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"You will die in the worst way possible."
The words echo in Aki's head, over and over, the inevitability finally hitting him. He hadn't wanted to know how he would die when he first heard the words what feels like a lifetime ago, and he doesn't want to know now, but it seems his clock has run out of time.
Aki clutches his right eye with one hand, the other supports his weight as he collapses to his knees. He distantly hears the Future Devil laughing in his head the same way it had the first time they met, but the sound is drowned out by his own panicked breathing and the ringing in his ears.
He stares at the ground, unseeing, tears staining the concrete a shade darker. He closes his eyes, but all he sees are the images the Future Devil showed him a moment ago. He sees snow, he sees gunpowder, he sees his own hands covered in blood and then—
"Why now?" Aki asks, voice shaky, but his only answer is more laughter. "Why are you showing me this?"
It's different from the other visions the Future Devil has shown him— longer, but fractured, hazy, as if half-formed. It's farther into the future than the mere seconds he usually gets, but not by much. Could be hours, could be days. All he knows is that he'll be dead by the end of the week, and so will—
There is dread in the pit of his stomach, heavy like cinder blocks, burning like acid. He thought he had more time. Why did he think he had more time? Aki has never done a single thing that would extend his lifespan and a plethora of things to shorten it. There is no reason to believe he should have more time.
Hubris. How human of him. He's been diving headfirst into danger for years now, knowing damn well where this road would lead, and somehow still expecting things to go his way out of sheer stubbornness and determination.
His blatant disregard for consequences and lack of self-preservation have finally caught up with him. Perhaps he should've valued his own life more. He spent so long holding on to his anger and grief he became a vessel for them and nothing else. He's been empty for as long as he can remember. Others call it a death wish, but to die you must first be alive. It's not a death wish that fuels his recklessness and poor decisions, not exactly. It's that he's never seen himself as anything other than a tool for vengeance. He's been dead a long time.
Aki wasn't supposed to care about anything else. That's what Kishibe always told them when their buddies died— to survive as a devil hunter you must let go of your sanity. Caring for others is too sane. Aki has tried and tried not to care, but the tears still come when death visits. All he can do is watch every time as it waves and slithers past him, mocking, as if saying "you're next."
Aki's death wasn't supposed to affect anyone—no one cries when their weapon breaks. The timing is what hurts the most. He's never felt guilt over shortening his life span because he would leave no one behind to miss him. This is no longer the case.
He can hear death knocking, its icy hands closing around his heart.
A bubble of laughter rises in his throat at the absurdity of it all. He shifts his weight backwards to sit on his haunches and laughs hysterically, an arm coming to clutch around his stomach. When he opens his eyes he sees a couple passersby eyeing him wearily as they walk faster away from him. Right, he's still in front of the Public Safety building. He forces himself to take a few calming breaths as he gets up and dusts off his pants, leaning on the wall for support.
There was something he was supposed to do…right, the mission. The memory of Makima's voice on the phone feels like a thousand years ago but it couldn't have been more than 20 minutes. He's supposed to meet Angel at a church, where a devil has already killed two civilians.
Angel.
There's only one person that can help Aki now. Not a person, he reminds himself. It's getting harder to tell the difference these days.
His chest tightens as he thinks about Angel. He knows it's unfair to ask him for help, to taint his hands again for Aki's sake. It's funny, how he's spent his whole life wanting to inflict as much pain on devils as possible, only to become undone by one. Aki has tried to hate Angel. It never stuck. Of all devils, he's the one Aki should've stayed as far away as possible from— instead he's pulled toward him like a magnet. Even when Angel has continuously tried to push him away for his own safety, Aki simply can't help it.
He knows it's gotten harder for Angel to keep him away too, pulled by the same feeling neither of them dares to voice, too dangerous to acknowledge but increasingly hard to ignore. It's a wretched, self-cannibalizing thing; two stars orbiting each other dangerously close, waiting for the moment their collision consumes them both.
The church is in ruins by the time Aki gets there. The side wall is crumbling down, debris strewn all over the small garden surrounding the building.
