{ finalem }

When the door slammed shut, he smiled a little to himself. Victory! He continued to look straight ahead, not even looking at him as he finally joined him in the car. Isaac chewed on his bottom lip, just wanting to make him understand that he was okay and that everything would be just fine. And when he heard his words, he couldn’t help but just look at him with loving and warm eyes. “Handcuff me?” he asked softly, licking his lips before he looked away. “You can handcuff me anywhere you want” he muttered and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked out his window and tried to hide his blush. Not that Tucker would care, right. This was totally one sided, no chance in hell that the other could ever care for him or even.. love him. He let a few seconds pass before he nodded. “I’ll stay in the car. Unless.. you get hurt and I have to help you to safety. That is my final offer” because he would be damned if he didn’t help him, his precious and grumpy Tucker. Ever since that night when he had helped him with his injuries, he had been thinking about him. About his hands, mouth, eyes, body. About his touch and how that would bring him sweet relief. But yet again, he beat himself up for falling for someone who could never love him back.

He just fell silent, a wave of sadness crashing over him but he hid it behind a tense and fake smile. He could handle this, he had been through this before. Of course he had but never like this. Never this strongly because he would actually make sure that Tucker didn’t get hurt, even toss himself into the line of fire. And that was insane but he couldn’t help it.

It was official: Isaac was going to be the death of him. Whether it was by getting in the way tonight or by making handcuff comments. Tucker needed to focus on finding monsters and blowing their brains out, not- not blowing something else, Jesus. Tucker scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. Nothing about this was ideal. “Fine. But you don’t come out unless I call for ya. I know what I can and can’t fight.” Tucker shifted the car into reverse and stole a lingering glance at Isaac. “... Fruit loops. I don’t want you leavin’ this car until you hear me say that, okay? It’ll be like-” don’t do it “like a safe word.” Goddammit.

“You’re stating the obvious their, big boy,” Kayden said rolling her eyes. “Of course his time is up. Otherwise, neither of us would be after him.” She still couldn’t get a good read on him and she didn’t want to assume. That could lead to a fatal mistake. Kayden was sure that Lucifer wouldn’t be happy if she made one. Anyway, she needed to figure out what he was before she made a move. He could be a werewolf with how territorial he was acting. Then again… her eyes narrowed when he spoke about the target’s debt and how he needs to collect what is owed. So he wasn’t a werewolf, that left demon, reaper, or hellhound. She wasn’t going to lose a target. Yet if he was a demon or a reaper, she would have to be careful. Kayden wasn’t too worried about a hellhound. “That is why I am after him,” Kayden wasn’t scared of this guy and she wasn’t going to back down. “If anyone should be moving it should be you.”

She knew his time was up, although Naberus wondered if she fully understood what that meant. Even though he was a human, he still bared his teeth at her and stepped closer. “Look,” he started, jabbing a finger in her direction, “he’s mine. I’m not afraid to-” Naberus didn’t finish his threat. His nostrils flared and he blinked, eyes reverting to their natural, glowing red state. “He’s close,” he said, body tensing up as he slowly turned his head to the left. Naberus strained his ears but he couldn’t hear anything. No matter. His nose would be able to track him down easily enough. Naberus glanced back at the obnoxious human lady for a second and growled- which maybe came across as crazy more than intimidating, given his current bipedal form. “Don’t even think about it...”

“Because he is a vampire” she blurted out before she got the chance to stop herself. “So why would he go to my residence, knowing that if he did, he would kill me?” she asked the other. Cecilia had always been great at reading people, she was a lawyer after all. “Leave me alone. I have gotten stared at like that for years thanks to my ex boyfriend. So I want you to go” she turned around and for the first time in her life, she showed anger. “I don’t need help from someone who looks at me like I am the most annoying thing on this planet because I already know I am, okay?” she squealed and stomped with her feet. “Like how could someone as amazing as Colton ever love someone as.. as pathetic as me? So just leave me be. Find someone else who doesn’t annoy you as much” a heavy sob left her as she walked away, rounding a corner as she tried to find anyone who could help her. Cecilia knew how dangerous this was but she just didn’t care. She just wanted to see him again, hold him and kiss him and make sure that everything would once again be okay. Everything hurt, her legs, her feet but mostly her heart. Because it had been years since she cried like this. The normally happy girl now a broken shell. Now this would be something her ex would have loved seeing.

