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Killia strolled along a corridor in the Pocket Netherworld, bored out of his mind.
Their battle that day had been pretty easy, but it was a long one, mostly taken up by moving everyone from one side of the field to the other. Seraphina had ordered her Prinny servants to help, making them stack themselves up to "fly" as far as possible.
Of course, that was when everyone remembered that Prinnies exploded when thrown.
The resulting blast had taken out the majority of the remaining enemies, but the Netherworld Hospital had its work cut out trying to patch the Prinnies up again. Killia idly wondered if he should make them some curry for the trouble.
Wasn't Christo standing near the explosion too?
Christo was smart, a brilliant tactician, but even he couldn't always account for the shenanigans of the rebels. Killia vaguely recalled him looking a little singed when they returned to the Netherworld after the battle, but didn't remember seeing him in the hospital.
He probably just healed himself with his ang- sorry, healing magic. Magic that any demon could do, sacred light and white feathers and all.
Killia snorted at the continued pretense. It was clear to anyone who took a moment to think that Christo was an angel, but somehow he seemed convinced that nobody had figured it out.
I might as well check on him. It's the proper thing for frie- allies to do.
Also, I'm still bored as hell.
During his idle wandering, Killia had somehow ended up directly in front of Christo's door, hand raised to knock. He paused for a moment, looking down at the doorknob.
It's unlocked... that's odd. Maybe he went somewhere else? Killia shook his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts. He couldn't linger in front of the door for ages like some kind of weirdo!
I'll just open the door to see if he's in there.
Slowly swinging the door open, Killia's eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. He slipped through the doorway and practically slammed the door shut behind him, so nobody else could see.
Christo sat at his desk facing away from the door, poring over a map of the Netherworld they would travel to next. His staff leaned against the wall, he had shucked his cloak to lay it on the bed next to the desk, and he occasionally clicked his pen as he worked.
None of this would be remarkable, if it weren't for the fact that Christo's horns were missing.
No, not missing... He's taken them off?
Killia glanced around the room, eyes landing on a horned headband next to Christo's elbow. The band itself had no padding, just a hard sheet of plastic, and Killia could feel his head twinge with a sympathy headache just thinking about wearing it multiple hours a day.
Christo clicked his pen once more before setting it down, stretching his arms above his head and beginning to put away his work.
As Christo lifted his arms, Killia felt like he'd been hit by a truck.
Why the hell is his shirt backless?
...he looks pretty strong too, considering his whole back-line, tactician, don't-get-me-too-close-to-the-enemy-or-I'll-set-you-on-fire-next thing.
Killia jolted, realising that he'd been staring at Christo's back muscles for longer than was probably socially acceptable. He had to say something soon, Christo hadn’t even noticed him standing in his room yet and the longer he took to reveal himself, the stranger it would seem.
As calmly as possible, he walked to the desk and gently tapped the angel on the shoulder. What he wasn't expecting was just how violent Christo’s reaction would be.
Christo practically launched himself out of his seat, his pupils contracting as he took in the demon standing before him. His eyes flickered from Killia to the door to his abandoned headband and back to Killia, face rapidly paling and breaths coming faster.
"Killia! I- I can explain... this!" He stumbled over his words, his breathing shallow and nails digging into his hands. Killia began to feel bad. He hadn't meant to scare Christo quite so badly - hadn't meant to scare him at all, in fact - and the clear panic the angel showed tugged at his conscience.
Suddenly seized with the urge to say... well, anything to diffuse the situation, Killia opened his mouth, a thought he was unaware he was even having the first thing to make it out.
"So, do you actually have wings or not?"
Christo stopped dead still, staring at the demon as they both parsed the sudden question. Killia felt his cheeks heat slightly, hurrying to explain himself.
"You had demon wings, but you and I both know you're an angel. And it doesn't look like you have wings now, so... I guess I was just wondering." He grumbled out the last few words, embarrassed at his awkwardness.
Christo slowly pulled himself together, the shock fading from his features as he seemed to realise that Killia wasn't... Wasn't what? Angry at him?
As if I'd be angry about something like this. I mean, everyone in the rebel army is a weirdo, me included. At least being an angel isn't the worst secret one of us is hiding...
