers, you shield Eve from the prying eyes of the Garden, unaware of the serpent that remained coiled in the corner, as you reach into your robes to retrieve the several stems of hyssop that you had picked from the garden.

"But I-"

"You mustn't worry about what the Almighty says. Despite her anger, she still will watch over you as will I." Looking up at her, your heart contracts seeing the fear etched on Eve's face as she now prepares to face the world outside the sacred garden.

"I never meant for any of this to happen," Eve's voice comes out small, like a child scolded.

"I know," you say softly, "but there is still a way to make things right."

Grabbing her hand, you softly place the stems of the hyssop into her open palm. Inspecting the purple buds that adorn the plant, her eyebrows furrow in curiosity as to what the plant’s purpose is.

"You will soon find out that each passing month, you will undergo painful cycles where you will shed blood. This will only last a couple of days, but the pain that comes with it can be unbearable. This..." you cup the bottom of her hand that held the plant, "will help ease the pain that you will feel. Plant it, multiply it, and when the time comes, make a tea and it shall work."

Eve softly closes her fist, careful not to crush the delicate buds within her grasp.

"Thank you," she murmurs.

"Of course." You smile reassuringly and for the last time you see the glimmer of hope that lives in Eve, even if hidden behind her anxieties of what was to come.

You fly over the gates, in your own way saying goodbye to the fortress you have grown to love, wings slowly flapping steadily in place as you watch Adam and Eve venture out into the unknown.

"Well that was awfully kind of you-"

"My Lord!" Gasping loudly, your hand clutches your chest and your wings flare as you're caught off guard by the sudden presence at your side.

After a beat of catching your breath, you look over at the intruder and when you do, you have to do a double take. They look so familiar but...no...it can't be?

"Crawley?"

"I'm sorry do I know you?"

"Ye- oh, well I suppose not." Words dying off as you remember the rumours of Crowley's torment that followed after their fall from grace.

"I'm Y/N!" Your voice comes out more cheerfully this time, as you flash him a smile.

"Pleasure. Right, well like I mentioned, that was awfully kind what you did back there," turning his head to the side to look at you, he's met with your brows furrowed in confusion as to what he's going on about. "With the hyssop? I mean that was bloody brilliant and that's gonna save her a lot more heartache in the long run."

"Oh! Yes! Well I had to help, I can only imagine what she's bound to go through." You look back over to the lone two figures far in the distance within the desert, it'll be nightfall soon and you can only hope that they find shelter sometimes soon.

Crowley studies your profile as your gaze remains forward. You truly are a creature rarely seen and in those wholesome eyes that seem to have the light of the stars within them, he sees the darkness of the lonesomeness that lingered beneath.

"How did you come to grow so fond of them?"

"They had a choice and in the eyes of the Almighty they chose wrong," your face falls, a defeated sigh escaped your lips as you turn to fix your gaze unto Crowley. "Despite the punishments they face, they face them together. They have a companion and they're capable of so much love and so much more than what I believe any of us can imagine."

"You wish to live like them?"

"I'm afraid I can't. My duty is to the Almighty."

"I'm sure they would do good having someone on watch, hm? If you could protect them, then you can do good here at least enough to y'know make sure they don't ruin things all over again."

"Crowley?"

They hum in acknowledgement.

"How'd you know about my gift to Eve?"

Shit.

"I erm..I-I'm sorry, what?"

"Were you watching me?" You grin ear to ear as you tease the demon, face warming at the thought of Crowley having watched your every move from afar.

"I-Well-Ah-What, no. Oh s-please, that's rubbish."

"Crowley, you really are the devil." You laugh as you nudge their side playfully with your elbow.

When they try to do the same, a flap of your wings allows you to just barely miss their aim, and your laugh only grows at the sight of their widened expression.

"Ohhh Angel, you're in for it now." His seemingly threatening words fall short of any true malice, only mischief as they invite you in- making you fall deeper within his trap the longer you looked at the wicked grin on his face. Heart soaring as the two of you flew over the desert sky together, the beginning of something new.

You couldn't have envisioned the life that you would lead forward from that fateful day. Perhaps it had been also been your destiny to fall for temptation back in the Garden, your innocence having died screaming since Crowley slithered from Eden. Lifetimes have passed since then and you've seen everything that humanity had to offer. Yet despite having seen it all, you still fell victim to your own loneliness. Hiding your relationship with Crowley from Heaven's back came with a heavy tax. There would be periods when the shame and guilt you carried would become too much and the light in your eyes would fade. Whenever you felt this way, you would often turn to your vices in order to numb the pain. Crowley knew of this, in fact it wasn't uncommon for the two of you to indulge in illicit substances together, your hunger for more only growing the more you indulged. While they always tempted you to indulge in the sweetness of sin, they wondered if this time they've gone too far.

He's had quite a few already but that doesn't make him slow down. Raising the glass to his lips, his eyes remain fixed on you as even in the darkness, you still illuminated a heavenly glow.

"Some things never change", he thought to himself.

Yet even in your glow, they don’t miss the vacancy behind your eyes. The light that they had spent all of an eternity getting lost in had vanished and instead a storm of emotions were buried just beneath. It was only a matter of time before the storm would grow stronger and Crowley knew it as well as you did. You always were clever, and tried your damnedest to keep them hidden from everyone, especially Crowley, but it was no use. The demon had a tendency to see right through you and it was one of the things you loved most about them, but right now it was the very thing that annoyed you the most.

"Crowley," even telepathically they don't miss the tired and slurred hush of your voice as it echoes within his head, the various substances you've indulged in wiring your system. "Don't you stand there watching, won't you come and save me from it?"

You know that they've heard you, it wasn't uncommon for you and Crowley to communicate like this. So when they finally break their gaze and turn their shoulder to face the bartender again, your heart sinks thinking that they won't come to save you. You feel your face grow hot in embarrassment as you mentally scold yourself for being so vulnerable.

When Crowley turns around from closing his tab, you've vanished from the crowd and have already sought shelter in the bathroom. Clutching onto the sink for dear life, ragged breaths come out of your lips as you feel warm tears fall down your face. As you look at your reflection in the mirror, your torment only grows as your stomach twists in disgust by what you see.

"Oh Angel, how the mighty have fallen." You say self-deprecatingly as you harshly wipe at the tears in your eyes. Despite appearances, you weren't the angel you once were. Yet you knew that if Heaven saw you for what you were, you too would fall from grace.

With shaky hands you reach into your pocket and pull out a small golden vial- a gift from Crowley from the 20s. You unscrew the top as you gently tap the white powder onto the back of your hand. With a sniff, a rush courses through you as you feel the effects of the drug only enhance your already intoxicated state. As you tuck the vial away again and fix your appearance, you brace yourself for the world outside.

As you emerge your way back to the dance floor, your vision becomes hazy as the bright lights bounce around the crowd. In its wake, they illuminate one familiar face. They've never been the best dancer per se, but they always knew how to lose themselves in the moment.

As they come up from behind you, hands planting themselves on your hips as he presses your bodies together. Even as much as you feel yourself wanting to relinquish control to them a part of you holds back-desperately wanting nothing more than to be saved.

"Darlin', don't you join in you're supposed to drag me away from it."

"I'm here, love. I'm here." The breath of his whisper tickles the nape of your ear.

You knew you would be safe with Crowley, but the deep ache for salvation clouded your judgement. The infinite number of substances coursing through your veins only brought about infinite shame.

"Crowley," you sigh, "please."

You turn your head to look at him over the shoulder, and Crowley stills. The buzz and electricity of the nightclub die once he sees the loneliness shining through your pleading eyes, breaking his heart with every second.

"Right, come on then."

He takes your hand as he leads you away from the crowd and back into the streets of London. Despite having been on Earth for millenniums, one thing you never grew to get used to was how unbearably cold it can get. Crowley knows this, so he gives you his jacket and tucks you into his side as he rubs your arms comfortingly, hoping to warm you up.

"I'll get the car," they say facing you as you both stop on the edge of the sidewalk. They see your gaze fixated on the floor and know that your mind is elsewhere, probably worlds away from where they are.

"You gonna be alright?" Hooking a finger underneath your chin, they raise your head to finally look at them again.

"Yeah," your voice comes out shaky as you take a deep breath. "I'll be fine, Crowley." You try to give them a reassuring smile but it never quite reaches your eyes.

Crowley feels guilty for the way you feel, blaming themself for pushing you too far and not having listened to your signs earlier.

"Go." Your voice breaks them out of their thoughts. "Please, Crowley."

"Right. I'll be back yea?"

"Okay."

You watch him walk away further into the crowded streets, disappearing as he turns into the parking garage. Fumbling in your pockets you take out the pack of cigarettes that Crowley keeps in his jacket and you light one up. Thankfully the bentley doesn't come into view until you squash your cigarette bud underneath your boot.

When you get in there's no music playing, and it's like that the entire ride home. The only thing heard is the ambience of the passing city, the unbearable street traffic, and the heavy silence that lingers between the two of you. Every couple of minutes, Crowley's eyes shift over to you as you lean your head against the passenger window, eyes taking in the passing scenery.

"Eyes on the road, please." You mumbled, speaking for the first time in the past twenty minutes.

"They speak." Crowley narrated half amusingly.

"Not now, love. Not tonight please."

Crowley feels a sting at your words, not because they were necessarily hurtful but because they knew that you were hurting inside and at the cause of their hands. They turn their head back to the road in front and grip the steering wheel tighter, dreading the long night that's bound to unravel.

You hadn't realized that you've arrived at your apartment until Crowley placed a hand over your thigh and gently shook your leg.

"Sweetheart, we're here."

As you come back to your senses you see your apartment building right outside the window, the kitchen light glowing faintly from inside.

"Thank you," you don't spare a look at Crowley as you prepare to bid goodbye. As you go to pull onto the car handle, you feel it stiffen as the door locks itself.