Aki meets Kishibe at the entrance.
"He's inside, he took care of it already," Kishibe mouths around a cigarette.
"I can take it from here," Aki states.
"Good, I have stuff to do. The paperwork's on you, since you were supposed to be here with your partner. He's a devil, Hayakawa, you can't leave him unsupervised."
Aki nods and bows as Kishibe walks away. He doesn't tell him he won't be alive to do the paperwork.
He steps under the yellow warning tape and past the large double doors that hang inwards at an angle, hinges bent out of shape. They creak and shake unsteadily as Aki closes them behind him. The inside of the chapel is in as much a state of disarray as the crumbling wall. Large cracks run along the tall vaulted ceilings and down the sides, the stone bricks precariously balanced in some places. A sea of torn bible pages litters the floors around the pews, some of which have been flipped on their side, while others lay as an almost unrecognizable mess of splinters.
Some of the windows have miraculously remained untouched, while others lay in fragments at Aki's feet as he steps through the rubble, the now disjointed eyes of stained-glass saints staring back eerily from the floor.
Aki stops when he reaches the center of the room.
Angel stands in front of the altar, back facing Aki and long wings shining white under his halo. If Aki didn't know better, he would take him for a statue, delicate marble face watching over the faithful. The Angel Devil looks out of place almost everywhere, but not here. Between these walls he looks like salvation, like an agent of deliverance and not the portender of death he truly is. He turns around when he hears Aki's steps coming to a stop.
When Angel's gaze meets Aki's, there's a brief moment of recognition, Angel's eyes widening as if in understanding before his expression falls back to its usual apathy. Aki wonders if he looks as haunted as he feels. He stops a few feet away, not trusting himself to get closer just yet. He knows Angel won't be happy to hear what he's about to ask.
"I saw my future," Aki says, his tone somber. He swallows thickly, tries to calm the trembling in his hands. "I saw my death."
Angel doesn't seem surprised to hear this. His face remains impassive, but Aki notes the way his hands are balled into fists so tightly his knuckles look white.
"We both knew your days were counted," Angel says, lips pressed into a thin line.
"I saw something else. I saw how— I can't—" Aki feels like he can't breathe. "I can't let it happen. No matter what, that can't be the way I die. I tried to protect them, damn it!" Aki's voice breaks and echoes loudly in the empty church ruins.
Seeing the future was supposed to give him an advantage, make him stronger in a fight, help him survive longer. Aki hadn't been interested in seeing anything beyond that. It was a tool, nothing else. The future didn't matter as long as he got his revenge.
All his convictions have fallen apart now, knowing what is to come. Revenge means nothing if the price is this steep, he knows that now. There's something more important that he needs to protect and he fears it's too late. The future is a pair of hands tightly clasped around his throat and all he can do is flail around and claw at them. He feels sick with helplessness. There is only one way he knows to take back his life into his own hands and save the ones he loves from even more grief. It's got to be on his own terms.
Aki walks forward, stopping right in front of Angel. Up close he no longer looks calm. His eyes mirror the grief Aki feels deep in his heart.
Aki has held back all this time, kept himself on such a tight leash, banished his longing to a dark corner where it could go unnamed and forgotten. He can feel it clawing at his insides as he moves even closer, throwing caution to the wind. He kneels in front of Angel, head bowed as he falls forward, arms snaking around Angel's legs and forehead coming to rest against Angel's thighs in surrender. He feels the devil tense up for a moment and hears his breath hitch at the unexpected proximity.
"If you're looking for absolution you're in the wrong place," Angel says.
Aki looks up, eyes wide and almost pleading.
"I didn't come here for that. But I will ask you to grant me one last wish."
"I'm no angel, Aki Hayakawa. Don't waste your prayers. I know what you're going to ask and I can't help you." Angel's voice is strangled as he looks away, seemingly unable to meet Aki's gaze.
"There is no other way. I will do it myself if I have to, but…" Aki doesn't know how to phrase what he's really asking for, though he's sure Angel knows already.