It looked like he had unintentionally hit a nerve. Michael seemed to be pretty good at that. “If you wish for me to leave, then so be it.” There were other people to save. He didn’t need to stay with a human who had a death wish. And to think, she was risking her life to find a vampire. “I wish you luck in finding your friend,” he said, managing to keep the disgust from his voice before disappearing from sight. If she was still planning on screaming and crying out for her friend, she wouldn’t last long- already Michael could feel another creature lurking at the end of the street. And so Michael decided to continue his temporary protection of the human, choosing instead to shadow after her from the nearby rooftops. She would draw out the monsters and he would smite them. Turns out humans could be useful after all.

When he opened the door, he looked at him and sighed softly. “Tucker” he said and placed his hands on his cheeks again. “Do you wanna know how I have survived this long in a town filled with supernatural creatures wanting to rip me into shreds?” he asked. “Because I always went against what everyone told me to do. Be careful, stay inside. That means that the monsters you are gonna kill wins in the end. And I am not here for that. I wanna live my life the best I can and if it ends tonight, at least it ends with you by my side and I couldn’t be happier. Go on, call me stupid. Call me degrading things. But I care for you and I couldn’t care less if I am.. inconvenient for you. If I make your life a living hell because you fill my days with happiness. Yes, even when you ignore me and don’t call me” he chuckled to himself and shook his head before he rested his forehead against the hunter’s. “If you went out there and got hurt.. or even killed? And I didn’t get the chance to be with you one last time? I wouldn’t know how to cope” closing his eyes, he cleared his throat before he leaned back and let go off him.

Isaac crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into his seat, looking straight ahead. “I am not leaving. And this is a free world and I am not gonna hide anymore” he muttered and closed his eyes. Maybe he shouldn’t have just stated all of the feelings he had for the other. But he couldn’t help himself when he looked so vulnerable and scared. He adored Tucker more than he originally had planned to. And he wanted to be with him, walk into battle and fall to the hands of death knowing that Tucker was safe.

There was a dozen different things Tucker wanted to do in that moment. He wanted to grab Isaac and rip him out of the car, wanted to drag him back into the house and lock him inside. He wanted to scream at him, wanted to convince him that what he was doing would put them both in danger, and he was getting ready to really give him a piece of his mind too-- Isaac brought their foreheads together once more. Tucker huffed. He grumbled and swore under his breath and internally cursed the day he ever bumped into Isaac in that bar.

Whimpering when she heard how the other somewhat made fun of her description of him, she looked around, trying to find someone else. She couldn’t handle coldness, brutal honesty was something that constantly made her fragile heart ache. And all she wanted was to scream Colton’s name until her throat hurt. Her eyes were wide as she tried to locate anyone, but she failed. Cecilia had never felt more alone, so empty inside knowing that the man she was starting to love was somewhere in the rain of blood, falling into his urges. Her opinion about Colton would never change, he had been there for her so many times and kept her safe when the world turned their back on her. He saw her, he truly did see the power she had. And she may just be human, but he didn’t care about that and she loved that.

Just thinking about the good change he had been to her life made more tears roll down her cheeks. “N-No he is not a-at home. That was the f-first place I went to go and look for him. He wasn’t there” running a hand down her face, she sobbed heavily and then started walking again. “Colton!” she screamed again, knowing that she was putting herself in danger. But she did not care.

When his Father created humans, He declared all angels to love them, and so Michael did. He truly and devoutly loved humankind but it was moments like these that tested his patience. Humans were such emotional, fragile things. Even the oldest of them acted like children, letting their emotions dictate their actions. Helping humans was an awful lot like herding sheep, although truthfully, that might have been easier. At least sheep didn’t cry so often.

‘’Earth have had darker days than these, bro. It’s never not time for funny business, you see, people need some laughs - or maybe I do.’’ Gabriel replied, as he quickly unwrapped a lollipop, putting the candy inside his mouth and tasting it a little before taking out by holding the stick with his fingers. ‘’I know it’s been quite a while but you should know by now that that’s how I roll the dices.’’ He sighed contently. ‘’What’s not to love about it?’’ Gabriel chuckled. ‘’Alright, alright, I know you have no sense of humor at all but Earth is amazing. I could give you a list of what to love about it, Mickey. The food, the people and, of course, Casa Erotica. And I’m not picking sides. Heaven was great until certain point and since I’ve spent more time in here then up there, you just learn how to truly enjoy it.’’ Gabriel concluded, putting the lolly again inside his mouth. ‘’What about you? What brings you here, brother?’’

“Don’t call me that,” Michael said quietly and uselessly. His siblings always dismissed or ignored his requests to be referred to as Michael and Michael alone but that didn’t stop him from making them. “I would not refer to Earth as amazing,” his mouth twisted into an almost-sneer, “but I suppose it is... tolerable.” He hadn’t been away from Heaven for all that long and yet Michael was already starting to get homesick. Just one more reason to get to the bottom of this and figure out what the hell was happening here in Pandemonium. “This town is in need of heavenly assistance. The number of evil entities lying within its border is disgusting and after tonight’s events, it seems as if there is something malicious lurking nearby. I am here to find whatever or whomever is plaguing this town and I am here to stop it.”