"Crowley-"

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

Finally looking up at them you take in how disheveled their is. No longer in a neat quiff but instead had strands falling all over the place. Right hand still gripped tightly around the steering wheel while their left hand remained free.

You know where this was going, you've played this game many times before with the demon but you had very little patience tonight.

"Crowley, please not tonight. I just want to be alone."

"You know better than I do that I can't let that happen."

"Why not?" You spat out, tilting your head at them albeit daringly. Only to be met by their squinting eyes as you both relieve the same memory of the past.

A momentary shock flashed across both Aziraphale's and Crowley's face as they made each others figure out as the dust of their sudden apparition settled.

"Angel? What are you-"

"The same reason why you are here. I could feel it."

Crowley swallowed thickly, nodding in acknowledgement of the celestial force that had brought both the angel and demon here in the living room of your flat.

Aziraphale had been shelving books when he first felt it. Crowley had been downing a whiskey at the pub when he felt it. At first it had hit them dully, making them stop in their tracks. Moments later, the pain radiated every fiber of the celestials beings, bringing them to their knees. It felt like a burning. Like the heat of a thousand suns had consumed them and they instantly recognized that pain. Having felt it plentiful during the rebellion, with the images of war and bloodshed still vivid in their minds even after all this time. The horror that consumed them as angels they both knew and loved met either their untimely end or their damning descent.

You were slipping from this form, from this world, and both Crowley and Aziraphale could feel every ounce of that pain.

"Right, where are they?!" Crowley seethed as he begin to pace around the living room.

"They must be around here somewhere, shall we split up?" Aziraphale anxiously met Crowley's gaze as he flexed his hand at his side rhythmically. Nervous habit.

"I'll take upstairs." With that the demon bolted upstairs and began his search as Aziraphale remained in the lower level of your flat. Echoes of your name rung out as they both called out to you.

It was the howling of Aziraphale's name that sent the angel running upstairs to Crowley. Dread weighing on his tongue with every step he took. The swung door and bright light emanating from the bathroom drew him in the right direction as he called out to Crowley.

As Aziraphale appeared in the doorway, he froze at the scene that laid in front of him. Crowley sunken on the floor with your limp frame cradled in his arms.

"What in Heaven's name happened?" Aziraphale breathed out, wide eyed in shock.

"I didn't- I don't know-th-they just-", words seem to fail Crowley, even more so than usual. Forming words took to much strength when the only thing he could feel, see, and taste was fear.

Aziraphale's face hardened as a defiance washed over him. Not tonight. Swallowing his fear down, Aziraphale sprung into action and was at your side.

Your skin was scalding and burned Aziraphale when he tried to touch you. Streaks of blood adorned your nose and cupids bow. Your heart was beating too fast and your breathing was too shallow.

Crowley smoothed your hair back as he took note of the sheen of sweat that adorned your forehead.

"Don't you dare give up on me. Do you hear me y/n?" Crowley croaked through how impossibly tight his throat felt. "You're not going anywhere."

"Crowley, look at me." Aziraphale urged, voice steady as he tried hard to be level headed.

Crowley was rocking back and forth, looking down on you as he muttered incoherently beneath his breath. Aziraphale saw the way Crowley had been unraveling and while he understood why, he knew that they needed to join heads in order to save you.

"Crowley," Aziraphale whispered as he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. This seemed to snap Crowley back to reality as his gaze finally tore away from your face and fixated upon Aziraphale's. He couldn't breathe right, not that he needed the air anyways, but he took note of how hard his chest had been heaving. His wide eyes darted frantically between Aziraphale's as he searched for some kind of answer.

"What do we do?"

Aziraphale knew that they couldn't call for help. Who on earth could possibly help revive an angel back to life. This was something that would need divine intervention, and then he realized the only option they had left.

"A miracle?" It came out whispered, as if he himself wasn't sure of it.

"Aziraphale..."

"It's the only way."

The two only stared at each other. Communicating through panicked breaths and wide eyes searching for another answer yet reaching defeat and accepting that there was none.

"On my count. 1...2...3!" Crowley boomed as he and the angel intertwined hands and placed them over your chest.

A warm yellow light engulfed the entire room, blinding both Aziraphale and Crowley from each other as they both drew from their respective forces to perform this act. They lose all sense of time in the light of their miracle and it isn't until Crowley feels you stir within their arms that he opens his eyes.

"Y/N?"

Serpentine eyes meet yours as you fluttered your eyes open, slowly regaining consciousness. Your eyes darting everywhere as the world around you is still out of focus, you gain an inkling of clarity once Aziraphale's cool blue eyes meet yours.

You were dying, you knew that much. You had been toeing the line between life and death and death had nearly had its claim on you. Yet somehow in the space between, it had been Aziraphale and Crowley who saved you. Bringing you back home to them.

"That won't happen again and I've been fine since, Crowley." Venom lacing your every word as you stared at him coldly.

That night had been your rock bottom. The sixties were a time of radical change for everyone and it was in the drug liberation movement that your substance abuse had found its spark.

"Now, if you don't mind I'll just-" and with a wave of your hand you miracled the car to unlock itself.

As you climb out of the car, you have to cling to the door as your legs nearly give out on you. As the cold air nips at your skin, sending a shiver through your spine, you try to stop the world from spinning just long enough to get into your apartment.

As you wade through the grass you hear Crowley call after you. Ignoring them, you slot your key into your front door and relief fills your senses as you finally pry the front door open. Turning around to shut the door, your met with Crowley's chest as they stand in the entryway.

"I don't need a babysitter, Crowley." Your gaze cold as you tilt your head upwards to face them.

"Clearly, you do." Walking around you, Crowley makes his way further into your flat before seeking seeking refuge in the living room.

With a huff, you close the door and make your way further into your flat. Feeling Crowley close by as you entered and exited every room as you got changed. Their gaze never left yours, meanwhile you were doing everything in your power to ignore him. The task had proven itself difficult after 42 minutes. As Crowley watched you place a kettle for tea, his patience finally had worn thin.

"Is this what we're going to do? Keep silent all bloody night," their voice flat in annoyance as their stare bore into the back of your head.

A clatter rang out as you slammed the kettle back down on the burner. The anger from your manic state had been simmering for a while and Crowley's comment was enough to make it erupt.

"What do you want from me, Crowley?!" You bellowed as your eyes grow wide and crazed, meeting his daringly.

"I want us to quit using!!"

The boom in Crowley's voice was strong enough to rattle the flat, causing your wine glass from earlier to slide off the kitchen table and shatter on the floor.

You stare at the shattered glass on the carpeted floor. There it is. The big truth, the one that seemed to be seeping in your brain as fast as the crimson stain setting in your carpet.

"What?" Your voice came out a low murmur as your focus remained on the floor.

Crowley's chest deflates as they let out a heavy sigh. One that they've been holding for decades. You knew you didn't want to, you knew you loved it that much. Crowley also knew that, as much as it pained him. Having seen the destruction he's caused from his own hand, he never thought you were to get burned in his fire. Having swept you away from a paradise and into a world of sin, Crowley can't help but blame themself for the way things have ended up. They should have protected you better from it.

"I think maybe we should quit. All the drugs, all the drinking, at least for a little while." Voice teetering on remaining cool as they bargain with you.

"Go to hell," you sneer as you bump into his shoulder purposefully.

"Oh, I've been and it's actually quite lovely this time of year! The pipes have just gone through cleaning." Crowley barks as you march off.

The shattering of glass echoed throughout the flat as the fuel of you and Crowley's fire burned hotter at each passing second. Insults and accusations hurled at each other as you two miscommunicated.

"Y/N, don't you see what this is doing to us? What this is doing to you? This isn't us!" Hands waving frantically between your bodies, hoping to prove their point.

Coming to a halt from your previous march, you slowly turn to face the demon once more.

"And who exactly are we, Crowley?"

"Not this." A sigh elates from their lips as their shoulders slouch.

A moment of silence falls over the two of you. With the air still thick from all the tension, you can't see reason or rationality from the smoke of you and Crowley's fire.

"Devil," you call him slow and unsteady, hands shaking as they did long ago.

"When you stole my virtue, did you foresee that the fruits of my innocence would come to die far too young? Did you know the path I would take and what I would lose on it?" You close the distance between you as you slowly walk towards him.

"Angel, you know I didn't-"

"Then why did you do this to me?"

Crowley is stunned to silence. Throughout the entirety of your relationship, Crowley has carried a guilt for exposing you to a life of sin. Yet it wasn't until know that their fears would be confirmed as they stood their reeling in the weight out your accusation.

"Angel please-"

"You opened my eyes and you did this to me!"

Your screams rung out, piercing Crowley's ears with each slam of your fists across their chest. Walking backwards, Crowley tried to calm you down from your fury. Grabbing a hold of your wrists before flipping you where your back now was pressed against the wall.

"Let me go, let me go," you seethed through gritted teeth. Body thrashing against them as you fought to escape their hold.

"This is what I'm talkin' about," Crowley hissed. "This isn't you, love. You've lost control of your body, you feel no safety in my arms, we're constantly at each others throats. You don't trust me, y/n."

Your body slacks underneath Crowley's hold as the weight of his words cut through you like a knife.

"I've no language left to say it y/n, but I cannot go on like this any longer."

"Why didn't you stop me?", you mumble beneath your breath.

"I didn't know it would get this out of hand. If I knew, I would take it back in a second. I would have never sought you out in the Garden."

You can't help the soft smile that graces your lips as the warm memories from Eden flash in your mind. The days spent in paradise and time spent in playful innocence with Crowley. You've come a long way since then, and as quickly as it came your smile fell as you take in how far you've fallen from grace.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," your voice cracks as the weight of your shame come hurling towards you again, threatening to throw you overboard.

Your visions begins to blur and without a moments notice, a sob wracks itself out of your body. Crowley cups the sides of your face as he places kisses all over your face, whispering apologies between each kiss.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry love, I promise we'll make it out of this. I promise I will make it up to you."