He could finally have the one thing he wants the most, the one thing he has denied himself over and over again, something impossible, something he could only have in dreams.
Aki reaches for one of Angel's gloved hands and holds it between both of his as he looks up at him. The light streaming in from the tall stained-glass windows behind him makes him look ethereal, otherworldly, celestial. It reflects off the feathers of his wings in colorful fractals, makes his halo glow like the sun is shining from within. Aki can't think of anyone else whose hands he'd rather die at. He feels almost undeserving— why would such a heavenly creature grant him the privilege of touching him?
"Don't look at me like that," Angel whispers, a slight tremble in his voice. "There's nothing holy about me, Aki. Once you die I will be killed like the devil that I am and I will return to hell, where I belong."
"Maybe I'll see you there." Aki tries for a small lopsided smile.
"Joking doesn't suit you, you know." Angel scoffs and rolls his eyes, but the corners of his mouth pull up into a small smile despite himself. He eyes Aki for a moment, considering. "Is there really no other way?"
"None that I know," Aki answers sincerely.
"You realize what you're asking of me? I've taken too much from you already."
"I'm giving you everything I have left willingly."
Angel's breath hitches. He seems affected by Aki's words, a light blush coloring his cheeks. It's a good look on him— like this, he looks like a cherub, a gentle face to guide Aki past the veil. Angel removes his own hand from Aki's and brings it to cup his face, stroking his chin with his thumb.
"You give your life to a devil? Of your own free will?" Something sparkles behind Angel's eyes. It makes Aki's pulse flutter and his stomach twist.
"My life was always going to be claimed by a devil. I give it to an angel." Aki leans his face further into Angel's touch, hating the barrier of the glove, wanting nothing more than to feel the lethal touch that lies underneath. "I know what I'm asking of you and I don't have anything to offer in return. But I give you all of myself. What little there is left."
"That's more than enough," Angel answers, thumb stroking along Aki's bottom lip. "Hopefully I won't be around long enough for you to haunt me."
Angel kneels down in front of Aki and looks up at him with those big sad eyes of his. Aki immediately reaches his hand out toward the devil's face, plunging into this precipice he's been standing at for so long, but is stopped by a firm hand on his wrist.
"Not yet. You don't have much time left and— I want to make this last," Angel blushes lightly at the confession.
Aki isn't feeling as patient, but he nods obediently and lets Angel switch their positions and push him backwards until his shoulder blades make contact with the altar behind him, facing away from the prying eyes on the cross high above. The marble is cold even through the layers of his uniform, and Aki feels dust rain down onto his jacket from a crack on the stone.
His head spins when Angel sets one knee on each side of him and lowers himself down to Aki's lap. This close he can smell Angel's scent— blood and vanilla and cigarette smoke. Something pleasant spreads through his veins at the thought that Angel would smell a bit like him, that they've spent enough time together that Angel carries a part of him home when they part, even if it's something that is slowly killing him. Most things in his life fall in that category these days anyway.
Angel's hands reach to undo Aki's ponytail, letting his hair fall loosely around his shoulders, and runs his fingers through the tips like it's the most fascinating thing in the world. His hands slide down to Aki's shoulders, to his chest, then grab the lapels of Aki's jacket in tight fists and pull to bring him closer. He angles his face to avoid their noses touching as he ghosts his lips over Aki's.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, I want this." Aki's voice comes out shaky, his breaths uneven. Not from fear, but from the effort it takes not to close the distance to taste Angel's lips.
Angel nods and his hair tickles Aki's cheek with how close they are. "Okay then, but we'll do this my way. You gave yourself away to me, so you can't touch me until I say so."
Aki doesn't know why the words make heat coil in his stomach and his breath hitch. He nods and feels Angel's hands slipping under his jacket to slide it off his shoulders. He shrugs it the rest of the way off and tosses it off to the side while Angel does the same with his.
The floor is cold beneath Aki's hands, a sharp contrast to the warmth radiating off the body pressed against his. His heart hammers in his chest as he feels Angel's hands on him again.
