just us, just us

@Thoth

He hated the sight of his wings even more than Angelo did, but for different reasons. They were tarnished, grey, as if they'd been left to collect dust for years in some forsaken attic. Technically speaking, that was why he was on earth. God had decided he was no longer worthy and cast him out to rot on earth among mortals; he could redeem himself, but only if he showed that he was no longer guilty of his sins.

Tybalt's eyes flicked down to Angelo's neck, the small hollow right between his collar bones. It was covered by clothes and yet, somehow, he could still see it. The grey, dully glowing ball that was his soul. It was terribly dim, wretched by most definitions and if Angelo was any other way, he could hazard a guess that it would be black through and through. There would be no saving him, but somehow, it wasn't.

"No. You and I both know you can't do that." He wasn't here to entertain wild thoughts like that, or hypotheticals that were beyond reality.

"Your soul is tarnished. I don't know what it is that you did in the past, but I can almost assure you that it would be black. There's a reason it isn't. There is time for you to redeem yourself, you know. Your childhood was a fraction of your life, so making the rest count is important. You can still be a good person."

This wasn't what he was made for; his job wasn't to lead people onto the right path. Dokiel had always been more understanding than he had. Tybalt still had plenty of redeeming to do himself.

@Thoth

Tybalt was exhausted. They were both exhausted. He hadn't even imagined a simple discussion going so wrong. He'd just imagined it being another small date, perhaps giving Angelo a bit more information on himself. This definitely wasn't what he expected. The blowup, the fury that came with it.

The way Angelo's voice cracked was almost heartbreaking. He sounded like he had gone from extreme anger to tears in a few seconds. Tybalt's expression softened, something that hadn't really happened before when he was judging a person. A little compassion was what he needed; humans needed to be understood and validated. They wanted to be good.

"You..." He paused, then stood up to at least be on a bit more eye level. Angelo didn't look so furious anymore, just forlorn. He'd just basically been told he wasn't good enough. Not yet, at least.

Tybalt reached up, put a hand on his cheek for a moment, then leaned up to gently kiss him on the forehead. "You're getting there."

@Thoth

Tybalt was not one for much affection. He was a romantic in every way, sure, and he was good at small gestures that showed he cared. Flowers, presents, a meal well made... But somehow, affection of the physical sort seemed to escape him endlessly. Physical intimacy was beyond him; lust wasn't something he needed to add to his list of sins.

And yet here he was, staring into Angelo's wet eyes as he stroked his cheek with the gentlest touch he could muster. He was trying to be compassionate, scraping every little bit he had together to be understanding.

He didn't know what he was expecting. He could read people pretty well, but when Angelo moved forward, he flinched back just the tiniest bit. Just for a split second before he relaxed, his wings sagging downwards to let Angelo's arm wrap around his chest, then moved back up to wrap loosely around the both of them.

Tybalt returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around the taller man and burying his nose in his wild, unruly hair that always charmed him just a little. They could stay like that a while. Hell, they could've stayed like that until their next shift and Tybalt wouldn't have moved a muscle.

@Thoth

Feeling someone warm and soft holding onto him always got him a bit emotional. Not outwardly, but it did get him thinking a lot. It wasn't the first time it happened, but it was the first time in a long time and despite being pretty much ageless, it never got easier.

He remained there with him for the solid twenty minutes. They clung to each other, probably in equal measure. When Angelo finally did pull away, Tybalt gave him one last squeeze before releasing him. His wings sagged down around him, pooling around his feet and making it look like he was wearing some sort of feathered gown. Wings and all, Tybalt just looked downright sad.

"...yeah. Maybe that'd be best." Tybalt was exhausted; all he wanted to do was lie down in bed, roll himself in his blankets and just sleep. He had a shift tomorrow and he couldn't be exhausted for that.

He shifted on his feet for a moment, then gave Angelo a sheepish smile. "Get home safe, please."

@Thoth

He locked the door behind him, then rested his forehead against the cool wood for a good minute or two. What the hell had just happened? It had all seemed very straightforward, then it spiraled out of control and... now what? What would even happen when he clocked in for work tomorrow? Should he just decide he wanted out of this whole cop business and open a damn flower shop? Yeah, that sounded nice. Working on his own, not dealing with partner dramas.

He retracted his wings eventually, peeling off the rags that were left of his shirt and dunking them straight into the bin. His body was on autopilot, his mind radio silent. There had been too much to process and now he just wanted quiet. He only took a cursory glance out the window before deciding he could forgo dinner tonight and flopped down in his bed.

That's when his mind began to replay the whole evening. What had been said, what had been done, picking apart words...

That was when it hit him. Harder than a sack of bricks, he was laying on his back just staring at the ceiling when he hit up on the part of the conversation where Angelo stood up and he brought his wings out. He said something. He'd killed people.

So... that would explain his soul.

Tybalt lay there, stewing in the revelation for a couple more moments before pushing it aside. Some things could be dealt with when he didn't feel so damn hollow.