Your cries become muffled as they pull you into their chest, hands smoothing your back comfortingly.

"What if I can't stop?" Your voice comes out hoarse. You don't know how long you've been in Crowley's arms, but your cries have now died down to sniffles as a drowsiness seeps into your bones. "What if we can't make it out of this one?"

Pulling away slightly to get a clear view of you, Crowley see's the tiredness in your eyes.

"I promise I will do whatever it takes to make sure we survive, that you survive."

"It's hungry work." You didn't feel worthy of Crowley's love or care, feeling guilty of the burden you've placed on them.

"Not for me." Crowley shakes his head defiantly. "Not if it's you."

"I don't deserve this. I've been unkind to you, I can't give you what you want-"

"Y/N, when I met you I swore I had dreamed you. A creature so beautiful, so loving, never having asked me once about the wrong I did. I can only pray I can show you a shred of the light you have given me."

Crowley's devotion remained unwavering. Seeing the light in his eyes as he pledged his loyalty made your heart ache a little less, and the pain less unbearable. Crowley noticed your eyes ever seeking, head reeling a million thoughts but not asking, for in some sad way he already knows.

"I know what it's like to carry the shame and hate of some other man's beliefs, let me carry that with you," he pleaded.

Flickering between his yellow eyes, the love that poured from them made you feel lighter. You knew that the road to recovery would be long and present its own trials, but you didn't have to face them alone. In fact, you never would have to feel alone anymore.

"I'm all in- I need to know you still want this, that you still want me."

Nodding slowly, a smile cracks itself on your face.

"In every lifetime, Crowley."

#good omens #gomens #aziraphale #anthony j crowley #crowley #crowley x y/n #crowley x you #crowley x reader #david tennant #neil gaiman #angst

[persnicketypomelo]

Yoooooo!!!U are too sweet to me, @persnicketykumquat ! And my week went well, thank you!♡ I do hope your week is wonderful too, and if not, that's okay. A new week is coming in with more adventures and joy!^^ . I am greedy again, dear... hehehe... I uh would like to see ur perspective of an unrequited love of yn with our Severus Snape.. Since his love for Lily is so deep... like the bottom of the ocean deep, lol. If not, it's cool, yo! I am happy with anything u have! THANK YOU!!! With love ~~☁️

Yet again, you've managed to pick one of my favorite characters to request. It truly is a miracle, haha. I hope you like this one too :)

spoilers, kidnap, obsession

Yandere Snape Headcanons

Snape is a cold and decidedly unfriendly individual

The parental neglect and bullying he experienced as a child forever shaped him

Depending on what time you meet him in his life, how he might form an obsession with you would alter

During his adolescence, I think it would be unlikely he would grow such a strong attachment to anyone other than Lily

Doing so would be a betrayal to his childhood love, even though his feelings were not reciprocated

I think the most interesting scenario would be if you were a muggle, wholly separated from the wizarding world, unaware of the dark conflict brewing in the realm of wizards and witches

Although he undoubtedly has a certain disdain for muggles, he is not such a pureblood fanatic as the people he associates with

Perhaps he sees you in public, and some resemblance you bear to his long lost love makes him falter in his tracks

Your wide, doe-like eyes, your hair, your smile...

Regardless of what it is, he feels some stirrings in his heart

He would very much try to resist his feelings

Emotional impulses are a weakness, he has always believed, and he won't dare fall to the ranks of dunces that are slaves to the whims of their hearts

But he can't seem to get your image out of your head

Even in his sleep, nightmares of you and Lily haunt him

Maybe that's why he finds himself tailing you, trying to observe your daily activities

Snape finds knowledge to be a form of power, and knowing all the minute details about you puts him more at ease…both through stalking and Legilimency

He wouldn't even be conscious that he is developing a powerful obsession with you, as his emotional awareness leaves much to be desired

Severus isn't sure what he expects to find--maybe evidence of you casting some sort of curse on him that haunts his mind

Unsurprisingly, he finds nothing—only your complete oblivion of the wizarding world

Even knowing you can't possibly be a threat, he still finds himself tracing your steps and watching you from afar

I see his obsessive tendencies manifesting in two vastly different ways

Firstly, he could continue watching over you from afar, keeping you out of the wizarding world

He's already lost someone he loved during the First Wizarding War, and he doesn't want to lose to another

You might only notice his presence by the fortunate luck you seem to be having

It's like you have a guardian angel protecting you

Well, more like a sallow-skinned, greasy-haired man, but there's no way you could know that

Alternatively, he might feel the urge to meet you, to bask himself in the presence of someone so reminiscent of his first love

He convinces himself that you are a second chance: a reconciliation gift from the world for all the suffering its put him through

There's no way he'll let you go now

You might be confused to wake up in an unfamiliar room with a strange, sour looking man

But when he speaks, although with a rather quiet voice, it is with such authority that it doesn’t even cross your mind to interrupt him

“Listen carefully, as I am not inclined to repeat myself. I have taken you here for your own safety. There are many in my world who wish for the destruction of your kind. Therefore, if you have any sense at all, you will comply with my orders and remain here. I will know if you attempt to escape, and I am a man with little patience for such theatrics.”

Even though he loves you, he still expects cooperation and discipline from you

Snape has little tolerance for your defiance, and should it wear out, he will simply feed you a potion to make you passive and sluggish

Or perhaps he will brew you Amortentia

Picturing you besotted and trailing around him with such adoring eyes is thrilling. The thought alone is enough to accelerate his heart rate

Severus’s primary goal is to keep you safe, but the bonus of seeing you so compliant with his word, whether forcibly or not, is something he will never tire of

Although he might seem cold and standoffish, he truly does care for you beyond measure

Emotional expression has just never been his forte

It is best for your own sake, however, that you do not test the limits of his tolerance

After all, this is a man that would do the unspeakable to maintain the fantasy of mutual love

#reader insert #x reader #yandere #harry potter #severus snape #snape #obsession #obsessive #headcanons #yandere harry potter #yandere snape

[anima-writer]

yo, yo! can I get an alternate!gabriel adopting a toddler!reader?

Alternate!Gabriel "adopting" a Toddler!Reader

Summary: What bad would happen if a antichrist basically adopt a toddler?

Pairing[s]: Alt!Gabriel × Toddler!Reader, platonic.

Warning[s]: Mentions of kill and peel skin off.

Word Count: 740

A/N: Sorry for taking so long :) Hope u like it,@/ bepsimantheanomaly and everybody!

💮 For us to start this discussion clearly, facts need to be said: just because you are a small, innocent, and defenseless thing doesn't take away from the fact that Gabriel is nothing more than a deity who came to earth to play with humanity that almost looks like a bunch of ants trying to survive a harsh winter.

💮 I believe that Gabriel if one day he saw you, he would think you were just another ant in his backyard, so small and insignificant you are compared to him. Knowing this, keep in mind that for this story to continue, don't wait for the Angel to find some importance in you, you are the one who has to take the first step and go look for him. Just remind yourself which way you are about to go.

💮 The first time you meet, the scenario would be something like:

 You would be playing around, with whatever is in your favor, in some public place. Your mother would no longer be here to hear you cry. There is nothing or no one here that can protect you.

Noises would come from all sides, the wind would get more violent, and the place would be darker, this would only worsen your condition now. It was possible, there might have been something, not so nice, watching you out of the corner of its eye somewhere…but it's just a hypothesis…that wasn't something you should care so much about, after all, he was right by your side.

The thing was just a hideous face, it was initially just staring at you, after that, it was moving away from you.

💮 If this scenario happens, you have two options:

Ignore the man in the dress and continue to play, however, over a week, or even months, you will still see that man with a hideous face.

 Or

Kill the cat out of genuine curiosity and want to follow a strange face around town?

 —Choice isn't all that important, because either one will lead you to one thing: Gabriel. Just because you see him even when he doesn't want to, makes him slightly confused about you.

 —By then, Gabriel would be forming brief thoughts of a lost AND FOOLISH puppy in you. Look at yourself! You are following a being you don't know out there in one of the most dangerous cities for children! It's just mildly worrisome.

💮 For the confusion and curiosity you planted in the Angel, he would be more willing to approach you. For the time being, you would have the divine mercy that was bestowed on you, and no kind of danger would come near you…except the Angel himself.

💮 His approach methods would be the quality of time. Supervising you while playing...although having a being that could just grab you with its palm and easily kill you, is not one of the best options to get close to a person and especially a toddler... to get better the weather, Gabriel would try to join you in whatever kind of game you want to play.

💮 Months go by and surprisingly, your approach methods worked! It just didn't work out the way he wanted. In that time, Gabriel began to take more interest in you and noticed much more how easy it was to at least peel your skin off with one touch, his thoughts of keeping you hammering him more and more. I think you have a new guardian!... I don't know if this is good.

💮 Because of the extreme height difference, many things had to be adapted, such as his speed.

 As you follow him, he would have to walk more slowly so your little legs could keep up with him again. If you tire quickly, Gabriel would just stop and wait for you to catch your breath again.

💮 The likely chances of the Angel introducing you to his lackeys are low, but not zero. For everyone to have proper behaviors, and for no one to try to give you psychological trauma, threats will have to be made. Six/Intruder would be the most trusted of all, for his good experience with children, however, Gabriel wouldn't leave you for more than 3 hours with him. 

He is more experienced, but still not as reliable.

💮 Crazy, huh? Being basically adopted by an antichrist that all that comes to his mind is the destruction of humanity's evolution…well, anything is possible, isn't it? :D

#the mandela catalogue #tmc #mandela catalogue #mandela catalogue x reader #platonic #alt gabriel #sus gabriel #toddler!reader

[easy-revenge]

Do you think that Aki saw Himeno as a sister or just a friend and never more than that?

here's me challenging myself again bc for the life of me i cant comprehend what aki hayakawa is feeling half the time.

short answer to your question: no.

what did he see her as instead? im nowhere near a coherent and clear answer.