"I do." Killia looked up, noting how Christo avoided eye contact as he continued. "Have wings, that is. I disguise them with magic, but they are there."
An awkward silence fell over the two of them as Killia tried to think of something else to say.
"Can I see?"
Once again, his mouth worked faster than his brain, blurting out what he was thinking before he could decide if it was a good idea or not. Christo looked completely floored by the question, a light flush settling over his face as he answered.
"I suppose... if you want to see them, I wouldn't mind. I haven't had the opportunity to stretch them out for a while, after all."
Killia watched as the angel took a deep breath, before a pair - no, two pairs - of feathered white wings unfurled from his back.
They spread out fully, the tips of the larger pair nearly brushing the walls on either side of the room. Killia could feel his jaw beginning to drop at the impressive sight, and quickly closed it before Christo spotted him gaping.
He just couldn't help it. The pearly sheen of the feathers, the way they rustled as the wings settled a little closer to Christo's body, how soft they looked...
Almost unconsciously, Killia stepped closer, bringing up a hand to run it along the top of one wing. Or at least, he tried to.
As soon as Killia's claws made contact with the feathers, Christo let out an undignified yelp and snapped all four of his wings in, hugging them tightly to his frame as he leaned away.
"Did I say you could touch them!?" he squawked, the flush on his face darkening further. Killia quickly stepped back again to give the angel some space, hurrying to apologise.
"Sorry about that, I didn't realise it was gonna make you uncomfortable." He sighed, annoyed at himself for the blunder. "It was kinda stupid not to warn you..."
Christo rolled his eyes, wings relaxing slightly from their tense position. "Well, at least you had the good sense to apologise. Look, it wouldn't have been a problem if you'd just asked first! Is that really such an outlandish idea?"
"It wouldn't have been a problem? So if I'd asked, you'd have let me?"
Christo seemed taken aback by the boldness of the question, but Killia soldiered on anyway, making direct eye contact as he continued.
"Because I really do want to look at your wings more closely. If you'd let me. If... that's alright by you?"
The angel shrugged, feathers rustling. "Well then, given that you have asked now, I suppose I don't mind. Although... if you're going to touch them, we might as well get comfortable."
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How in the world did I end up in this situation!? Christo thought, feeling the mattress dip as Killia settled behind him. He was sitting in the formal style common in Celestia, feet tucked underneath him and secondary wings folded neatly around his stomach. His primary wings formed an elegant arc behind him, and he was sure that, were he in Celestia, he would have at least received an approving look from his idiot supervisor for his perfect posture.
He was also sure that Killia was somehow manspreading even with his legs crossed.
Christo fisted his hands in the hem of his shirt, trying not to think too hard about the demon behind him. He had been a part of the rebel army for a while, had seen how Killia's standoffish personality seemed to hide a surprisingly caring heart, but willingly putting himself in such a vulnerable position still had alarm bells ringing in his head.
He remembered his supervisor's warning before he left for the Netherworlds. "Make sure none of those demons find out you're an angel, yeah? They'll tear you to pieces, and then who's going to assassinate Void Dark for us? Because it won't be me~"
Vapid buffoon.
But a vapid buffoon who may have had a point, now that Christo stopped to think for a moment. He was sitting, back turned, wings exposed to a demon, and the most powerful one he'd ever met as well! If Killia wanted to hurt him... there really wasn't anything Christo could do to stop him.
He felt his wings start to quiver, thoughts spiralling the longer Killia sat motionless behind him.
Truly, what was he thinking? He'd seen Killia's battle prowess, had watched him shred through humanoid and bestial demons alike with his lethal claws, the same claws he was inviting to get up close and personal with his wings. Not only that, but he'd seen how sharp the demon's teeth were only a minute or so ago, when he'd unfurled his wings and Killia hadn't quite closed his mouth before Christo caught a glimpse of fangs tapered to a deadly point.
He could feel himself panicking, body frozen as thoughts of just how badly this could end flashed through his mind.