Angel reaches for the collar of Aki's shirt and unbuttons it, loosening his tie with careful fingers, but instead of continuing down like Aki expected, he unfolds the stiff fabric so that it covers higher on his neck. Before Aki can question it, Angel sinks his other hand into his hair and pulls his head to the side, forcing him to bare his throat to the devil. His lips are warm and wet through the fabric of the shirt when they make contact with Aki's pulse point, sending shivers down his spine. Aki's hands fly to fist the fabric of Angel's pants, trying to hold on to something, breath caught in his throat as the devil places another kiss right below the first. He moves down, the kisses becoming sloppier and open-mouthed, leaving a trail of damp spots on Aki's shirt until he reaches the hollow of his throat and bites down without warning.
Aki gasps as pain shoots down his arm and more blood rushes south. He briefly wonders if Angel's ever thought about eating him— he's a devil, after all. He finds that the thought doesn't repulse him as much as he thought it would. In fact, the image of Angel's lips covered in his blood makes his whole body warm with need.
He doesn't have time to follow this train of thought, though, as Angel's gloved hands reach for Aki's bare ones and guide them up his thighs. Aki doesn't waste a second, fingers digging into tender flesh through the fabric of his pants as they travel upward and settle on Angel's hips. He uses his grip to bring him even closer, until he can feel the devil's arousal right over his own. They both gasp in unison when Angel rocks his hips forward almost imperceptibly, like he didn't mean to at first. Aki holds him tighter, encouraging him to move more purposefully.
Angel braces his hands on Aki's shoulders as he rocks his hips forward, meeting Aki's movements as they chase more friction. Angel's wings flare out slightly behind him and he tilts his head back toward the ceiling, lips slightly parted as his breaths come out in short pants. His halo casts odd shadows over his face, making him look like one of the images on the stained-glass windows— half vengeful seraph, half celestial miracle. For a second, Aki wonders if he's dreaming, perhaps even dead already, but the feeling of Angel moving against him feels very real.
One of Angel's hands slides down Aki's arm until it finds one of Aki's own tightly gripping the devil's hip and pulls it away, guiding it to one of his wings. Aki sinks his fingers into soft feathers and Angel gasps softly, hips moving faster against Aki's and eyelids falling heavy. Angel's fingers find the buttons of Aki's shirt again, this time undoing them clumsily until he can slide his hands under the fabric to splay on Aki's chest.
Aki shivers at the contact. It's like having the barrel of a gun pressed to his heart, the only thing separating him from certain death a thin layer of satin. Aki's cock twitches at the thought. He digs his fingers harder into Angel's hip and pulls lightly at the feathers with his other hand, eliciting a full-body shudder from the devil rocking desperately in his lap. It's not enough— Aki needs to touch, to taste. He needs to bury his face in Angel's neck, sink his teeth into soft skin, know what Angel's tongue on his feels like.
Aki wraps his arms around Angel and pulls him closer, grips the back of his shirt so hard he feels he might rip it but he doesn't care. It brings their faces dangerously close again. Aki has half a mind to ignore Angel's instructions and close the distance, but Angel pushes him backward with one hand on his shoulder before he can think better of it.
"Are you so desperate to meet your demise?" Angel chastises, but it loses its bite with how breathless and flushed he is.
When demise looks like that, it's hard not to, Aki thinks, but places his own hands on the floor by his sides to show restraint. Like this, Angel has to do all the work, something Aki knows Angel is not fond of. He watches in fascination as the devil begins grinding down on him again, slower now without Aki's hands to aid him. Angel's hands grip Aki's shoulders tightly underneath his shirt, and Aki wishes he could feel his nails digging into his skin. He angles his hips just so, making both of them hiss as he finds a rhythm.
Aki can feel the devil's legs shaking from the effort, knees likely bruising from the hardness of the stone floor. Angel lets out a frustrated huff as he tries to find better leverage— his left hand leaves Aki's skin in favor of holding on to his tie, still hanging loosely off his neck. Angel pulls on the fabric as his hips speed up, making Aki choke slightly. A moan falls from his lips unbidden, surprising the both of them. Angel's eyes widen briefly as they meet Aki's, before his hands reach to tighten the tie around his neck and pull harder. Aki chokes out another moan, eyebrows scrunching up in pleasure as his mind goes hazy from the pressure around his throat and the lack of air.
