A/N: A'ight so jsyk, I sat down and planned this fucker out. Guys. We're looking at 51 fucking chapters. Yeah, most of them are going to be 2-3,000 words but still that's a lot. So if you turn around now I am not offended in the least. That's a lot of shit to keep up with.
If that didn't scare you off, then you are a stronger man than I. Enjoy, brave soul~
Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men, Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made all my bones shake. Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up. -Job 4:13-16
Standing alone in a bountiful field, he glanced around through amber stalks of wheat pleasantly swaying in the wind. He blinked, eyes raising upwards to a lavender-soaked twilight sky, strands of pink clouds dusting about like lines of chalk.
A rustle invaded the dancing strands above him and he looked back down, seeing bright, lush ember curls and shining green eyes. His heart stopped and a relief flittered over his body that he wasn't aware that he could feel anymore. "Kyle?" he whimpered. The redhead smiled that loving smile, the one that kept him going regardless of circumstance. Kenny grinned so widely his cheeks hurt as he rushed over, hopping over the plants and kicking up dirt as Kyle waited patiently for him.
He reached the man and threw his arms around his frail form, choking back a sob into his hair. He took a deep breath and shuddered, cinnamon and coffee leaking off of Kyle in a much-needed congenial scent; the smell of home. Kyle's arms wrapped back around him, fingers digging into his shirt and holding him tightly. "Oh God, Ky," Kenny whispered, peppering kisses around his head and down the side of his face. Kyle was silent, merely smiling and nuzzling into his shoulder. "I got you, I got you," he babbled desperately, clinging onto the smaller man tighter.
"I know," he whispered, bringing a hand up and cusping the side of Kenny's face, fingers lightly tracing through his glowing hair. A pause in the air perked Kenny's ears and he narrowed his eyes. He raised his head off of Kyle's glancing around at the stalks still swaying in now-silent brushes against their legs. He looked down at the redhead and nearly jumped back in surprise at glowing red eyes staring up at him. "But so does he," Kyle said blankly.
Kenny's mouth fumbled for a response before a rush of color caught his eye. He looked up in fright at a multitude of bright red vines shooting from beyond the field and rushing towards them. He yelped, trying to grab Kyle and run off, the redhead's feet firmly planted on the ground. Kyle smiled sadly and shook his head, Kenny's stomach lurching as streams of blood began running from his tear ducts. "I'm sorry," he mouthed.
"No, no, don't be sorry," he said hurriedly, trying to pry him away. "Just move, just run!" He yelled in frustration as a swarm of the vines descending on them, grabbing Kyle around the waist and arms and beginning to wrest him from his tight grip. "Kyle, FIGHT!" he screamed, shoes planting in the dirt and trying to hold his lover down as the strands began to lift him above his height.
"Shhh," Kyle whispered, leaning down and kissing his lips softly, the blood from his eyes dripping between their mouths. He pulled back, a complete calmness over his stare that had Kenny's heart thrown into a raging fit. "Let go."
"No," he said firmly, gritting his teeth and trying to rip the strands from off of him.
"Kenny, let go," he repeated.
He shook his head frantically, bashing one fist against the restraints while the other arm remained wrapped solidly around Kyle's thin waist. His feet dragged underneath him, stumbling through piles of soil. Kenny glanced down as something smacked into his leg, stomach dropping at a swarm of bugs overtaking the field, the golden beams shadowed by slimy pests. "Kyle, please!" he begged.
He let out a long winded cry as blood began seeping over Kyle's captive form, running from his back and dripping down onto Kenny's terrified face. The tranquil look in Kyle's eyes was familiar to the blonde despite the change of hue: He was hurt, but he wasn't going to show it. "Ken..." he whispered, leaning down and resting his forehead against the struggling blonde. "I'm waiting," he finished before a large rip from the vines tore him from Kenny's grasp.
The blonde fell on the ground, jumping up and brushing bugs off his face. He watched in horror as Kyle was limply jolted back through the air, his feet kicking into gear and sending him screaming after him. "KYLE! FIGHT GODDAMMIT, FIGHT!" he pleaded. Sound suddenly kicked back into the world, drowning out his sorrowful cries in a deafening tone of wind and billions of wings buzzing about. "KYLE!" he tried again, losing sight as the swarm overtook the pastoral sky, encasing him in a land of black that he continued to blindly run through. He beat the pests out of his way, becoming disoriented in the chaos as he tried to find a way to his redhead. He screamed, arms thrashing wildly as he tried to find his way out of the mess, eyes flickering about perilously as the bugs seemed to close in on him. The sound made his head throb, his fear made him sick, the entire world seemed to be crumbling under his feet.
His eyes flew open and a whimper escaped his throat, gaze darting around worriedly as he found himself panting precariously. "Kenneth?" a voice broke through his sleepy delusion. "Are you all right?" He groaned, hands flying up to rub his eyes. He shook his head, squinting behind his hands at the sunlight peeking through his fingers."Kenneth, come on," the voice urged.
