"You know what I'm here for."
The voice rang clearly throughout the large, empty room, overpowering the sounds of screaming from outside. The noise made his skin crawl, but there was nothing to be done about it.
Berwald stood tall, refusing to be daunted by the dark smile on his enemy's face, or the gun in his hand.
"Yeah? Well who says I'm going to give it to you?" the demon, Mathias, asked as he rose from the ebony throne he had been seated on. It was the only furniture in the massive throne room. Even the walls were bare but for the windows and the drapes that hid the horrifying scene beyond the glass. Berwald tried not to think about the bodies writhing in eternal agony just outside.
"You don't deserve such a cute little soul. He really is adorable, especially when he's crying or in pain," Mathias chuckled, a vicious grin splitting his face.
"How dare you touch him!" Berwald snarled, lunging for Mathias. He was suddenly restrained by two demons on either side of him. Both were small, but very strong. One was blonde, with violet eyes, and the other was albino. They both looked incredibly uninterested by what was going on.
"Emil, Lucas, you're late," Mathias chastised, before turning back to Berwald.
"He's my new toy. I can do what I want with him," Mathias said, taking a few steps closer. His twisted black horns poked up from his spiky blonde hair, and his glowing blue eyes flashed with malice. His movements were smooth and graceful, his tail flicking back and forth behind him.
Berwald stood his ground, refusing to back down even as Mathias' massive black wings spread out to his sides.
"I've been wanting Tino's soul for centuries now. I'm not going to give him up to some puny little human like you," Mathias said, pressing his gun to Berwald's forehead.
Blue eyes flashed in defiance behind Berwald's glasses, and he kicked up suddenly, catching Mathias in the knee. The demon roared and glared hatefully at the tall blonde before him. He snarled as he snapped his fingers and waited.
Soft footsteps could be heard coming from somewhere behind Berwald and his eyes narrowed, and then widened again as he saw a petite figure quietly make its way to Mathias' side. He kept his eyes downcast, a habit he had had even when he was alive.
"Tino…" Berwald whispered, not believing his eyes. Tino didn't respond, as silent as death as he stood beside Mathias. He barely flinched when Mathias grasped his throat tightly in one hand and began to squeeze.
"He's mine now, Berwald. He sold his soul to me, to save you. It's all your fault~!" Mathias said in a sing-song voice, then laughed as Berwald lunged forward again, barely restrained by the two holding him. He spat insults at Mathias, cursing everything about him, as well as his family.
"Give him back!" Berwald roared, his eyes falling on the small angel before him, whom he loved so much. Whom had loved HIM so much he had sacrificed everything for him.
Mathias rolled his eyes and tightened his grip on Tino's neck. "What do you have to offer in exchange?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Berwald froze. He knew exactly what Mathias wanted. He also knew that if he didn't make the offer, he'd never see Tino, his angel, again.
He closed his eyes as memories flashed before his eyes.
Their first meeting.
At the time, he had been in Sweden to visit his parents about his arranged marriage to a wealthy Danish woman. He wasn't happy, which is why he had run away years ago in hopes of escape, only to be found and forced to come home.
He found Tino in an alley, slumped against the wall and bleeding profusely from a bullet wound in his shoulder. He was unconscious, and Berwald couldn't let him just die. He took him home and treated him as best as he could, but upon removing Tino's shirt, he discovered a set of wings tucked tightly against his back.
Of course, he had panicked, but couldn't really do much about it, so he went on treating Tino anyway.
When he did awake, he was confused and scared, but Berwald managed to calm him down. He spent the next few days caring for him in secret, until, one day, Tino vanished.
Berwald didn't know why, but he was devastated. Tino had somehow become someone precious to him, and it almost hurt to lose him.
He spent a while mourning his loss, until he met a young lady, with whom he fell in love with at first sight. She was sweet and innocent, and very kind. But she, like Tino, had a secret.
She was an angel, too, but with only one wing. She explained that the other has been taken by a demon in exchange for something.
Of course, he still missed Tino, and wondered if he had gone back to heaven.
About a month later, he discovered the truth.
They had been making flower crowns together in a field, when a violet-eyed angel appeared before them.
"How dare you steal my lover from me!" the angel screeched, before whipping a pistol from her flowing white robes.
The girl whom Berwald loved so much screamed as the gunshot rang out, and Berwald's eyes widened as he felt an immense pain bloom in his chest.
It only took a second for his eyes to dim, and he fell over, blood streaming from his chest, as well as his lips.
The other angel disappeared then, looking grimly satisfied, as the younger angel rushed to Berwald's side.
He didn't know what happened then, but when he awoke, he was no longer in her arms. He was in Tino's. The boy was crying, but he smiled as he realized Berwald was alive.
Berwald, however, was focused on the demon standing behind Tino, his last wing gripped tightly in the demon's hand.
Berwald's eyes widened as the wing was suddenly torn from Tino's back, blood and flesh clinging to it.
The demon smiled and vanished, and then Berwald panicked as the realization hit him. It had been Tino. The thing the girl had traded her wing for, the thing TINO traded his wing for, was an alternate gender, so that Berwald might love him, and now here he was again, sacrificing his very soul to save Berwald's life.
Berwald panicked then, and then, suddenly, Tino was gone. In his place was a single feather. Berwald tentatively reached for it, his eyes filling with tears.
He clutched it to his chest and began to sob, mourning the loss of the angel he had come to love. It wasn't fair. Tino shouldn't be dead! He shouldn't have given up his SOUL for Berwald! He had to take it back.
And so here he was, faced with the choice of losing Tino, or his soul.
He made his decision, and opened his eyes.
"Give me Tino, and you can have my soul," he said calmly.
He tried very hard to ignore the cry of protest that came from Tino then, and looked Mathias straight in the eyes.
Mathias pretended to think for a bit before releasing Tino and throwing him to the ground before Berwald. He snapped his fingers and the demons at his sides released him.
He rushed to Tino, scooping him up in his arms as Tino began to sob, begging him not to do it, but he didn't listen.
"You've got a deal. Your precious angel gets to go home, his soul goes back to heaven, and then when you're dead, you're mine," Mathias said, grinning wickedly.
"I'll see you soon," he purred, then snapped his fingers again.
Berwald let out a relieved sigh as they were suddenly back in his home, Tino still in his arms.
"Why?! Why would you do this for me?!" Tino demanded.
"Because you did it for me," Berwald said calmly. Tino sobbed harder as he buried his face in Berwald's shoulder.
He held him for a while, until he slowly calmed down. When he looked up, only three words left his lips.
"I love you."