"Should've known anything that gets you closer to death would get you off," Angel huffs in disbelief.
"Let me touch you," Aki strangles out.
Angel leans down and sinks his teeth into Aki's shoulder over the fabric instead, making him groan. His hands let go of the tie and travel down Aki's chest and navel until they reach the waistband of his pants. He unbuttons them and fumbles with the zipper, then slips a hand inside to cup Aki through his boxer briefs. Aki curses as he closes his eyes and lets his head fall backward onto the marble of the altar. He's so riled up already and Angel hasn't even touched him.
The sound of feathers makes Aki open his eyes. He sees Angel's wings bending to wrap around the both of them, as if shielding them from the outside world— a fallen angel covering his sins, hiding them both from time and fate, hoping against all odds to steal this moment for themselves.
Angel pulls down Aki's underwear just enough to free his erection, then looks up at him with an undecipherable expression. He raises a gloved hand to Aki's mouth as if in offering, but Aki's cognitive functions have been put on the back burner and he simply stares at him in confusion.
"Spit," Angel orders with that impassive yet demanding tone that is so uniquely his.
It must be its own type of sin to refuse a heavenly creature. Aki thinks of the long list of sins he has committed just in the last hour, let alone his whole life, and decides not to add this one to the count— as if it matters. Aki's gaze remains steady on the devil's as he leans forward and spits on his palm. Angel's expression doesn't change as he lowers his hand back down, still not looking away.
When Angel's hand wraps around his length, Aki lets out a shuddering breath, fists tightly clenched by his sides in an effort to keep himself from reaching for Angel. The material of the glove feels odd against his skin, but the mix of precum and spit aids the glide as Angel pumps him slowly in his hand. Aki wonders just how long he's planning to keep him waiting to really touch him, but the thought quickly leaves his mind as Angel speeds up his movements, making Aki groan. His hips buck up involuntarily as he tries to chase the sensation, heat coiling in the pit of his stomach and spreading through his whole body.
Does it always feel this good? Aki would be lying if he said he hadn't imagined this before, in moments of weakness when the city was quiet outside and the cigarette smoke billowing around him was his only company. He had hated himself for even considering such a thing, was sure there had to be something deeply wrong with him. He hated devils more than anything else in the world, so why did the thought of Angel's touch keep him up at night? Why did he long for something that should disgust him—that would kill him?
None of that matters now— if he's being honest with himself, none of that has mattered for some time. He's been chasing after this for longer than he cares to admit, the string that ties him to the devil in his lap getting shorter by the day, pulling them closer— a string he would be loath to accept existed in the first place but has become an undeniable truth as inescapable as his untimely death.
Even with his eyes closed, Aki can see the faint glow of Angel's halo through his eyelids, the light at the end of the tunnel, a beacon on a stormy night. He opens them, searching for the face it illuminates, and finds Angel looking at him with dark eyes and bitten lips.
"Fuck, you're beautiful," Aki says, the words spilling before he can even think of stopping them. He's rewarded with a small blush coloring Angel's cheeks and his wrist twisting just so, making Aki gasp. Angel teases the head with his thumb as he continues to stroke him, and Aki knows he's not going to last much longer. Angel places his other hand on Aki's chest, right over his heart, and closes his eyes as if he's trying hard to feel it beating. His hand roams the planes of Aki's abdomen, traces back up to his collarbone, settles for a moment on cupping his face, running a thumb over Aki's lips.
Then, suddenly, the hand pulls away and Angel brings it to his own lips, teeth biting down on the fabric to rip the glove off completely. Before Aki can process what's happening, Angel shifts down to kneel between Aki's legs, the gloved hand retreating and being replaced by his bare one around Aki's cock. Aki gasps as he feels his heart try to beat right out of his chest, his eyes wide as he watches the devil open his mouth and stick his tongue out as he licks a stripe along Aki's dick before closing his lips around the head.