He slowly lowered his protection and sniffled, finding Jegudiel sitting beside him on the ground with a concerned look on his face. "Kyle?" he asked brokenly, still trying to gather his thoughts.
The archangel's face fell pitiably and he shook his head. "No, Kenneth. He's not here."
"Must have been some dream," Raphael piped in. "You're trembling like a newborn fawn." Kenny gulped, sitting up straighter and sniffling tiredly.
"It was horrible," he rasped, rubbing his head. "His eyes were bleeding and...and there were bugs everywhere and he told me to just let him..." he trailed off, shaking his head, blonde hair bouncing along with him and clenching his eyes shut, trying to escape the remnants of such a horrific vision he could feel still lingering in the air.
Jegudiel cleared his throat, "Well, maybe that'll teach you not to sleep during training sessions," he teased lightly.
"Sorry," he mumbled, trying to shake away those bloody eyes from his mind.
"You're fine," Raphael assured him, patting his shoulder lightly. "We know you haven't been getting much rest these past few months."
He sighed, nodding slowly, "Tell me about it." It was true. It had been far too often that Kenny had drifted off only to find himself flailing about screaming for Kyle. It was becoming less of a nuisance and more of a habit at this point, and he couldn't wait for the damn pattern to be broken. He looked around and found themselves on the viewing balcony, raising his brow. "Wait, why are we here again?"
"You were supposed to be watching Barachiel and Selaphiel," Jegudiel rolled his eyes. "You know, learning and whatnot?"
He raised his brow, forcing a smile on his troubled face. "'Ay. I don't lecture you on your trainin' methods, Jay, so don't be judgin' me on my osmosis technique."
"Osmosis?" Raphael repeated with a small smirk.
He nodded, laughing sadly. "Ky would say that when I'd try to teach him something about a damn car so he wouldn't be stranded on the interstate and he'd fall asleep. 'Course I did the same with him and his history crap. Give-take, ya know," he shrugged casually.
Jegudiel snorted, "Sounds like a great way to live. Unable to talk to each other without passing out."
"Hey, the person who was victimized got a 'I'm sorry' blowjob every time so it wasn't that bad," he held up his hand defensively. "'Sides, I'm pretty sure Ky faked being asleep now and again just to get us to the good stuff."
"And you didn't?" Raphael questioned doubtfully.
He leaned forward, stretching with a snarky grin. "Neeever said that." The two beside him snorted and shook their heads. "So, what are Sel and Bar up to? The hell am I supposed to be learning here?" Ken asked, looking down to see the two of them clashing against one another, maneuvering quickly about.
"Footwork," Raphael answered.
"Againnnn?" he groaned, putting his face in his hands.
The angel patted his shoulder, "I know, I know. But these two are the best of us at moving quickly on the field while utilizing their powers. So watch their technique and we can try to apply it into your own work."
Kenny rolled his eyes, leaning his palm into his hand as he observed. "Wow. Move one foot and then the other. Thrilling," he muttered.
"Ken, focus," he smacked his head lightly. "Watch how Barachiel glides across the surface," he pointed. "His powers need him to be fast and light on his feet." Kenny raised his brow and Raphael smirked. "He harnesses lightening, Ken."
"Oh," he replied dumbly. "Why isn't he using it?"
Jegudiel shrugged, "He needs more focus on his swordsmanship as of now. He'll use it once you train with him, trust me."
"Lucky lucky me," he chuckled. "What about Sel?" he jerked his head towards the brunette.
"His powers are of binding, he can control an infinite chain," Jegudiel answered.
Kenny smirked lightly, "Kinky."
He scoffed, shaking his head. "See how he moves though? His steps are hard and grounded but still allow him a simple pivot. He isn't the fastest of us, but the most effective. He needs to have stance to be able to capture his enemies." Kenny shuddered, a flashback of those damn ruby vines stealing his fiancé invading his thoughts once again.
"So, what am I supposed to be?" He half-whined. "Hard or soft? Because I'm much better at the former, trust me," he smirked cheekily.
Raphael rolled his eyes and sighed. "That depends on a lot of factors, Ken. It depends on if you can utilize your power while in motion or not. You're not experienced enough to know for sure as of yet."
The blonde pouted, "Lame."
"Lame or not, that's just the way it is right now," Jegudiel shrugged. "You'll get there. Once we balance you out, we'll be able to judge just what method you should be using."
His lips twisted a bit, "This is like fucking school. Thought I was done with that shit," he sighed irritably, falling onto his back and staring above him with glazed eyes. "God I'm so sick of this," he mumbled. "I just wanna go home."
They looked at him pitiably, "We know," Jegudiel said softly. "A few more months and you can."
"And Kyle will be with you," Raphael promised softly.
