The Opposite of Angel

It was cold, cold enough that John could see his breath puffing up in clouds in front of his face along with cigarette smoke. He took another drag and turned the page of his newspaper. The bench creaked as he leaned back.

"Haven't you said something about routine getting you killed?" John looked up at the woman standing in front of him.

"That's what you say, love." Gwen smiled at him and then proceeded to contradict herself by sitting down next to him, removing his cigarette from his mouth with one hand, and kissing him, just like she did every time he came to visit her at school.

"Put out that cigarette, Miss Abbey," a professor walking by ordered halfheartedly. Gwen moved back slightly, just enough to say, "I still don't smoke, sir!" The professor hunched up his shoulders and continued walking, grumbling inaudibly.

When she gave back his smothering cigarette her ten-degrees-Celsius-above-human body temperature had defrosted his face and he no longer felt like it would be a good idea to smoke two cigarettes at once. "You made the paper again." He folded his paper closed to show her the Liverpool's Guardian Angel Flies Again headline. "At least you didn't leave footprints this time."

"That was an accident."

"Like the melted gun and the thermal castration?"

"Those were on purpose." John smirked.

"Your brother share his thoughts on the vigilante angel?" Gwen huffed.

"Gabriel hasn't contacted me, and it doesn't matter what he thinks anyway. As long as I'm helping people-"

"You can't Fall." John finished. "He mentioned that." John was the one who had given her that piece of information since she had been passed out from exhaustion when Gabriel had dropped by. The archangel had also said something about staying away from his little sister but John had chosen to ignore that. "I'm going to be away this weekend."

"Saving the world, or saving your skin?" John took a drag of his cigarette with his thinking face on. Gwen quirked her brow and he smiled. "The first one, love. Promise."

"It's a bit of both, isn't it?" John nodded, still smiling. Gwen sighed. "At least try not to get yourself killed."

"I'm in no hurry to take up permanent residence in Hell."

"Yet you go there almost every week."

"What can I say, love? I'm not an angel like you are. I'm the complete opposite. You're too good for me, Gwen."

"Hmm. Or maybe I'm not bad enough for you." She gave a lopsided smile. "I'll be waiting when you get back. Whenever that ends up being." They both knew that he wouldn't be away for just the weekend. "Remember what I said about not dying."

"Of course. You to."

"Of course."

Gwen gave him one more kiss before getting up and heading for her next class. John sat on the bench for a bit longer before lighting a new cigarette and walking away from the university. He really didn't deserve her.