That's all it really takes. The pleasure is so intense it's blinding, and for a moment Aki thinks Angel drained his whole lifespan with a single touch and sent him right to heaven. His whole body feels like it's on fire, lightning coursing through his veins, spots dancing behind his vision as he cums down Angel's throat almost as soon as he touches him. It must be the longest and most intense orgasm of his entire life. He wonders if Angel's power has something to do with it, or if maybe he was right, and Aki really does get off of being closer to death.
He slowly comes down, heavy breaths echoing in his own ears, vision blurry still as he opens his eyes to find Angel staring at him in awe as he pulls away, licking his lips as he tucks him back into his pants. His cheeks are rosy and his eyes sparkle with an emotion that Aki feels undeserving of. He's so beautiful, bathed in the golden light streaming through the windows.
"Kiss me," Aki begs, panting as his whole body trembles from the aftershocks. He can't wait any longer, he's been willing to risk it all to taste Angel's lips for so long now, he can't bear to be apart from him for one more second.
Angel sits back up on his knees and leans in, breath fanning over Aki's lips.
"You may touch me now," he says, then closes the distance.
Everything seems to stop when their lips meet— all of Aki's senses belong to the devil in front of him now. Angel's lips are soft as they press against Aki's. The touch is so gentle it's hard to believe it's killing him, draining what little time Aki has in this world with each second they're connected. It only lasts a moment, suspended in time, before Aki's brain processes Angel's words and his hands reach frantically to pull him closer. He cups Angel's face in his hands and kisses him again, gentleness quickly giving way to hunger and desperation. He deepens the kiss and licks into Angel's mouth, meeting no resistance as Aki's tongue collides with his.
One of Angel's hands sinks into Aki's hair, the other grips Aki's shirt and pulls him closer until there's no space left between them. Aki reaches for any part of Angel he can touch, hands slipping under his shirt to roam the expanse of his stomach, his chest, his back, digging dull nails into his flesh.
Angel's lips taste sweet, the sweetest thing Aki has ever had the privilege of savoring. All the thoughts in his brain are eclipsed by Angel, how his lips feel against his, the warmth of his skin under his fingers, the way Angel pulls him closer and kisses him back with the same intensity, like he's wanted this too. A clock ticks in the back of Aki's head but he pays it no mind, too lost in kissing his executioner.
How ironic— though Angel is the one with the wings, it is Aki who flies too close to the sun, it is Aki who falls. But from where he stands, he doesn't see the way down, all he sees is this radiant creature, his halo glowing in the dark room the last light Aki will ever lay eyes upon. It feels like falling, but it doesn't hurt. Aki dives in again and again, every precious second of life leaving him as he swallows each of Angel's breaths into his lungs.
Aki doesn't know if humans go to the same hell devils do, or if there even is one at all. But if there is, he'll die at least having tasted heaven.
"I wish I had more time with you," Angel whispers in between kisses, the confession rolling off his tongue quietly, hopelessly, as if they're still trying to hide from the eyes of god, as if acknowledging this thing between them out loud somehow crosses a line, even after everything.
Aki kisses him harder, fingers tangling in Angel's hair as he desperately tries to pull him impossibly closer. He feels like he's disintegrating. Maybe he is. He kisses Angel like the world will end if he doesn't and not the other way around, like Angel holds the secret of life between his lips instead of the door to damnation.
Aki shifts his leg to settle between Angel's and pulls him so that he's straddling it. Angel hisses as his still-hard cock brushes against Aki's thigh. Aki's hands move to settle on the devil's hips, encouraging him to grind against him. Angel's head falls forward, forehead leaning against Aki's and lips slightly parted, shiny with spit.
"Aki," he moans as his arms wrap around Aki's neck and his eyebrows scrunch up in pleasure. Their faces are so close Aki can feel Angel's breath fanning over his lips as he pants. He steals another kiss, gives away another month of his lifespan like he's got any to spare. It's worth it, every second of it.
