You were on your way to help someone today, just like any other day. The calling led you to an empty yet grand church, the dusk light filtering in colours of red, blue and yellow through the stained glass window, illuminating the man praying in front of the altar. What it also illuminated, which you weren’t expecting, was the other figure, sat lazily with his legs sprawled over the steps, a lit cigarette in his hand. Something was wrong… he seemed out of place. Very out of place.

This man definitely wasn’t an angel… but he had an aura about him that wasn’t human either. You had an awful feeling that he was one of the demons you’d heard about, fallen angels who lost their way, who you’ve been told to stay away from at whatever cost.

“What are you supposed to do, go against your body’s natural instincts? That’s just unfair man, don’t put yourself through that shit,” he rambled aimlessly, taking a puff of his cigarette. “Besides, have you even asked your girl? She probably wants to fuck just as much as you. What difference does marriage make if it’s really just a piece of paper, ever thought of that?”

You watched in horror as the teary eyed man looked up at the bad influence, visibly considering his words. Was this seriously happening right in front of you? “Are you sure? I won’t be punished for feeling this way?” he sniffled.

“Of course not,” the demon waved a hand dismissively, manipulating the human into a false sense of security. His poor soul didn’t realise that he wasn’t talking to angel. Far from it, in fact. “Not for that anyway. I can’t speak for your twitter likes though, it’s a little fucked up over there.”

The grin on his face had your jaw tensing with irritation, and you acted before thinking. “What do you think you’re doing?” You planted your hands on your hips, your disapproving gaze sliding over the smug demon.

He snorted, giving you a similar once-over as he leaned back further on the steps, cigarette dangling from his lips once again as he breathed in. “What’s it look like?” he countered, his smirk infuriating as he gestured to the visibly confused human. “Giving this man some good advice. You should loosen up a bit, angel, it’s so boring the way you do things.”

“What it looks like is that you’re leading this poor human down the wrong path when he came to beg for forgiveness,” you said to him disapprovingly, before crouching down before the teary human on his knees and spoke softly to him. “Hey, you did the right thing. You will always be forgiven if you admit and acknowledge your sins, then throw them to the wind.”

You heard a scoff from behind you, turning to see the demon, now stood looking bored out of his mind, rolling his dead eyes at you. “You know, I’m pretty sure you went to heaven with me, way back when. Funny thing, huh? Though I don’t remember you being such a killjoy.”

You blinked at him, once, twice, until - yes. He was right. “I remember you,” you said carefully, rising from the ground to study his face a little more closely. Those eyes… those eyes definitely had at least a semblance of heaven in their watery depths, a hidden souvenir of who he once was. “You’re the fallen angel. Theodore.”

He grinned, a wicked thing that spread across his face like a virus. That was his only confirmation. He turned to the incredibly confused man, giving him a mock salute. “Allora, unless you need something else, I’m off to corrupt another. That’s my specialty, you see,” he said, winking in your direction as he strode down the aisle for the large double-doored exit.

What an absolute- no, rein it in. Remember who you are. Wrath is a sin, so calm yourself. You inhaled, biting on your lip to control your bubbling irritation, before turning your attention back to the human. “Did you hear what he said? Corrupt you. You don’t want to be corrupted, no… you’re safe with me,” you cooed.

“Think about what I said, bro!” Theodore yelled as he strode for the doors, his voice booming inside the echo chamber of the church. “Just mull it over, alright?” He smirked, glancing back at you one final time to make sure that he got to you just how he wanted to, before disappearing into the city like mist.

You gritted your teeth before focusing, resuming your comforting gaze on the human. You were sent here for a reason - you had a task to complete, a job to do. A soul to save. “If you ever think about those sinful things again, come here to pray and I will be here to absolve you. This demon does not speak for us, and you must continue your path to redemption.” You quickly murmured a prayer for him, focusing all your energy into it to counteract any negative impact of that awful demon, before stalking after him into the night.

“Hey!” you yelled. “You can’t just go around doing that!”

Theodore turned slowly, flicking his now stubby cigarette to the floor and crossing his arms over his chest. “Oh? And why not?” he purred. “That guy needed an awakening, that’s all. Forgiveness is great and all that, but sometimes people need a push in order to live their best life.” He took a step closer to you, eyes raking over your face, watching your every little reaction. “You know what they say, though, don’t you? You can never truly love something until you’ve experienced its polar opposite. In this case, love is under the watchful gaze of the big man up there. This is where I come in. I’m the opposite, angel. I’ll open them up to a world of… sin.”

His cruel smirk sent shivers through your veins, an uncomfortable coldness that shifted under your bones. But he wasn’t done. “Care to join me, bella?” His eyes sparkled with an almost flirtatious amusement as he raised his brows at you, challenging you. “We could lead sinners astray together, swap notes, have a little fun. I’m sure you’ve got some zingers under that belt. But you know, you’ve just gotta want to.”

He reached a hand up as if to touch your face, and the movement would have been almost hypnotic if it weren’t a demon doing it. You seethed, slapping his hand away from you, your other hand clenched at your side. “What are you talking about?!” you exclaimed. “First of all, that best life you mention is in heaven, and sinners don’t make it there. And second, I am never going to sin, and you need to stop trying to make people do so, including me. I can’t be corrupted, I’m an angel.”

Theodore chuckled, the secretive glint in his eyes incredibly unsettling as he began to back away casually. “Let’s see about that, yeah?” His menacing smirk deepened as he leered at you, white teeth bright in the moonlight. When he was a certain distance away, he disappeared in a burst of flames, only to reappear in another part of the city, on the hunt for more human prey.

You angrily huffed as he disappeared, no doubt to corrupt some other poor innocent human on a path to hell. You allowed yourself a few seconds of clenched fists before you relaxed your hands. Wrath again… a deadly sin. You allowed calmness to wash over you, you steeled yourself, and continued doing your job.

Days, weeks passed. Theodore went about his business, corrupting humans to his dark heart’s content, luring them away from their morals to experience his unique brand of pleasure. Every now and again, he caught sight of the angel in various places of the city as she tried to guide the humans onto a more righteous path. He knew better than to think that he’d scared her, but he did not take her reaction as a total shut down.

In the end, it was all just a game for Theodore, but it was a slow, long game. Sure, he loved the thrill of seducing the mortals, seeing the lust rise in their eyes and their purity slip away, but he thrived on the idea of pushing that button for you, as well.

He wanted to see you break. He wanted those proud wings to fall, for that halo to drop and break, the shards raining down from heaven just like he did. And he was obsessed.

He wanted to ruin his pretty little angel. And he would not give up until she is broken beyond repair.

⊹ ︶⏝⭒ ⊹ ⭒⏝︶ ⊹