holy

xxi

eventually, eddy was able to get brett to calm down after the traumatic experience of yet another, albeit harmless, intruder in his home. it had taken some coaxing to convince him to eat dinner, but he'd gotten through to brett after some kind words, a tight embrace, and wrapping the smaller boy in one of his jackets.

now, the angel cuddled in closer than ever to eddy, gripping the demon's shirt as if he'd leave or as if brett were to be stolen away.

it was silent for a long couple of moments before brett asked the question.

"are you leaving me?"

the question was so broken and small and distraught that eddy thought he might cry again, for the first time in a long time. he sighed heavily, as if the answer was painful for him, and grabbed the soft hands that clung to his shirt so tightly.

"in three days..." eddy began. brett's eyes burned with the warning of tears.

"i have to leave for hell..." his next words were muffled as the floodgates broke, water freed from behind sad eyes and flowing out in hot teardrops, "...meeting...the devil...gone..."

all of the words jumbled together and brett couldn't make any sense of it. but he didn't need to. all he needed to know was that eddy was leaving.

heartstrings tugged painfully at eddy's chest as he listened to the angel's cries, soft but filled to the brim with emotion. he ran his hand up and down brett's back to calm his gasping hiccups and whispered sweet nothings in his ear to distract him from the unfortunate truth.

in a moment of desperation, brett blurted out a dangerous statement.

"take me with you."

eddy's response was easy.

"absolutely not."

just the simple suggestion sent fire coursing through his veins. brett would never be able to handle hell—ever. without even thinking about what resided there, the angel would hate the heat and the darkness and of course the violence. most importantly, the demons and the other creatures that lurked in the depths of hell were incredibly dangerous for an angel, both physically and psychologically. beings of hell were not as proficient in withholding judgement as angels were.

long story short, eddy would never take that risk, even if that meant leaving brett alone on earth.

brett expected such an answer, but hearing it spoken aloud, in clear, assured judgement, made everything hurt more.

"but—"

"no, brett. i'm not changing my mind." his tone was short and curt and he hated being so firm with the angel but he had no choice. brett was not going to hell with him.

eddy wiped the tears from the angel's cheeks, calloused fingers stroking soft skin. as the smaller boy's breaths began to even out and the tears stopped flowing, he pressed his lips to the top of brett's head.

"go to sleep."

worry and exhaustion crashed over brett like a wave, the undertow pulling him down into a deep sleep.

•

for the next three days the angel hardly let go of eddy.

typically, he'd adopt some modicum of self control, holding back from being too touchy or clingy.

but, with eddy leaving for hell so soon, there were no boundaries.

he had confined themselves to the house, not letting eddy go out on his nightly escapades. when they weren't cuddling, they were holding hands or otherwise touching. brett could hardly go ten minutes without contact, and eddy couldn't help but worry how the angel would fare alone for two days.

he didn't mind though, the touching. to think that just weeks ago he hated the feeling of brett's angel-soft skin and feather-like touch was absurd. things were different now. they were different now.

however, he very soon discovered that it isn't so easy to cook one handed, or with brett standing behind him at the stove, arms wrapped around his waist.

for those short three days, the demon and the angel lived peacefully in their own little safe haven, relishing in each other's company.

it wasn't until the night before eddy's departure that brett began to seriously worry.

as the taller boy shoved his clothes into a bag unceremoniously, the angel paced back and forth across their small bedroom.

eddy glanced at his watch—11:13 p.m.

"angel?"

"hm?" brett stopped his pacing and bit his fingernails nervously, eyes wide and lost.

"it's late, you should already be asleep," eddy chastised as he ruffled through copious amounts of dark clothing.

brett began pacing again, shaking his head in denial. he didn't want to sleep—he couldn't. eddy had been busy all evening, cooking and taking a shower and packing and brett hadn't gotten a proper hug in hours and for the love of all things holy he thought he might combust into a pile of white feathers.

he was so distracted by his racing mind that he hardly noticed eddy standing right in his path and collided straight into his chest.

"brett!" eddy exclaimed, stern and serious.

"s-sorry," brett replied, startled and a little shaken by eddy's loud voice.

"bed. now."

brett climbed under the covers, biting his lip to hold back salty tears. he watched eddy with glassy eyes as the demon turned off the light and approached the bed, immediately pulling the angel into his arms once he laid down.

and that's when the tears began to fall, like thick raindrops from the heavens.

his cries were silent but strong, shaking his small frame and soaking eddy's t-shirt. well aware of the angel's emotional state, eddy snaked his hand up under brett's jumper, tracing his finger along the notches in his spine and the ridges from his hidden wings, all while whispering softly in brett's ear.

just as a storm does, the crying subsided quickly, but there was no rainbow left in its wake, nor any rays of sunshine. instead, heavy clouds of worry clung to brett's subconscious, and eddy could tell.

"i'll be fine, brett," eddy assured, the deep rumble of his chest sending comforting vibrations to the angel.

"are you sure?" the angel questioned hesitantly, "i-i mean the, the um..." he whispered the next words, as if they were never meant to pass through his holy lips, "...the devil, is he... is he nice?"

eddy chuckled at the angel's concern and his uncertainty about the ruler of hell.

"i wouldn't go as far as to call him nice," eddy laughed softly, "but i'll be fine. him and i are friends." he scoffed internally at the use of the word friends—it wasn't a very accurate way to describe their complicated relationship.

"don't worry about me. i'll be back before you know it," eddy promised.

brett wasn't so sure, but the combination of eddy's warmth and his surprisingly soothing presence was practically a formula for sleep and he drifted off dreamlessly.

just the ghost of a kiss brushed past the tip of his nose.

he slept with a smile on his face that night.

•

a/n:

the picture above is something angel!brett would wear probably

i hate to say this, but updates might slow a bit because i just started school last week and i've got lots of work. i'd rather not try to write during the week when i'm busy because then the chapters will likely be short/not as good. i want this story to be interesting and profound for both readers and me, so i would prefer to take my time. i hope you all understand!

xx