Though it's somehow still not enough— the thin layers of clothing separating them now feel like a chasm that Aki is desperate to cross. He reaches to undo the button of Angel's pants and slips his hand inside, unable to hold back a low moan as his fingers make contact with Angel's length. The sound is eclipsed by the whine that's punched out of the devil, shaky and needy and intoxicating. Angel trembles, nails digging into Aki's skin hard enough to hurt. Aki wraps his hand around Angel's dick, stroking him slowly as he leans down to mouth at his neck, tasting salt and vanilla.
It feels sacrilegious, the way Aki's name falls from Angel's lips again and again like a prayer, as if he's the one being worshiped. He digs his fingers harder into the flesh of Angel's hip as he speeds up his movements. Angel finds his lips again, messy and uncoordinated, and bites down on Aki's bottom lip so hard he feels the familiar taste of metal on his tongue. Angel freezes for a fraction of a second, pulls away slightly to look at the red liquid staining Aki's lips, then dives back in with a desperate sort of need, tongue darting out to get every drop of blood before licking into Aki's mouth like he wants to eat him.
Something gnaws at Aki's mind. The clock ticks and Aki thinks he can hear a bell ringing, but he's sure this church doesn't have one anymore.
"Will you eat me after I'm dead?" Aki pants, tasting his own blood on his lips. He doesn't know why he asks this, why it suddenly feels so important that he does.
Angel's pupils are blown so wide when he pulls back to look at Aki he can no longer see any of the red of his irises. The look on his face is something Aki doesn't want to forget for as long as he lives— which admittedly is not much longer now. Like the sky just parted and he was handed the key to the pearly gates on a silver platter. Like Aki is heaven itself made human.
"Do you want me to?" Angel whispers, voice raspy and uneven, cheeks flushed beautifully. Aki nods. "Fuck," the devil shivers as the curse drops from his lips. Aki has never heard the Angel Devil curse before.
Angel sinks trembling fingers into Aki's hair and looks at him reverently before he captures Aki's bottom lip between his teeth to draw more blood.
"Say it," Angel demands, pleads against his lips. "Tell me."
"Eat me," Aki says, kissing along Angel's jaw, down his neck, then back up to bite at the shell of his ear and whisper right into it. "I want you to eat me."
Angel moans brokenly, the sound reverberating off the wreckage around them, traveling high above to the vaulted ceiling in a distorted harmony that layers itself into an eerie choir. Aki pulls back just enough to look at Angel's face light up under the brightening glow of his halo as his hips stutter in his lap, back arching as he spills all over Aki's hand. For a moment, Aki is almost blinded by the light emanating from the creature in his lap, illuminating the remnants of the hallowed halls they just defiled. Angel had said there's nothing holy about him, but the vision in front of Aki would make stronger men than him fall to their knees.
The room returns to darkness as Angel comes down, dropping bonelessly to nuzzle at Aki's neck as he catches his breath. The bells ring louder in Aki's ears, making it hard to focus. Angel presses a soft kiss to Aki's neck before untangling himself from him and pulling back to look at him. Aki carefully pulls his hand out of the mess in Angel's pants and brings it to his lips, eyelids falling almost closed as he tastes his release, relishing in the strangled noise that gets caught in the devil's throat as he watches with wide eyes.
Aki's other hand sinks back into Angel's hair, stroking gently as his breaths steady. He holds divinity between his hands and wishes he could freeze this moment and live in it forever— but the clock ticks, each moment bringing him closer to what he's both feared and chased for so long. It is only now, at the end of this road, staring into the dark precipice of the unknown, that he also wishes he had more time.
Angel pulls up to kneel between Aki's legs, looks down at him with glassy eyes and cups Aki's face, hands shaking still. Aki mirrors the movement, thumb stroking Angel's cheek, and can't help but smile to himself despite everything.
"My luck wasn't so terrible after all," he says. Death by an angel's touch doesn't sound half bad to him, all things considered.
A shadow passes over Angel's face— grief, pity, perhaps something else, something neither of them gets to keep.
Angel leans down, and this time his lips taste like salt.
"Aki, I—"