What if this was all a trick? What if he isn't curious about my wings, he's just taking advantage of the situation to get me to turn my back on him? It would be the demonic thing, to stab me in the back when I least expect it! He wouldn't even need to stab me, he's strong enough that he could easily kill me with his bare hands if he wanted to!
His supervisor's words from before floated through his head again, "...They'll tear you to pieces..."
Is that what he'd do? Tear me apart, dig his claws in, make it hurt? Or would he be at least a little merciful and finish it quickly? There's too many possibilities, I can't figure out what he'd do, why isn't he moving!?
The bed creaked behind him, Killia adjusting his weight slightly. Even such a small noise sounded like a death knell ringing in Christo's panicked mind, sending his thoughts further into chaos.
-oh God he's moving now what's he doing I can feel him reaching for me why is he moving so slowly is this it is this the end-
A clawed hand came to rest in the middle of his back, and Christo couldn't suppress the shudder that ran up his spine.
"Are you alright?"
Killia's voice was low, and gentle, and the hand on his back didn't hurt, simply a warm and strangely reassuring presence between his wings. Christo allowed himself one deep, shaky breath before pulling himself together, nodding slightly as he began to speak.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. There's no need to worry.”
He could feel a moment's more hesitation from Killia, before the demon slowly ran the hand that wasn't on Christo’s back along the top edge of his primary wing. He was being unbelievably careful not to disturb the feathers, so much so that Christo almost felt silly for worrying in the first place.
His hand slid down the flat of the wing, gently stroking the secondary feathers. A thought suddenly occurred to the angel, his brow furrowing as he asked.
“Can you even feel my feathers properly? With your claws and all?”
Killia chuckled lightly as he continued to pet Christo’s wing, slowly moving his hand closer to the scapular feathers where the wing met his shoulder.
“Yeah, I can. I actually have a lot more feeling in my claws than people think, so I can definitely feel how soft your feathers are.”
Christo could practically hear the teasing smirk from behind him, and cursed how he knew his face was flushing at the compliment.
“Honestly, there's no need for flattery. They're in a bit of a state at the minute anyway, since I haven't had enough time to take care of them properly since coming to the Netherworlds.”
“I still think they're pretty.”
The blunt words and completely neutral tone completely floored the angel, his heart beginning to beat faster. It wasn't helping that Killia still hadn't moved his other hand from Christo’s back, and wasn’t just petting his wing but also lightly stroking the skin with his thumb in a soothing way.
Obviously, he's not an angel, he doesn't mean anything by it, but that is supremely unhelpful if he's trying to keep this platonic!
The hand on his wing paused for a moment and Killia made a small noise of confusion.
“Hey, Christo… You've got some weird spiky ones over here. Is that supposed to happen?”
Christo broke his perfect posture to twist around, looking to see what the demon was talking about. A patch of pinfeathers lay near the base of his wing, where it was most difficult to reach by himself. He chuckled self-deprecatingly, trying to brush off Killia’s concern.
“Don't worry about those, they're just pinfeathers. I must have missed them while I was preening, I can take care of them.”
He shuffled and stretched his arm over his shoulder, attempting to reach the patch of feathers without looking too undignified. Unfortunately, they sat just out of his reach, and in his awkward fumbling he managed to turn himself around just enough to look at Killia.
Is he…? He's trying not to laugh, the bastard.
Indeed, Christo could see the indent on Killia’s lip where he bit it to keep himself quiet. Their eyes met, and the demon feebly tried to disguise his muffled snickering as a cough. Overcome by a mix of embarrassment, short-lived courage and a little vindictiveness, Christo plastered on his politest, most ‘angelic’ smile.
“If there’s something funny about my preening, how about you try to do it, hm? It’s not as easy as you’d think, but I’m sure a talented demon such as yourself will have no problem rising to the challenge.”
He was momentarily amused by the look of panic in Killia’s golden eyes, but the demon recovered surprisingly quickly, panic morphing into a calm resolve.
“If you want me to help, sure. What do I need to do?”
It was Christo’s turn to be on the back foot, not expecting Killia to actually agree to help him. He broke eye contact, unable to deal with the intense gaze the demon was pinning him with.
“Well, you just take one of the pinfeathers between your fingers - gently, don’t pinch it - and just roll it between your fingertips until the outer casing flakes away. It’s not too complicated, but they can be quite sensitive, so… please be careful.”