I'll tell u what i do know. we see aki forming loads of different relationships with ppl in chainsaw man. some of them clearer in their nature than others.

let's look at power and denji for example. family. that's an easy one. aki took on the role of the "guardian" at first, somewhat begrudgingly, but it very quickly got reshaped into him being their big brother.

i think seeing this relationship from a lot of different angles is enough to show that he most likely didn't view himeno as his sister.

in his brotherly role, he's very protective. with himeno, even though they were always saving each other, you could feel that their dynamic let him be vulnerable around her too.

he'd allow himself to be protected by her. he'd ask her permission to use the sword. he'd follow her lead and trust her judgement.

equals. even though she ranked higher than him, the mutual respect and trust between them made them feel like a team.

i think there's too many layers to their relationship for me to try and define it. if it's not familial love, is it a bond built around their respect and history as buddies? doesn't really cover all the bases. then is it friendship?

once again, im not sure. have we seen aki having any friends really? is it a coincidence that the two ppl that were somewhat marketed to be his friends are people who either are canonly in love with him or implied to be as such?

is it a coincidence that aki tends to display behavior that can be read as having romantic undertones as well? that he willingly gave years off his lifespan to save both himeno and angel without a second thought?

the answer to that is no, it's not. it's because these characters are way too complex and have a lot of trauma under their belt to navigate through relationships as the average human being.

aki has experienced a lot of loss. he's dishonest with the ppl around him and with his own feelings. he pushes people away to focus on his goal, but keeps making choices that contradict that way of living.

he's stumbling around this duality, almost as if he's in limbo. he's not letting himself have what he wants in the present. he's not giving people what they want from him. he's not dedicated enough to progress towards his goal.

and what does aki want in the present? my guess is: to be close to people. aside from wanting a family, to fulfil the role he missed out on, to get a redo of being a big brother and not mess it up, he wants ppl close in every sense.

that's why when his mask slips up, you can see how wholeheartedly he gives himself over to people.

he breaks around himeno a couple of times, letting his need for her slip through the cracks. he lets her touch him, cuddle him, light his cigarettes. he reciprocates, if a bit more hesitantly, stealing that cigarette standing just a tad too close.

is that attraction? or is it aki letting himself get the closeness he craves bc he knows he can? he knows he's allowed to bc himeno wants him there?

aki has to know himeno has feelings for him, at least in the back of his mind. does that keep him from getting even closer to her in fear of leading her on? would he want to get closer if makima wasn't forcefully pulling his attention to her? more questions i cant answer.

but looking at his relationship with angel as well, aki does follow this pattern. he's again putting up an act. he can't get along with angel, they are like natural enemies.

then the fear of loss creeps in and boom, he breaks. gives up his lifespan and pulls angel against his chest. it's like drawing the curse's sword all over again. he yells at angel for almost dying and nestles his face against angel's hair, holding him tight.

it's this type of behavior that leads me to believe that this is something that aki is deprived of. the closeness, the intimacy, someone to hold and maybe grasp onto. its something he's always needed and kept keeping himself away from.

is it love? is it friendship? is it response to unresolved trauma? a mix of the three? you tell me.

the fact that at no point throughout his storyline does aki have full control of himself also gets me. even if i was to speculate about the type of feelings he has for each person in his life, i know there's someone else ultimately pulling the strings in his brain. and that's a factor I can't break down and take into consideration.

so this is all i can give u by rubbing my two braincells together and not venturing too much into headcanon territory.

istg the inner workings of aki's mind literally keep me up at night.

#answered #akimeno #akiangel #aki hayakawa analysis #chainsaw man #aki hayakawa #himeno #chainsaw man spoilers

[psychicpanic]

im thinking abt doing spirit work (? is that the right word im very new to this) w angels... is there anything youd recommend for starters

HI STIGMATA!!!!! YES SPIRIT WORK IS CORRECT 🫂 I LOVE YEW

this is awesome bcs i REALLY recommend spirit work with angels first and foremost when dabbling in spirit work because angels aren’t here to hurt us, they’re here to guide us, protect us, and they love us unconditionally.

some things to remember when working with angels

there are different types of angels that specialize in different things (beauty, youthfulness, protection, divine messages, etc). there are guardian angels, archangels, and angels. there are also different types of angels like throne angels (ones that hold God’s throne), seraphim (they worship God), etc.

guardian angels watch over us since before we were born. these are the angels that are with us all throughout our lives.

archangels are high ranking angels (archangel michael, archangel gabriel, etc)

all angels are literal beings of light and are multi-dimensional entities

angels would love to guide us and offer their services to us, but they DO NOT unless they have explicit permission to help from us. when spirits do things like help without permission, they hinder our gift of free will, which then will lower their vibration. angels are very high vibrational beings. helping with permission, on the other hand, helps to raise their own vibration

there are different ways to work with angels, like rituals to invoke specific ones, but i will tell u how to practice spirit work with angels the easy way. angels are highly intelligent, highly powerful beings, and they are able to read our minds. this seems like an invasion of privacy to us but is very natural to them because thoughts are seen as thoughts coming directly from God / the one true infinite creator. (and don’t forget, they love us unconditionally!) if you are shy, or in a pinch and can’t pray out loud, prayer in your mind is 100% fine. they will hear you.

we have guardian angels that are specifically assigned to us by our birth date. i would definitely take a look at the occult encyclopedia wiki (or just google your angel birth date) to find out who is your specific guardian angel. i was born december 21st so mine is Nithael.

angels watch over us all of the time and know what we are thinking, and would like to offer us any assistance they can. knowing this, and knowing what your angel can offer (just googling your angels name will tell you a lot about them), you can pray in your mind or out loud. they will listen to u. you don’t have to see lights, signs, or feel a change in energy. if you’re nervous about other entities trying to trick you, you can also tell your angels that you do not wish to claim any negative energy and would like negative entities to be away from you, and ask for protection throughout the day and night.

if you would like assistance from an archangel, your guardian angel can easily bring them into the picture if asked. you can ask for protection from archangel michael, both spiritually and physically. you can ask just ask your guardian angel as well. angels are naturally protective entities.

you don’t have to invoke them, have candles out, do a ritual, etc. working with angels is very easy! they don’t ask for anything in return BTW! they are such kind and gentle beings.

you can ask for blessings, protection, help with your mental health, help with clarity for a certain situation, help with love and being loved, etc. the possibilities are endless! and knowing your angels name and looking up what they specialize in will help a lot with the prayers. just make sure your intention is there and you really want what you’re asking for so they can answer.

there’s probably more im forgetting, but yeah! sorry it’s kind of long! I LOVE ANGELS! and they love you 🫂🫶

#ask #sistervirtue

[sunlightcalibur1996]

Wanderland [Welcome Home A. U.]: "Girl and Boy"

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"Welp, I made an A. U. called 'Wanderland' and the reason why it has the letter 'A'….It's because children doesn't know how to spell Wonderland right. Anyway, This A.U. was inspired by Among The Sleep, Coraline, Alice In Wonderland, Alice In Nightmareland: Alice's Madness, Dark Deception, Little Nightmares, Sky: Children Of The Light….Bramble The Mountain and Undertale. The children would experience what it was like if they head outside, They would think it's a bright and colorful place where they could be happy etc….Clancy sees it differently which is something or someone he couldn’t ignore. The only reason why the children hadn't headed outside, It's because they're some adults and teenagers who disguise themselves as monsters….Which is pretty scary if you guys ask me. The children who died in 1903 to 1989 were inspired by Ed Edd N Eddy's Purgatory Theory and the children who became puppets were also inspired by Five Nights At Freddy's, Clancy on the other hand is not a teenager or a real person….He's just an imaginary friend that Girl and Boy think if they met a teenager. They did, But the truth is that he’s a guardian angel who seeks and protects the children….Sadly there are no children in sight. Luckily he's able to protect them because he is the light of their lives, Although it's not enough to protect them….Because the outside world is full of dark and scary places that can destroy the light easily. Clancy's not forcing them to stay, He doesn't want to allow them to enter the real outside….He's only doing this because they have the weakest will and they can't escape it or fight it. Another word by saying, They are going to be eaten alive and no one's there to save them until there’s another light that shines on them….Which is the place called Welcome Home and it's the only place that’s bright and beautiful. But once it gets dark, There are some strange things that the puppets are scared of or even show to these poor children what they look like….If they will also get affected in a different way. There’s the creator of this show who's crueler than the rest of the monsters, He's the puppet master and a true monster….Wally and everybody else are the children who died and they are suffering due to the creator who made them. The only way to free these poor children is to follow their light, Which is how they died and find the memories of who they used to be….But the crueler creator can’t allow the children to find out why. The dead children, Now called 'The Rainbow Souls'….Can't leave the other side of the puppet world. They are stuck souls, Force to stay here because the light is the only place where children can stay and be true to themselves….Most likely however. Those children who died just wanted everyone to be safe, The souls of the dead children think that their parents left the new victims to die to suffer the same fate as them….But either way they are stuck in their puppet forms. Another thing about them, If one of them breaks characters….The creator will exactly hurt them and not let Girl or Boy know the truth about them. Puppets will see dead children who what they used to be will be staring at them, They'll scream to tell them to leave the neighborhood alone….But they will never let them go and not after what they did to themselves. The main characters….Which are Wally, Sally, Julie, Frank, Eddie, Barnaby, Howdy and Poppy are the rainbow souls who died in 1903 - 1989. Home represents the creator of Welcome Home, Where he did died alone in his house….Other puppets are just puppets as background characters. As for the monsters, They're are the tallest and biggest creature than humans and puppets….They're here come after the children whoever see the light or not because they live in the world that's black or white with no colors surrounding them. Oh and the only reason why Girl and Boy are not allow to open their eyes, It's because if they see something 'terrible'….They'll be traumatize and never forget what they saw. So, What do you guys think…?"