“I am coming with you” he said in a stern voice looking at him as he felt his heart skip a beat. It was so clear that he cared about him, something Isaac didn’t think would happen. But he was refusing to let Isaac follow due to the fact that this could be dangerous. But he rather liked the thrill of it. Placing a hand over Tucker’s chest, he pushed him back so that he could step out the door. Closing and locking it, he placed the key in his pocket and tilted his head to the side. It was amusing to see Tucker, the normally cool and suave guy now being somewhat of a nervous wreck. It was endearing and he felt himself fall harder, deeper in love with the other man.

“If I am not allowed to go, neither are you. But I have a feeling that you are gonna go anyways which means that I have to follow you” he said and then walked past him and toward the car that was still on. Opening the car door, he got inside and then slammed it with a smile on his lips. Was he nervous? Of course. But he was mostly nervous to be near Tucker.

Tucker wondered if maybe he was broken or something, because he simply stood there and let Isaac push him out of the way. Tucker could do nothing more than blink at the younger man, mind full of static like an old television on the wrong channel. This wasn’t really happening. Isaac wasn’t coming with him. He wasn’t walking all over him like this- no, Tucker wasn’t letting him.

She felt her hunter instincts kicking in as she continued to try and track her target, someone was shadowing her. It could possibly be her target trying to turn the tables on her. Yet, Kayden had a feeling that it was that guy who was trying to take down her target. Taking a deep breath as she tried to gather herself. Losing control wasn’t going to help her here. She needed to be smart about this and getting into a fight with someone else wasn’t smart. The target was her top priority. When the person tracking her revealed himself to her claiming that her target was his. Kayden narrowed her eyes at the man, “Is he now?” She looked the guy over, as she tried to get a read on him or what he was. Kayden couldn’t tell what this guy was but she was sure that he wasn’t one to cross in a fight. Though she couldn’t help but try and push a few buttons, “Sorry, to say be you don’t look like his type.” Kayden paused for a moment, wondering what this guys deal was. “Look… I have a contract with a very special client that wants me to dispose of this trash. So if anyone needs to back off, that someone is going to be you.”

His type? Naberus’ brow furrowed. Stupid humans and their stupid human sayings. At least, he was pretty sure she was a human. That’s what she smelled like, anyways- although maybe she was one of those fancy humans, one of those people who was just a little more than the average person. Naberus didn’t really care. She was getting in his way and making his life harder than it had to be. She had to go.

“His time is up,” Naberus replied simply. It didn’t matter if she believed that his prey was really hers. His soul was ready to collect and that meant it was his job to take care of it. This lady might be able to kill the target, but would she be able to drag his soul back to Hell where it belonged? He doubted it. “He has a debt to pay. I need to collect what’s owed. And you’re in my way,” he said, voice low and threatening. This was the most he had said to anyone in a long while and already he was sick of talking. “So I suggest you move.”

❝ it is odd, ❞ he mused, his lips pursed in thought. he knew blood moons could bring about strange things but all of this ?? there was a darker force at play, that he knew, but lucifer hadn’t mentioned anything to him. looking up at the girl, he stood from his desk and tapped his finger against his chin. azazel didn’t care for humans, he didn’t care for anything in this world other than his boss, sasha, and some days, lilith. but for whatever reason, he knew lucifer had taken a liking to this human, so he kept an eye on her when he could. that and she was a good worker, while most humans seemed incompetent. hiring someone new wasn’t something he wanted to mess with. ❝ that is probably the wisest choice, yes, but you and the rest of the employees are welcome to stick around here until things clear up. if you’d like. ❞ he didn’t know how long the blackout and bloody rain would last but he knew the moon would be gone in a few hours, which would make things a little less dangerous for them.

Quietly, she sighed in relief. “Alright perfect, I’ll make sure to let everyone know.” The storm outside was downright nasty and the last thing she wanted to do was to try and drive through it. She felt bad for the customers who had to navigate through that mess, but her biggest concern was their staff. “I’m hoping this storm doesn’t last all night. The chairs in the staff room aren’t the most comfortable things to sleep on,” she said with a tiny smile. She knew that from experience, from many late nights at work. Serena shifted against the door-frame. “I hope you’re planning on hanging out here for awhile too? I can’t force you to stay, I know that, but it seems... dangerous out there and I’d rather you didn’t get into an awful car accident.”