“Alright. Turn back around, and just tell me if it hurts or anything.”
Christo obliged, facing the wall once more and preparing - well, not for it to hurt, but for Killia to be a little heavy-handed or hasty at the minimum. To his surprise, though…
I don’t believe he’s never done this before. Though he is a demon of many talents, there is no excuse for him to be this good at preening. Killia’s claws were shockingly gentle as he carefully released each new feather from its casing, and he took his time, not rushing and making sure to avoid the darker blood feathers that still weren’t fully grown.
Christo could feel his feathers begin to fluff out in contentment, the soothing feeling of being preened by a partner something he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Not since he began rising in Celestia's ranks, leaving behind his former friends to chase his ambitions in the upper echelons of heavenly society.
And look where that got me. Framed, kicked out, and getting preened by a demon of all things. If they could see me now…
The thought brought a bitter smile to the angel's face, but one that quickly became real as he relaxed further. The demon really was ridiculously talented, and Christo felt very relaxed, and Killia did let out an amused huff as he leaned into the touch, so surely it would be okay if he just closed his eyes for a moment…
A soft, warm touch on his wing, entirely unlike that of Killia’s claws, had Christo jumping almost out of his skin, wings flailing wildly - did he hit something? A sound of pain came from behind him, and he spun around to see Killia wincing and rubbing his bruised nose.
“Killia!? Goodness, are you alright?” He reached for the demon’s face, hand already glowing with a healing light.
“You hit me in the face. With your wing. Do I look alright?” He glared lightly at the angel, but the effect was ruined by the still-healing bruise and his watering eyes.
Indignant, Christo spluttered, “Well, what was your face doing that close to my wing in the first place? I see no reason why this is my fault!”
The demon stilled, pointedly avoiding eye contact. It was faint, but he was blushing? What did he even do? Christo recalled the strange touch he’d felt just before hitting Killia in the face. It has to be related to that somehow, but how? What was that?
A soft touch, that wasn’t claws, that had led to Killia’s face being very close to his wing… It couldn’t be. Did he… kiss me?
Looking at the embarrassed flush on the demon’s face, Christo felt confident enough in his guess to act on it. He leaned forward, gently taking Killia by the chin and making eye contact with the demon who was growing redder by the second. Perfect. He put on his best teasing smile, pitching his voice into a surprisingly flirty tone.
“Killia… Didn’t we talk about this earlier? If you want something from me, just ask.”
An expression of shock flashed across his face, previously slitted pupils blown wide. Christo decided to push his luck a little further, smile spreading wider into a genuine grin. He rubbed his thumb along Killia’s jawline in an imitation of the way the demon had been rubbing his back before, delighting in the way he could feel him swallow nervously.
“Well? Do you want to ask me anything?”
Killia took a deep breath, clearly mustering his courage. It was pretty cute, Christo thought, how such a brave and strong demon had to work up so much nerve just to ask a simple question.
“Can I kiss you?”
Christo let go of Killia’s chin, sliding his hand up and around the back of the demon’s head. Rather than answer with words, he chose to let his actions answer for him.
He could hardly believe what was happening - not only had he been discovered as an angel, then had his wings preened by a demon, now he was kissing that very same demon. He could feel a laugh building in his throat, the sheer absurdity of the situation getting to him. He pulled away from their kiss for a moment to compose himself, before losing it entirely at the sight of Killia looking utterly shellshocked.
He leaned forward to laugh into the demon’s shoulder, uncaring of how undignified he looked, and felt Killia's arms come up to wrap around his back, slotting neatly between his two pairs of wings.
He pulled back again, a sudden thought occurring to him.
“Killia… I appreciate how kind you’ve been with regards to my angelic status, but would you mind keeping it to yourself for a little while? I don’t mean to cast aspersions on any of the other rebels, but I do worry that they may not be so tolerant.”
The confused look on the demon’s face was almost enough to set him off laughing again, but he stayed stone-faced, determined to get across how important this was to him.
“Christo? I’m pretty sure everyone already knows.”
.
..
...
“WHAT!?”