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"Welcome Home" [CREATED BY: ClownIllustrations||PartyCoffin] "Girl", "Boy" & "AU" [CREATED BY: TeamExtremeSonic 2417||SunlightCalibur1996]

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@partycoffin @infohazardouz @chez-cinnamon @asking-trader-howdy @sketchquill

#welcome home #welcome home the lost puppet show #welcome home arg #welcome home puppet show #alternate universe #au #welcome home oc #welcome home au #welcome home alternate universe #girl #boy #welcome home girl #welcome home boy

[padfootastic]

hi pen! although this will be a little bit different from your usual opinion, BUT listen, as a sirius stan, actually i prefer nowadays’ fandom’s jegulus obsession to the old days’ fandom’s jily + wolfstar trend. for sirius. because, when the fandom trend was wolfstar + jily, they made remus & lily the saints in the marauders group and made lily remus’ guardian angel who beat the rich handsome arrogant himbo jocks sirius & james for smol bean remus, and made remus effeminate and meek. but after jegulus, and atyd, the fandom started to really think remus could be strong not meek, so sirius got to be able to be protected as much as remus in fics, and the fandom, which used to be so obsessed with remus’ trauma, now at least pay attention on how the blacks were horrible to sirius, since they have paid lots of attention about how the blacks were horrible to regulus.

gosh, this is so so old and idek if the anon who sent this is still here but im so sorry 😭😭 i went off tumblr for a few months and my inbox is. cluttered. it’s a bit overwhelming lmao.

but! i really appreciate this input <3

i totally see where ur coming from too; i don’t think this is applicable for like, early 2000s remus/sirius depictions bc that was a different ballgame altogether but like. 2010s? definitely. and perhaps in that way, u could say there’s a definitely improvement.

i just think i’m personally way too biased and picky to ever truly be happy about how sirius is written tho 🙈🙈 it’s entirely a me problem, i admit it, but i see him in a very particular way and i have no patience for anything else lol

#i think—why i have issues w the jegulus fandom conception of sirius #is he just gets undermined so much? #and that happened w wolfstar too #i just need sirius to be treated the way he deserves and we’re all good lmao #i’m def glad that we’re past the himbo manwhore portyrat #portrayal* tho #and lily being an angel #i still think she’s put in a pedestal but def not as bad as before #but like also. i have Opinions ab the marauders fandom and not great ones lol so i’ll just shut up #thank u for this ask and again im rly sorry!!! #rly rly need to clear out my inbox i swear #pen’s asks

[sabo-has-my-heart]

Guardian Angel part 2 rewrite

So quite some time ago, before I had even 100 followers, I wrote a Luffy fic called Guardian Angel, I then wrote a part 2. However I really wasn’t happy with it. I kept it up, but have been wanting to rewrite it, personally, I like this one more.

Warnings: removal of angel wings, mentions of wounds and bleeding, memory loss

Word Count: 1250

Someone was calling for you, who was calling for you? It was like your head was under water, everything was so vague and indistinct. The words were so muffled. Your eyes opened slightly, it was dark, so dark. The same voice called out 

“-O! -an’t le...” static, it sounded like static as the voice cut out. You were about to close your eyes when a light started shining from somewhere above you, “won’t al…. key D. Luffy…” Luffy… his name was Luffy… he was… important to you. How long had you been drifting like this? Time had no meaning here, time didn’t flow like it should here. Where even was here? It was your prison, for breaking the rules. What rules? Why could you remember some things but not others? It took all your strength but you reached out towards the light, you had to reach him. You barely knew who he was, but he was important, he needed you and you were supposed to be there to protect him. Not just because it was your job, but because you cared about him. It was your job… that’s right, you were supposed to keep him safe, try and keep him from dying but only so long as you didn’t break the rules to do so. Why were you supposed to keep him safe? Why was it your job? No, it didn’t matter, all that mattered was that he needed you, you wouldn’t let him down, you couldn’t let him down. Even as something tried to hold you back, tried to pull you down into the dark depths, you fought to reach the light, the light and the voice.

“... next king of… rates…” he was going to be a king, but not an ordinary king. What kind of king was he going to be? You could find out if you could just get to him. More and more you struggled forward, more and more, they tried to pull you back, “join my crew!” his crew, he wanted you to be part of his crew. They were a rowdy, lively bunch with good hearts. You were going to, supposed to, be a part of his crew. More now than ever, you needed to reach him, you needed to escape and return to him. Something tugged on your back painfully. Looking back, you saw two fluffy white wings, held back by chains. They pulled and held you back. No, you couldn’t let them hold you back. If it was your wings that they were holding onto… a scream was ripped from your throat as you felt the soft white appendages rip away from your back. It hurt, it hurt so much, but if it meant reaching him, then you would endure. There was so much pain, but without them, it was easier to move towards your goal, as if they had been what was holding you back the entire time. No, not just the wings, but the laws, the restrictions, the unseen chains that tied you down. No longer would you be bound by them, you’d be free to do as you wished, even if that meant disobeying them and helping him as you saw fit. Finally, it was within your grasp, wrapping your hand around something, you allowed it to pull you out of your prison. Gasping, as if taking your first breath of fresh air in a long time, you looked around. All you could tell at the moment was that you were floating in the ocean. Still, you didn’t see anyone around, whatever had helped pull you from your prison was gone. 

Luffy sighed as he stared out at the ocean waters, he missed you. It was strange, not even knowing who you were, yet needing you back. You were a part of his nakama, even if he hadn’t realized it until you’d saved him, you were still important to him and that’s all that mattered. He constantly shouted at the sky, demanding that his new angel leave him alone. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew that the new angel was still around. 

“I have to find you, you need to join my crew.” Luffy whispered to the shimmering waters. After a moment, Usopp shouted about something in the water a ways away from them, the crew changing directions as they headed for whatever this thing was. Their speed increasing when he noticed the shape to be human. Reaching down towards the person, Luffy stretched, pulling the unconscious form out of the ocean. They were bleeding from two large gashes across their back, Chopper immediately getting to work. Luffy only got a brief look before Zoro was carrying them to the infirmary, but he recognized them, it was his guardian angel. 

Waking up, you groaned in pain, there was a searing pain in your back. You knew what it was from, but it was still bad. Looking around, you noticed you were in a room aboard a ship. It looked familiar somehow. 

“You’re awake.” a voice said, drawing your attention to a black haired boy in a chair next to your bed. He was playing with a straw hat, the saddened look in his eyes didn’t suit him, he should be smiling.

“Why aren’t you smiling? You should be smiling.” you said, brow furrowed. You knew this boy, you didn’t know how you knew this boy, but you knew him.

“I wasn’t strong enough 2 years ago, but I got stronger, I promise, will you be my guardian angel again?” he asked, almost desperately, as if he would break if you refused.

“I… I don’t know how.” you said, shaking your head, making him look down at his lap for a second before looking back up at you.

“Join my crew?” he asked, requesting for you to join rather than demanding it like he had 2 years ago. You just shook your head, drawing a few tears from his eyes for a moment.

“I can’t, I’m looking for someone, I’m supposed to join his crew. I need to find someone named Luffy.” you said, surprised when the boy was suddenly pulling you into a tight hug.

“Don’t you recognize me? I’m Luffy.” he sobbed, holding you close. Why did you mean so much to him? He’d only met you two years ago and he’d only known you for an hour tops. No, it didn’t matter, you were important to him, that’s all that mattered. Your arms slowly wrapped around him, he was Luffy. That’s right, he was Monkey D. Luffy, future king of the pirates. You felt that he was somehow more than that, but even if you knew what he was, you felt the need to keep it from him, for now at least. 

“You’re Luffy, you’re captain of the straw hat pirates and I need to protect you.” you whispered, wrapping your arms around him. It wasn’t much, but it was all you needed to know.

“Please, I need to know your name, I want to know who you are.” Luffy pleaded, still holding you.

“Y/n.” you said simply, “I’m Y/n, but I… I don’t know, don’t remember, much else. I’m sorry.” you said, feeling the boy shake his head.

“You don’t need to remember anything else. You remember me, you’re here, you’re joining my crew, that’s all that matters.” Luffy whispered. His guardian angel was back, that’s all that he cared about. He wouldn’t ever let anything happen to you again.

#one piece #monkey d luffy #monkey d. luffy #mugiwara no luffy #one piece luffy #guardian angel!reader #guardian angel #guardian angel au

[myfairstarlight]

For Every Question Why - Chapter 6

AO3 Link. Previous / Next.

Rated: T Chapter length: 6k Chapter summary:

Through the Arrangement, an angel has the uncomfortable realisation they are prone to jealousy and bouts of anger much more easily than an angel like them should be.

*all additional notes on ao3

⋆ ✩₊˚ ʚ♡ɞ ˚₊✩⋆

Heaven

Janiel walks as casually as he can manage to as he makes his way through the hallowed halls of Heaven. In some way, he should not be here, he handed in his latest report only a week prior and he has no meeting to attend to. Sure, no one should bat an eye that he’s here to take a break from Earth but he has business to attend to and he’s trying to avoid Raphael without making it blatantly obvious.

The Archangel has been oddly… sociable. Always present now when Janiel comes back to report, standing next to Michael with a friendly smile Janiel knew was only a pretty facade. Raphael has always been more of a loner, too busy loving her stars to care about anything else Heaven, and even less Earth, is up to, and yet here she constantly is now, actually taking part in the role her title bestowed upon her.

Or as Janiel likes to call it: nagging him into annoyance.

“Seraphim Janiel!” the voice he was searching for says and he perks up, making a U-turn to face Muriel who smiles brightly, a report held tightly to their chest.

“Muriel, wonderful, is that what I think it is?”

The Scrivener nods. “Everything about the original blueprints for Earth and humans. About that emotion you asked for, LOVE, however...”

“Mm?”