Kenny bit his lip, hearing that damn familiar voice ringing in his ears yet again: "Let go". Let go of what? The war? His anger? Kyle himself? He just didn't know, mind flittering to all sorts of possibilities and most of them leaving him with an uncomfortable pit in his stomach. It was just too fucking much.
"Raphael, Jegudiel, Kenneth," a voice called softly. The three of them looked up to see Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel landing in front of them, another angel at their side. Michael raised his brow, "Kenneth, I don't think lying down is very helpful to your training."
"You don't know me," he scoffed playfully, turning over and hopping onto his feet, the other two following suit. Raphael turned, motioning down into the arena for Selaphiel and Barachiel to come up. Kenny looked at the unfamiliar angel on the end, standing there with soot on his face and arms, wings crested with a deep ebony glow. He cocked his brow and Gabriel chuckled.
"Kenneth, this is Nathaneal," he motioned to the noirette. "We dollied him up like a demon and sent him to gather information on Hell."
He nodded at the newcomer, "Spy, nice. Please tell me that Damien caught Super AIDS and is dying a slow, horrible death."
"No such luck I'm afraid," he smiled sadly. "Though, I do have a bit of good news." He looked at Selaphiel and Barachiel as they landed, giving them small nods. He cleared his throat at the archangels waiting expectantly as they stood in a circle amongst one another. "His plan to take mortals and integrate them into his army is falling through," he informed them. "It takes too long for them to cleanse the souls for possession, he'll only be able to gather perhaps 2,000 more soldiers by the time of attack."
Michael smiled gratefully, letting out a long sigh of relief. "Our chances certainly seem better in that light. I'll happily take that as opposed to the estimated ten billion enemies storming the gate."
Kenny crossed his arms, blinking thoughtfully. "You think he'll call off the war since the odds suck so much?"
Uriel shook his head, "No. Demons are far too arrogant to let go of their goal, and Damien is the worst of them all." He flickered his eyes to the blonde knowingly and Kenny shot him a shady, steel-laced glare right back.
"However," Nathaneal continued, capturing their attention yet again, "Damien is confident in what he calls 'his secret weapon'."
"Kyle," Kenny said softly, heart aching. "He means Kyle."
The angel nodded solemnly, "I believe so, yes." He shifted uncomfortably, "I was there when they found the spell. Damien and Satan were arguing over the logistics...He wants to send Kyle to kill you."
"Yeah we figured as much," he muttered.
"And he plans to keep him for himself in the aftermath," he finished quietly.
Kenny's face fell worriedly. Damien had said it himself but he figured that was just to scare him. He never expected Damien to mean it. "Why?" he whispered. "What else is Kyle good for with these powers except to kill me?"
He shrugged, pity in his faux-red stare. "I don't know," he responded honestly. "Damien himself didn't have any reason except wanting to 'torture you even in death'," he quoted before pausing and letting out a long breath. "But...I think there's something else. I don't know what, but the whole situation just feels rather..."
"Off," Gabriel finished in a murmur. Nathaneal nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, Nathaneal," Michael piqued up. "This is, well, the first part is wonderful news. As for the rest..." he bit his lip, looking to see Kenny staring at the cloud below their feet, mind obviously frenzied trying to figure out Damien's plans for his fiancé. "We'll figure it out," he said softly. "Continue the good work," he smiled.
Nathaneal gave a small, respectable bow, turning and taking off into the air. Kenny watched after him, blinking rapidly. "Wait!" he called, hopping off on his own after the figure. The remainder observed him knowingly, faces wrought with empathy. Nathaneal stopped in midair and Kenny caught up, hovering in front of him. "Can I ask you a favor?" he questioned meekly.
He smiled, "Kenneth, I'm under you. You don't have to ask a thing. Say it and it is done."
"Yeah, okay, first off then, call me Ken," he frowned. "Second...If you can, find Kyle," he winced. "Find Kyle and...and see if he's safe. Please?" he begged.
"Of course," he nodded.
He licked over his lips, "And if you can, and I won't be mad if Damien has him under such tight wraps that you can't," he assured him, "talk to him. Let him know that I'm gonna get him out. Please. A-and tell him I love him?" he sniffled.
Nathaneal nodded with a melancholy smile. "I will do all I can, I promise you, Ken. Working around Gragor may be a trick though," he offered a small smirk.
He rolled his eyes, "I always hated that shiny fucker." He looked back at the chuckling noirette, "Thank you."
"Not at all," he bowed his head and turned, heading off quickly towards Peter's gate. Kenny watched after him, his heart bubbling with hope. This was his chance to let Kyle know that he was still up here. Still fighting for him, still more than willing to skin Damien alive piece by piece if it meant getting him back safely. He thought of those red eyes, feeling those bugs crawling about his skin once more and he shuddered. 'Sorry, Ky,' he took a deep breath. 'I ain't lettin' go of you so easily.'
A/N: Protective Kenny is STILL best Kenny. Cry. Next time is some more Dyle fun yey.
Thanks for R&Ring!