Between one moment and the next, heart racing, Benny's moving—not close enough, not going to make it, too far, too far—and then stopping. There's no warning, no nothing, just a flash of moonlight, and a blade slides through flesh and muscle.
Everything slows to a slow heartbeat, overtaken by the loud pulse of his blood in his ears, and then.
"S-Shut up."
It's sudden and jarring, and then a dark shape is hurtling toward him. Benny's blade flies from his hand, and he scrambles for the monster's flailing arms as they go down in a twisting frenzy.
"Danny—" he snaps as he flips them, wrangles the kid's arms behind his back and pins him to the ground,"—calm down!"
He's met with snarls and croaking barks of frustration, flickers of blue around the edges. Green blood gushes from the hole in his shoulder with each struggle and wrench of muscles, and it runs down the arch of Danny's straining back and over Benny's hands.
Dammit, Benny thinks, his hands tingling, burning.
"Let go of it," says a voice, and Benny jerks his head up.
It's the angel.
"Why?" he growls, teeth prickling in his mouth. His fingers are numb, the faint smell of burnt flesh whispering around his nose, and.
There's a pause, stony silence. Benny snarls.
Lets go.
Danny freezes, lays where Benny leaves him. The vampire scrambles back, gives the monster space, and waits, dragging his green and smoking hands down the sides of his jacket. It's slow going, moments before Danny's arms fall from his back, before there's a soft hiss. He turns his head, and peeks at them over his uninjured shoulder, eyes blown wide.
Benny steps forward with a start."Green Eyes—"
Everything shifts off-center, and b-r-e-a-k-s.
He ends up on his hands and knees, stomach tied into knots, and bile itching at the back of his throat, but Green Eyes is still there. Struggling against a tree, hoisting himself up, and the angel is collapsed on the ground, dazed and stunned.
His blade lays in front of them, flung from his hand. Benny stares at it, at the green blood along the entire length, and reaches for it. He collapses with a grunt, fingers crawling over the cold hilt of the sword, and pulling it closer, but.
suddenly, another hand slides over his, chipped and ruined nails digging into skin, and bearing down on him.
Benny looks up, and bright blue irises are staring down at him, a dull brownish green dripping onto the ground
"D-Danny," he croaks, mouth dry.
The monster's eyes narrow, lip curling and baring teeth, but confusion marres the hostility, flickering briefly across his face, and.
It's not enough. Benny hisses when the nails dig deeper, the bones creaking in his wrist, and releases his hold on the blade. Danny snatches it up with a growl, skipping a few steps away from him. The wound in his shoulder bleeds sluggishly as he wrenches it with a snarl, working it as he inspects the weapon.
Benny breathes, and struggles up, teeth needle sharp in his mouth.
"Danny," he tries again, this time on his feet, unsteady, and black spots threaten the edges of his vision.
The blade is backwards in his hand, and there's a hungry, desperate fire in his eyes. Benny sees that now. Has seen it before. The hairs on the back of Benny's neck stand on end, and Danny brings his arm up.
He starts forward, once more, once more, he can get through to him."Don't—" he starts, yells, unsure why, but knowing this can't end well.
The blade is stabbed down, catching on something, slipping out of view. The air is split in two as Danny cuts down and down.
What Benny sees of him is bisected by a jagged line of gold, creeping fingers of light leaking from the edges, dying mere centimeters out, and Danny's dropping the knife as soon as it's as long as he is tall. His arms fly forward, and Benny sees him sink his fingers into the pulsing wound, grip the edges, and pull.
Everything shrinks to pinprick, and at his next step, Benny collapses.