“Unfortunately I could not access those files, Archangel Raphael took them and Seraphim Cassiel said they could not make a copy without them as the original file of the angel who created LOVE could not be found.”

Janiel holds back a groan. That… is his fault, ultimately. He did not think destroying Astrophel’s file would have such a consequence but it makes sense, everything the demon worked on would have been in there. He supposes he could directly ask Astrophel but the demon’s eyes always darken whenever Janiel mentions Before and that is a sight he’d rather not witness if he can help it. He still lets out a disappointed sigh as he grabs the files Muriel hands him.

“Sorr—”

“Don’t fret it, Muriel, it’s not your fault,” Janiel cuts them off immediately. “This is already more than helpful, thank you.”

The angel beams in a way that now reminds Janiel of small puppies back on Earth. He chuckles, patting their head.

Not long after, he lets them go so the Scrivener may resume their usual work and Janiel hurries out of Heaven with the files safely tucked within his clothes.

He meant to do all this research right after Pompeii’s incident — but truth be told, he got distracted and Heaven suddenly handed him more assignments than he was used to, then the Arrangement came to be and for a while, all of Janiel’s worries were washed away by pure glee. The thing is, seeing Astrophel so naturally saving seemingly insignificant humans made Janiel realise how… inadequate he truly was. He’s supposed to be the guardian angel, after all, what did it say about him that Astrophel did the job he was supposed to do without so much of a thought? And while feeling incredibly guilty about it?

(That just was not fair. Thus the idea of the Arrangement was born.)

He loves humans as well, he’s an angel, he ought to, he got extremely attached in perhaps too many instances for how fleeting humans are, and yet— there’s not much he tried to do to protect them.

(Then again, the job description was to protect them from Hell, but it turns out Astrophel doesn’t even want to truly harm them, no, throughout the years, in all the moments wherein he could have acted, Janiel would have had to protect them from Heaven.)

And LOVE. The very human kind of love, so distinct from the one he and his fellow angels feel for all Her creatures, what an enigma of an emotion it is, especially now that none of them has a proper file on the subject. Janiel has been feeling flashes of it whenever near Astrophel, the warm Emotion still pulsing gently within the demon’s soul whenever the latter interacts with humans. For one can never truly separate a creation from its creator.

He wonders…

As his feet touch Earth’s ground again, Janiel clutches his shirt where his body’s heart is beating very intensely all the while looking up into a dark, starry night over London. It is a constant rhythm, hammering in his ears, uncomfortable and yet all too familiar.

What a strange creation that is, LOVE. Invisible, and yet a force that makes the world turn. Perhaps greater than the stars he once shaped.

He shall cherish it as well.

⋆ ✩₊˚ ʚ♡ɞ ˚₊✩⋆

The Globe Theatre — London. 1601.

Janiel sniffs as he makes his way through the busy crowd of the Globe Theatre. Fortunately, Astrophel’s white curls always manage to stand out no matter what.

(Or perhaps he is the only presence Janiel cares to pay attention to.)

Unfortunately, that poet is also near, awfully close to the demon and it does not help that Astrophel seems pleased to have the man’s undivided attention. Janiel holds in a sigh— well, that explains the abundant crowd despite this being one of Shakespeare's gloomiest plays yet. For all his angelic disposition and undemonic positivity, Astrophel sure has a peculiar taste for the tragic stories humans like to create for entertainment all the while frowning down at violence and instruments of torture.

(“Violence is the easy option. Manipulation and psychological warfare, now that's worth worrying about and is much more praise-worthy, I believe. It destroys without leaving a trace, or well, obvious ones in the immediate aftermath,” Astrophel had said one day, fingers scratching at the corner of his eyes absently and the angel wisely did not question it. It was a good reminder that Astrophel was still a demon and was not running from it either.)

Ever since the Arrangement has been in place, Astrophel has loosened up a bit, no longer keeping a safe distance from humans like he used to and becoming wholly involved in the lives of the ones that caught his eye. A lot of them are writers, which is of no surprise, although he cannot read, Astrophel has always thoroughly enjoyed listening to the humans. He is certain a good half of William's poems must be in some way inspired by the demon.

(... And because Janiel is aware the man stole some of his words while they all shared a drink and some praises left the angel's lips.)

It made Janiel realise how unremarkable most humans are to him, that he only got attached when God set Her grip on one and Janiel felt the inner need to protect them as much as he could.

It has been a good while since She has interfered in any way on Earth, now that he thinks about it. He should be grateful for it but ever since Metatron has risen in ranks, now becoming the Voice of God. Enoch was never one Janiel appreciated much as a human, so as an angel, and his superior? He almost wishes God would mess around with Earth again if only so he would not have to deal with Metatron so much.

“Janiel!” Astrophel calls, to Janiel's surprise. The angel grins, sauntering over and not missing the pout now framing William's mouth. “You've been standing there for a while without greeting me?”

“Apologies, starlight, I got distracted by the play,” he replies and frowns at the dark-tinted glasses hiding the demon's eyes. That is a new development as well. He hates them. “Hello Bill,” he says next with a nonchalant wave.

“Mm,” is all the response the famed dramaturge gives him.

Astrophel nudges the angel who grunts and then quickly corrects, “I mean William. Enjoying the success?” Janiel gives his friend a pointed glance at that and Astrophel must have sensed it because he turns his head the other way with a tiny huff.

“I’m merely happy to see others enjoy my more serious creations, despite what you warned me about, good sir.”

“I do like the funny ones better,” Janiel admits. “Enough gloominess in the world, I do not see the point of seeing more of it.”

“That is your problem, I fear.”

Janiel grunts and ensues a glaring contest between him and the human until Astrophel clears his throat.

“William dear, will you excuse us?”

Janiel is barely able to suppress his satisfied smile. Ha! I won! An arrogant voice chimes happily in his mind.

The poet looks particularly disgruntled but he nods. “Of course, dear Aster. Please find me after the show before you depart for Edinburgh, will you?”

“Naturally,” Astrophel agrees, patting his shoulder. “Now shoo, your actors probably need you.”

Astrophel almost shoves him away afterwards with the way William seems quite reluctant to move but eventually, the man leaves, not without another glare in Janiel's direction.

“He doesn't like me,” the angel states. “See if I let him steal my words ever again.”

“You do nag him a lot, even about his funny plays,” Astrophel says.

“To keep him on his toes, it’d be a shame if he lets go because of the success and his next creations lack in quality, don’t you think?”

The demon makes a face. “I suppose so.”

“So, Edinburgh, huh?”

Astrophel hums. “Ah yes, minor temptations to perform, it should only take a few.”

“I’m actually due to go to Edinburgh soon as well, small blessings here and there…” He circles Astrophel as he speaks, leaning ever so slightly into the demon’s aura. To be honest, he just enjoys the way Astrophel tilts his head as if to chase the sound of his voice.

“Oh!” the demon exclaims. “Then no worries dear, I can take care of those so you don’t have to bother with travelling.”

Janiel falters. “Uh— are you sure? I’m supposed to ride a horse and I know how you hate that, hard on the buttocks. I really need a word with whoever was in charge of their design.”

Astrophel stifles a laugh. “It’ll be alright, I got used to it.” The demon leans back, continuing to eat the grapes he has gathered in his left palm. Janiel steals one and pops it between his teeth.

“Y’know, I still have yet to perform temptations for you, it feels kinda unfair to you,” he points out, as casually as he can manage without sounding like a reproach.

“Really? I do not see the issue.”

“Starlight… the Arrangement, it’s been almost a thousand years and so far it feels more like I’m exploiting you than helping you. And I—” Janiel takes a deep breath while Astrophel slowly turns to him, even lowering his glasses so star-filled eyes settle on him expectantly. He’s always hated being so… honest about his feelings but something about the demon… “I feel bad about it, alright? Sure, a part of me suggested this arrangement so I’d have less work to do but I didn't mean to dump it all on you!” And he does hate the fact it took him this long to even realise. “So please, just let me help. Unless you worry I’m not fit to do temptations in which case, why don’t you teach me? Could be fun, and—”

“Janiel,” Astrophel cuts him off and suddenly, a pale chubby hand reaches for his chin, pulling him down. Janiel splutters, certain that his face has gone aflame at the sudden touch and proximity. “Temptations are far from fun. They go against everything an angel like you should strive for lest they want to Fall.”

The angel draws out a shaky breath. From this angle he gets a better look at the demon’s eyes behind those damn glasses — they glow darkly, the stars swirling into an endless nebula, agitated, frustrated. It's a warning, almost a threat.

And it makes him wonder why Astrophel even agreed to an Arrangement if he worried about causing Janiel to Fall.

“I know, I was joking,” he says softly, grabbing Astrophel’s wrist, prompting him to loosen his grip on his chin. Janiel grins, holding Astrophel’s hand and keeping it close to his chest. “I can tell you do not enjoy performing them either, so don’t use the angel excuse on me.” In any case, I am not scared to Fall if you're there to catch me, he doesn't add.

“Mm.”

“So let me lighten the burden, alright?” The demon does not answer. “Come on, that was part of the deal. It’s not like all my blessings are easy work either.”

“Your reports and the way you write were laughably easy to copy. And I’m blind,” Astrophel says.

“Hey! Giving them low-effort reports means they won’t expect more,” Janiel argues.

“By that, I mean the temptations themselves would not even be the issue, the issue would be you trying to imitate my writing style.”

“What? Sounding like an entitled prick? Like that’s complicated.”

Astrophel gasps, but it’s light-hearted at best. “I’ll have Crowley steal all your jewellery for the next century again.”

“Speaking of, one of my rings is still missing, you would not happen to know anything about that?”

The demon grins innocently. “No.”

Janiel rolls his eyes. He can feel the aforementioned ring between his fingers right this moment. Of course, he’s noticed Astrophel kept it for himself forever ago but to be quite honest, he likes the sight of it there. Gold suits the demon lovingly.

“You can do both the blessings and temptations in Edinburgh, but next time I get dibs, alright?”

Astrophel sighs. “Alright.”

“Promise me?” Janiel winces, hoping this doesn’t come out as insecure.

Astrophel nods, then brings their joined hands to his mouth so he may drop a kiss on Janiel’s knuckles. “I promise.”

Before Janiel can react, the crowd suddenly alights with cheers and loud clappings, startling him. Astrophel slips away.

The angel brings his now-freed hand to his cheek with a grumble. He felt a burst of LOVE at the press of those plump lips against his skin, he can’t make sense of it.

⋆ ✩₊˚ ʚ♡ɞ ˚₊✩⋆

Venice — 1753.

Janiel groans as she fusses over her mask and dress, trying to avoid it being trumped over by all the humans surrounding her and rushing past her.

Temptations, as it turns out, are much more complicated to accomplish than Janiel expected them to be. She’s not exactly happy with Heaven, Gabriel’s deceptive positive attitude as well as Michael’s stern glare are a pain to deal with, especially now with Raphael’s added presence but at least every assignment Janiel has been handed was carefully explained, from a complete history of the humans concerned to the preferred method to approach them, as well as a quota of miracles to not exceed — not that most of these blessings have needed a lot of miracles anyway. Janiel likes to think of herself as a free-spirited angel, but also a quite lazy one; if Heaven was arranging things so her missions could go as smoothly as possible, she was not going to stop and think of an alternative way to handle the blessings, most times.

Hell’s instructions, on the other hand, are the vaguest things she has ever read. The note that Astrophel slipped her earlier that week only read ‘There is a man in Venice, you know the rest’.

(That is without mentioning the egregious spelling mistakes in such a short instruction.)

She could have asked Astrophel for pointers but that would also mean accepting defeat and angels are not supposed to be prideful but damn it if Janiel would rather not ask for help with the way Astrophel has effortlessly handled her blessings before. She’s made progress, though! Perhaps slower than she would have hoped. The “man” Hell seems to refer to must be one Giacomo Casanova, a self-proclaimed adventurer and lover of life, who’s been causing quite the chaos and has already been accused of debauchery and heresy — why he has not been arrested yet is a miracle in itself. Taking a page out of Astrophel’s book, Janiel opted for a more female-presenting appearance after hearing of the man’s tendency to seduce any woman he so much as lays his eyes on, assuming it would thus make it easier to grab his attention and sink him deeper into sin. And, as Janiel scans the carnival in search of the not-so-gentleman, she can throw a wild guess on how the man has escaped sanctions because she could recognise the platinum curls of the being standing right next to him anywhere.

(The owl perched on his shoulder as if it were part of the costume helps as well.)

She sees the exact moment Astrophel senses her presence because he subtly freezes, no longer listening to whatever Giacomo is whispering directly into his ear, and additional feathers pop from under his mask — the demon has always been awful at hiding his anxieties in front of her.

Janiel snaps her fingers and stops time around them before Astrophel can even think of running away.

“Care to explain, starlight?” she hisses.

“Now that is cheating,” Astrophel huffs, slowly removing his mask. White feathers fall slowly to the ground at the action. “If you wanted a dance you could just ask, dear.”

“Don’t do that right now, I’m mad at you,” Janiel says. Her heels click loudly in the silence as she closes the distance between them. “What are you doing here?!”

“Enjoying life, what else would I be doing in the capital of decadence?” Astrophel responds with a nonchalant shrug.

“Which is your doing, even though you agreed to let me handle this one.”

The demon does not reply but Nebula headbutts the side of his head, as if admonishing him in her way. Janiel suddenly feels a kinship with the bird.

“You didn’t trust me to do this,” Janiel accuses.

“Janiel that's not—” Astrophel cuts himself off, groaning. “It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

“It sure looks like it.”

“Lord Beelzebub was starting to get worried and I could not get my hands on you! I only meant to give you a starting point and I would have been gone in no time.”

“You’re still here,” the angel deadpans.

“I got distracted. I was meant to leave before the carnival… but it is quite an entertaining time. Congratulations on creating such a lovely tradition.”

Despite herself, Janiel flushes at the compliment. “Why thank you— hold on I’m still mad at you!”

Astrophel discreetly curses under his breath. “That usually works…”

It clicks then— Janiel blinks. This is what happened every single time Janiel tried to bring up the Arrangement and convince the demon to let her do her part, Astrophel would absent-mindedly mention one of her previous missions, effectively distracting her when she, inevitably, ended up gushing about her latest lovely creations indeed. Or he would fluster her, one way or another. A kiss on the cheek, on the hand, a pretty little bow…

A strange sensation stings at her eyes and she throws her mask away when she starts to feel it stick to her skin. Ah, tears. That’s new.

“You know what, this is not working. Perhaps you were right, this was a bad idea. Have fun with that adventurer of yours, Astrophel.”

“Janiel—”

With a quick miracle, she teleports outside of the carnival as time resumes its course.

⋆ ✩₊˚ ʚ♡ɞ ˚₊✩⋆

Paris — 1793

Janiel watches people run by with an exasperated expression. He has the feeling he may have failed this particular mission, Heaven probably did not mean “cause a revolution” as a way to re-establish order in France but hey, French people like to be overly dramatic, he supposes. He’ll have to find a way to explain all this away in his report, that everything will turn out alright eventually, and avoid any parallel with Heaven’s history in the process.

(Especially with Robespierre barely hiding his thirst for blood without any demon on the horizon, Heaven generally does not like the ‘humans are just like that’ explanation so Janiel tries to avoid it, even though it just is the truth, only humans ever kill each other with clever machines and flimsy reasons. He thinks it is quite ironic how Heaven is not so much a fan of blood baths anymore when they were responsible for many in the past.)

It’s been difficult, lately, to focus on his missions. One of the many reasons why is that he hasn’t seen Astrophel in over four decades. He hasn’t sought the demon out the whole time and neither did the demon, although he’s been able to sense his presence more than once. Admittedly, that is a very short time for them when they used to go centuries without catching a glimpse of the other, but Janiel got used to seeing his starlight at least once a century, to set up, well, the Arrangement that wasn’t really one, in the end.

Thinking back, maybe he overreacted. Hell must be less lenient than Heaven when it comes to missions, and if Astrophel has been as much of an exemplary agent as he seems to be, Beelzebub probably would not take well to the demon suddenly lacking in his missions and Janiel has to assume Hell isn’t one to just send a strongly worded note to tell you to hurry it up a bit. Janiel knows Gabriel doesn’t care if he takes more time than usual as long as he brings results, and either way, Janiel can lie his way out of it, Gabriel is surprisingly gullible. Astrophel also warned him that that particular temptation in Venice was not the simple, easy kind of temptation since it involved influencing a whole city through a chain of reaction rather than a few humans into causing a little mayhem, or something. Still, Astrophel could have told him so at least they could have figured it out together!

Or perhaps he was way in over his head — he truly was clueless about how to proceed successfully and he should have asked Astrophel for… lessons of some sort, or any kind of advice. He did insist vehemently to be given this assignment and he’s never been good at listening and being patient. Did he make Astrophel feel like he couldn’t say no? No. He has to stop giving the demon excuses, Astrophel has never had struggles telling him no before, and Janiel never insists when he starts to see discomfort settle on the demon’s face.

Still… he misses him… or her… or however the demon is deciding to present nowadays, not that Janiel would know. Last time they talked, Astrophel mentioned wanting to open some sort of antique shop in London as an excuse to store some of the books his favourite writers have gifted him.

“Why a shop and not, I don’t know, a museum? You do not even plan on selling anything,” Janiel had pointed out.

“Precisely!” Astrophel cheered. His smile made him glow against the cloudy Londonian sky. “And isn’t there anything more malicious than offering such an exquisite collection of items only to not be able to purchase it? It would be a perfect way to frustrate and annoy humans without actually hurting them.”

“Mm, I still think you’re complicating this more than necessary. You know how stubborn humans can be, especially rich ones.”

And now Janiel watches as rich French people have their heads separated from their bodies. He laughs to himself, perhaps a bit crudely. Once upon a time, he would have foolishly tried to stop them, influencing everyone into embracing peace the way he tried to soothe an angered, desperate Cain from enacting humanity’s first truly evil act.

And that’s when he hears it.

“Apparemment, ils ont attrapé un aristocrate britannique ce matin,” a revolutionary says, sounding rather hesitant on the matter. “Je ne pense pas qu’on veuille déclarer la guerre tout de suite…”

Janiel perks up. Word travels fast, he doubts any British of a high social class would be dumb enough to cross the Channel unless they had a death wish. Which means—

“Quel dommage, tout de même. De ce que j’ai pu voir, il a un minois bien mignon avec ses bouclettes blondes et ses faux airs d'innocence. Aucune cervelle dans cette jolie tête, ceci dit,” another man comments. “Vu que c’est le premier anglais ils comptent en faire un spectacle, on risque de voir sa tête rouler dans à peine une heure.”

Right, that’s a sign for the angel to get moving. Opting for the discrete approach, Janiel puts a simple cloaking miracle on himself so no human would bat an eye in his direction then he quickly makes his way towards La Conciergerie where he knows all to-be-beheaded prisoners are kept ever since Bastille fell during the first battle.

As he suspected, he finds a peculiar demon nonchalantly waiting in a lower cell, humming to himself as he fiddles with the chains around his wrists. The angel teleports inside, catching the demon perking up at the sound of his feet landing near him.

“Took you long enough,” Astrophel tuts just as Janiel stops time around them when he sees two guards approaching.

“Wh— hold on, I’m not the one who found himself about to lose his head! What are you even doing in Paris, at a time like this, and dressed like that!”

Indeed, Janiel may have never seen the occult being dressed in such a lavish get-up, layers of laces and golden embroidery decorating the edges of the dark coats. He almost reaches forward to feel the fabric under his fingertips — Astrophel has always been partial to any soft and yet intricate clothing and he has also always been intent on buying actual clothes rather than miracling them the way Janiel does, something about authenticity and how he can always tell when the fabric is more ethereal than human.

“I was… feeling peckish,” Astrophel lies, badly.

“Peckish,” Janiel deadpans.

“Well, you can hardly get good crêpes in London, now can you?”

“So what, you popped across the Channel because you wanted something to nibble?”

“I have standards!” the demon gasps dramatically, chains rattling as he clutches invisible pearls around his neck.

This is ridiculous, Janiel thinks, and even so, a smile threatens to tug at his lips just at the familiarity of their banter and the way Astrophel seems to positively glow, proud of his little act.

“You could have gotten discorporated.”

“You wouldn’t have let me.”

These words spoken now almost two thousand years ago ring truer than ever before because here Janiel is, running right after this reckless demon, who seems to like intentionally getting into trouble.

“I… also needed to know,” Astrophel says after a while, face softening, almost vulnerable, “if you would show up. After everything.”

Janiel cannot help being surprised by the sudden honesty.

“A bit of an extreme method for that,” he points out.

“I have standards,” the demon repeats but this time it is said in a teasing tone and a sweet, familiar smile graces his lips. “We both know you enjoy it too.”

“Ah, well,” Janiel mumbles, feeling his cheeks flush. It is a truth neither of them had dared to speak out loud, even during the Arrangement. “I am here.” Of course, I am. I missed you.

“I wanted to apologise,” the demon says in earnest. “For Venice. And even before that. The truth is, I was terrified.” He sighs, throwing his head back as if avoiding Janiel’s gaze. “I’ve truly got nothing to lose from the Arrangement, but you? My dear, if Heaven ever catches on… so I did intentionally… take advantage of the way you easily get distracted so you wouldn't notice I never allowed you to take on any of my missions. Although… I’m a demon, I’m not sure what else you expected from me, of course I’d end up deceiving you, one way or another, I cannot help it.”

Janiel frowns at that last part. The angel could detect a strange mix of emotions — sincerity and dishonesty somehow warped into one contradicting feeling.

“You have a strange definition of deceit, starlight, what you did benefited me and burdened you with more work. That was kind, even if clumsily executed.”

Feathers puff up from the demon’s face. “I’m not kind,” he hisses.

“Any case, I was more upset because I thought you did not trust me to do your temptations,” Janiel admits in turn. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you until you believe me that you do not need to protect me.”

Astrophel sighs. “I am… sorry.”

“Mm, I want a proper apology,” Janiel decides, earning an offended gasp. “A whole dance or something,” he teases next. He quite enjoys having the upper hand, for once, after all.

“I can hardly do that with those handcuffs.”

“Oh I think you can,” the angel drawls, using a miracle to tug the shackles closer, forcing the demon to follow the motion until they’re face to face. “Or you could teach me how to tempt.”

“Huh?”

“Show me! Seduce me!” He’s not quite sure why that is the first suggestion that passes through his lips.

“Janiel you’re an angel, you’re predisposed to resist direct temptations from demons,” Astrophel sighs. Janiel wants to refute — it is precisely because the demon kept distracting him with gentle touches and temptations of alone time around copious amounts of alcohol that Janiel kept getting distracted. “In any case, you do know that is not the only kind of temptation I do, right? In fact, seductions are hardly my department, that’d be Asmodeus—”

“So that Shakespeare fella and Casanova were, what, side projects?”

“Friends, they were friends, Janiel,” Astrophel corrects. “Do you want to talk or scream at me some more about the imaginary version of me frolicking with humans you have in your mind?”

Janiel harrumphs.

“... You’re not actually mad about this whole thing, you were just upset I was friends with some humans!” Astrophel realises. “Janiel!”

“Oh bloody He— uh, Somewhere,” Janiel groans. “I was upset by you deciding what’s best without consulting me! Seeing you be so…” He waves a hand. “With humans, while I was lazing around did not help the matter either. It felt like… you chose them… over me.” He winces at his admission.

“Janiel…”

“It’s just…” The angel searches Astrophel’s face, seeing the way the stars in his eyes swirl gently, a small smile playing on his pink lips. Before thinking better of it, Janiel reaches forward the way Astrophel had once done, grabbing his chin and tipping it up so their noses almost touch. The demon’s breath catches in his throat. “I don’t know. The Arrangement was supposed to allow us more time together, instead it pulled you away from me.”

“You’re being silly,” comes the amused but oh-so-affectionate response. “No one could ever compare to you.”

Janiel breathes in. A flash of LOVE blinds him for a few seconds.

He’s still not sure what it means.

“So… about the lessons…?”

“Very well, I suppose if it prevents me from dealing with an impatient Beelzebub again, I ought to show you how to properly accomplish a hellish assignment.”

Janiel bites back a victorious smile. “What now, starlight?” It feels like a lifetime, or rather, several, since the last time he uttered that question.

“We carry on, dear,” Astrophel replies, as usual, then he pointedly lifts his wrists. “I’d also like to get out of these now.”

The angel pinches his nose, causing the demon to yelp and take a step back. “You can do it yourself.” Astrophel pouts. “Ugh, fine!”

(He gives in incredibly quickly, thinks a certain omniscient entity from above as She observes them.)

With a snap of his fingers, the shackles fall and the demon grins brightly. Astrophel hums as he massages his wrists then promptly miracles his aristocratic clothes into the ragged revolutionary uniform Janiel is also wearing.

“Do you want to hear something funny?” the demon says.

“Mm?”

“I did have an assignment in Paris, I was meant to encourage Robespierre into… well. Imagine my surprise when I arrived and the city was already in chaos. Caused by you, no less.” Astrophel chuckles and pats his arm. “Perhaps I was wrong, temptations may come more easily than I thought to you. You just were overthinking Venice.”

Janiel probably should not feel as proud as he feels at the moment.

“Let’s go get crêpes and have a first proper lesson, shall we?” he offers and with no surprise, Astrophel gladly agrees.

⋆ ✩₊˚ ʚ♡ɞ ˚₊✩⋆

Heaven

Janiel prepared for a reprimand the moment he got a note from Raphael telling him to come back to Heaven. He’s still reeling from everything that happened in the last decades and how wonderfully his reconciliation with Astrophel has gone, he sure is not in the mood to have his bliss obliterated by his ex-boss’s nagging.

Especially since he and Astrophel were careful to swap their reports regarding this French Revolution incident. The demon took credit for the reign of terror taking over the capital, meanwhile, Janiel took credit for the revolutionaries’ determination and for setting in motion the creation of a new government.

(As it turns out, Astrophel had been in Paris a good while before he purposely got arrested, monitoring Janiel’s accidental temptation and making up for the chaos by doing blessings of his own.)

“Janiel!” Raphael greets him immediately as she grabs his arm and teleports them into her office. The Seraphim has to blink and take a couple of seconds to register the fact the Archangel sounds delighted. “You should have told me of your ulterior motive!”

“My… um yes, of course,” he stammers. “What are we talking about?”

“Your special project, the demon Astrophel! Oh, Janiel, aren’t you brilliant, I knew I should have trusted you!”

“... Thank you? It, uh, it hasn’t reached its goal just yet,” he says, trying to be as vague as possible, thoroughly confused as to what Raphael means.

“I bet, it cannot be easy, pretending you even enjoy that demon’s company, what a kind sacrifice on your part,” Raphael gushes and she still has not let go of his arm. “What a glorious development! A demon, powerful at that, performing blessings in our favour… how did you even manage that?”

“Oh well,” Janiel chuckles. “Astrophel is… special, let’s say.” He says carefully. He refuses to lie and insult his friend behind his back, although he’s sure Astrophel would understand if he were to hear of this but by principle, the angel would rather not lower himself to that. “Getting his trust has been no easy journey. See, I could not defeat him by simply smiting him like other demons Hell has been sending to Earth so I had to get creative.”

Raphael hums, finally letting go of his arm. “Flawless plan, if he ever gets found out by Hell, it's of no consequence to us anyhow. They’ll deal with him and we’ll still have a head start on them.”

Janiel grins sardonically. “Precisely.” Inside, he wants to run.

“Brilliant, you’re a fine strategist. I do understand now why you think Earth is so entertaining. My, my, making a demon believe he could be forgiven, it would almost be cruel,” the Archangel muses. Janiel stiffens ever so slightly — he remembers another demon uttering similar sentiments. “But oh well, She cast them out for a reason, and it is not to take them back when the war descends upon us no matter how much they try to grovel. It benefits us, at the very least.”

The Seraphim remains quiet for a couple of moments, eyes narrowing as they observe Raphael. “Out of curiosity, have you talked to anyone about this…? I was hoping to talk about it to Gabriel myself and perhaps earn a promotion, you know.”

“Oh, no worries, I figured you’d want your moment of glory, you always do,” Raphael answers easily. Janiel winces, not really eager to remember how boastful he used to be about his stars. “Do you need me to set up a meeting right about now?”

“No, no!” Janiel refuses. “I will do so myself in time, once I’m sure I have the demon under my grip. He’s amenable right now but who knows...” This wasn’t a lie, at least. Janiel has grown used to Astrophel’s hot-and-cold attitude although he is hopeful it is bound to change now that they’ve cleared the air.

“Of course, of course, you can never be too careful with these demons.”

Janiel smiles blandly as a dark thought starts brewing in his mind.

So his liaison with Astrophel is still safe, go figure Raphael, as observant as ever, would be the first one to notice rather than Gabriel or Michael or even Metatron. This means that to keep the secret safe…

He will need another favour from Astrophel soon enough, he reckons. And perhaps he can give him one in return, he muses.

#good omens #good omens fic #good omens fanfic #reverse omens au #i swear one day i'll change that tag but not today #aziracrow #ineffable spouses #ineffable husbands #my fics